Try And Change Your Outlook
Depression can drown you in negative thoughts. People dealing with a mental health disorder can get trapped in a loop of self-recrimination and blame. Getting too deep in the throes of depression can leave you feeling paralyzed and unable to help yourself. It becomes impossible to see anything other than despair.
Something as simple as lifting your head and looking out the window can change your thoughts. Physical or mental actions can work wonders in shifting your emotions. Therapy sessions with a mental health counselor can also give you perspective on how depression affects your thinking patterns.
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The Benefits Of Focused Meditation
In this style of meditation, what youre really doing is exercising your mental muscles. Your brain is highly affected by dedicated and concentrated meditation practice.
Scientists have performed countless studies on focused meditation and have found that active meditators have more gray matter volume in their brain and, therefore, offsetting the cognitive decline that comes with aging. So, not only does practicing focused meditation help you learn how to focus better on certain tasks, but it also improves similar functions, such as memory.
Likewise, it helps in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety, which our society is currently crippled with. By settling your attention on an object, you are essentially building your ability to observe your thoughts and sensations from a place of objectivity. This allows you to detach from negative self-talk that is often the breeding ground for depression and other mental illnesses.
From a guided meditation for focus to practicing it yourself, daily meditation for focus comes with several benefits:
- Itll reduce stress
- Helps you to focus on the present moment
- Increase your creativity and imagination
- And boost your patience and tolerance for things.
Strategy : Challenge Your Scripts
People struggling with depression can often be heard saying things like Im stupid, I can never do anything right, Im a failure, etc.
These types of thoughts run through our minds every day, all day, like a recording on a loop.
This is what counselors often call mental scripts
When the script is upbeat and positive, you feel great.
But when the script is negative and dark you feel down.
One reason depression is challenging to overcome is because you have powerful scripts that are hard to break free of.
Many people find that their scripts sound like someone who has repeatedly told them negative things about themselves. Maybe its a parent or spouse.
Many times we unknowingly begin to believe these messages.
10 of the most common unhealthy thinking patterns and mental scripts include:
Challenge the Script:
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Cognitive Behavioural Therapy For Depression
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or CBT is considered to be one of the leading psychological treatments for depression. All of our online courses use CBT strategies to help ease symptoms of anxiety and depression. Click below to see if CBT can help you tackle your symptoms to improve the way you feel.
Strategies for Dealing with Depression
Cognitive Strategies
People who are depressed generally have a negative thinking style.
They often think of themselves as worthless and of the world as being a bad or unfair place, and they find it hard to hope that their lives will improve in the future.
When something bad happens, they blame themselves, but when good things happen, they tell themselves they are just lucky.
Furthermore, people with depression are less likely to recognize and appreciate positive events when they happen rather, they tend to be more tuned into the bad things in their lives and brood over those events.
The aim of a cognitive approach is to help people identify and correct their distorted and negatively biased thoughts.
This approach identifies and challenges underlying assumptions and beliefs.
With encouragement to reframe the way they think about life, people are able to recover from failures more effectively and to recognise and take credit for the good things in their lives.
People learn that they have some control over what happens to them. As with behavioural strategies, having these skills reduces relapse and recurrence of depression.
Lifestyle Factors That Affect Mood
When you have depression, you can find ways to take control of your life and manage your treatment even beyond medications. Making some lifestyle changes can boost your mood and help alleviate many of your symptoms, including low self-esteem. “Minimizing stress as much as possible is a good idea when you’re depressed, especially unnecessary or avoidable stressors that people can be pulled into when they’re depressed,” says Erik Nelson, MD, a psychiatrist and assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine in Ohio.
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What Are The Different Types Of Depression
Two common forms of depression are:
- Major depression, which includes symptoms of depression most of the time for at least 2 weeks that typically interfere with ones ability to work, sleep, study, and eat.
- Persistent depressive disorder , which often includes less severe symptoms of depression that last much longer, typically for at least 2 years.
Other forms of depression include:
- Perinatal depression, which occurs when a woman experiences major depression during pregnancy or after delivery .
- Seasonal affective disorder, which comes and goes with the seasons, typically starting in late fall and early winter and going away during spring and summer.
- Depression with symptoms of psychosis, which is a severe form of depression where a person experiences psychosis symptoms, such as delusions or hallucinations .
Individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder also experience depression.
What You Can Do
It’s unclear how long you need to exercise, or how intensely, before nerve cell improvement begins alleviating depression symptoms. You should begin to feel better a few weeks after you begin exercising. But this is a long-term treatment, not a onetime fix. “Pick something you can sustain over time,” advises Dr. Miller. “The key is to make it something you like and something that you’ll want to keep doing.”
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Tip #7 Connect With Nature
Spending time outside in nature is good for the body and the mind. It helps distract us from problems and just helps us feel good.
Research in a growing scientific field called ecotherapy has shown a strong connection between time spent in nature and reduced stress, anxiety, and depression.
In a 2015 study, researchers compared brain activity between a group who spent 90 minutes in nature and a control group. They found that a group who did a nature walk had significantly lower activity in the prefrontal cortex, a region or the brain that is active during rumination.
Calming nature sounds and even outdoor silence can lower blood pressure and levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which calms the bodys fight-or-flight response.
So go outside and make a connection with nature. If the weather permits, take off your shoes and feel the grass or sand under your feet. Feel the warmth of the sun and the coolness of the breeze and feel your body moving as you walk. Hear the birds, or the waves, or the rustle of the grass in the wind. Smell the flowers and the trees and see the beauty of nature around you. Enjoy a sensory experience in nature and feel its healing effects.
What Is Samhsa’s National Helpline
SAMHSAs National Helpline, , or TTY: is a confidential, free, 24-hour-a-day, 365-day-a-year, information service, in English and Spanish, for individuals and family members facing mental and/or substance use disorders. This service provides referrals to local treatment facilities, support groups, and community-based organizations. Callers can also order free publications and other information.
Also visit the online treatment locator.
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Make The Food And Mood Connection
“Diet and nutrition are very important,” says Nelson, and cites omega-3 fatty acids as an example. Some studies have shown that a higher daily intake of omega-3s, which you can get in fish like salmon or through fish oil supplements, can improve mood. There are many connections between elements of diet and good nutrition and depression, adds Nelson. Eating a healthy diet can make you feel healthy, fit, and attractive, which improves self-esteem, while feeling unhealthy can worsen depression and play into negative self-perception, he says.
Overcome Depression: The Best Ways
Depression can have a devastating effect on a persons life. It can make people act impulsively, lose weight, feel anxious, have low self-esteem, and even attempt suicide. It is important that you know what you can do to help overcome depression and how to best manage it. In this article, we will discuss ways to overcome depression.
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Follow A Good Medication Routine
Curing conditions like depression without medication is not really possible. So, consult with a good mental health doctor, who can prescribe appropriate medications to deal with the symptoms of depression and aid you in the recuperation process. Furthermore, you should take your medicines regularly at the right time without fail to ensure a smooth recovery.
Strategy : Engage In Self Care
In a lot of ways, we operate like a computer and printer: we can only print what was first put into the computer.
Engaging in self-care can exponentially alter your mood and create the tools you need to overcome depression.
Diet & Exercise:
When we eat junk foods and dont use our bodies the way they were intended to be used, we begin to feel junky too.
Make sure you are eating right. Reduce sugars and fatty foods and increase your intake of healthy, unprocessed foods.
Be sure you are getting outside in the sun every day, and that youre getting your heart rate up for at least 15 minutes.
When you eat right and exercise, your brain will begin to release more chemicals that make you feel good about yourself.
Get Enough Sleep:
Working on changing all of the habits we have discussed so far takes effort & energy.
When you dont get enough sleep, you dont have the energy to sustain the focus you need to make this happen.
When you lack sleep, your mind and body revert to using the path of least resistance to save energy.
This means that to save energy, your body will do what comes most natural which means eating what youre used to, thinking what youre used to, and focusing on what youre used to.
If you want the energy and will-power to overcome depression, make sure you are meeting your needs!
Stay in the present moment:
One way you can stay in the moment is by doing deep-breathing and mindfulness exercises.
Dont try to do it alone:
Humans are social creatures.
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Select A Specific Goal For Life
A person should select a specific goal for life. Depression is automatically reduced by focusing on particular aims in life.
It is because all your concentration will focus on your goal. You will focus on achieving your goal then, you can reduce your depression.
For example:
Depressed students should need to focus on getting good grades in college or university by specifiying their goal.
Change Harsh Monologues To Compassionate Dialogues
Its so common for people to be hard on themselves when they are depressed and yet its when were depressed that we most need kindness and compassion.
Imagine how you would speak to a child or a dear friend if they were feeling down. Hopefully, you would communicate with them in a very kind and compassionate way. Healing does not come from harshness. If it did, you would probably feel better by now because Im guessing you have not spent the majority of your time being compassionate and kind towards your depressed emotions.
Sadly, many people with depression spend the majority of their time beating themselves up and then feeling bad about feeling bad, but fortunately, we can turn this pattern around and every moment we get another chance. Healing begins when we meet our emotions with tenderness and empathy. Lets take a brief look at how to do that.
How To Be Kind And Compassionate To Ourselves
If we break down the word depression, we get de-press. Pressing down. So often we are taught to depress or press down our emotions and they end up turning into a big ball of depression. So part of overcoming depression is learning how to identify and express your emotions and receive the compassion you need for them.
You may have unresolved feelings that led to developing depression in the first place, you may have emotions about your depression and you might have feelings as a result of depression. They all need compassion and honoring.
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How To Overcome Depression: In Conclusion
We all experience sad, challenging chapters in our lives just as we all experience change. And regardless of whether or not our outside circumstances drastically shift, if our minds change, everything can change. This is why some people have very few resources and swear that they are the happiest people on the planet, while others have literal fame and fortune and yet they struggle with depression and addiction.
If you are battle weary from depression, try challenging your next dark VOD. Try doing the opposite of what the voice of depression suggests. Try upgrading an unkind mind mood to a kinder, quiet one. Seek out safe support from someone who really understands. Practice compassionate inner dialogues and more spirit fillers than time killers. Make sure you are properly charging your body battery and see how the next chapter unfolds. Thank you for joining me. Take good care.
Properly Charge Your Body Battery
Sometimes when people struggle with depression, it can be very challenging to practice good self-care. In fact, some people take better care of their smartphones and devices than they do their own bodies.
How often do you forget to charge your phone compared to how often you forget to properly nourish yourself or get adequate sleep?
Taking care of your body might sound like a common sense tip, but its too important for me to skip over.
When depression is high, logical thinking and energy levels tend to be low making it far too easy to neglect our bodies. And yet, taking good care of your body can really help to decrease depression. So how well are you taking care of your body battery? Lets take a look.
Nourishment
When people are depressed, it can often lead to a loss of appetite and/or overeating. How are you doing at lovingly nourishing your body? Are you making daily efforts to eat a balance of all the various food groups and stay properly hydrated? These are really important ways to manage blood sugar, energy levels, and depression.
Sleep
Movement
One thing that helped me move my body when I was in my darkest days was to tell myself I could go for five minutes and if I wanted to stop, I could. Sometimes I stopped after five minutes, but most of the time it actually felt surprisingly good and I wanted to keep going.
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Hygiene
Substance Use/Abuse
Medical Care
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Natural Ways To Overcome Anxiety And Depression
Anxiety, Depression, Self DevelopmentElisha Goldstein, Ph.D.
Do you ever feel anxious or depressed especially in these times? Its easier than we think for our brain to get conditioned into an anxious or depressive loop. In this video Im going to share with you what Ive learned over the last 20 years as a psychologist, around what are natural ways to overcome anxiety and depression. These arent the common ways of better sleep, regular exercise and whole foods. Ill talk about cultivating certain ways to focus, practices and mindsets that can enhance your sense of energy, resiliency, and just plain being happier. I use these 5 natural ways in my own life, in my private psychotherapy with clients and with thousands of others in my personal coaching and professional teacher training programs. Listen to them closely, pause the video when you need to, take notes, these can change your life for the better.
The list of activities mentioned in the video:
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Get The Right Medication
People with depression often discover that, although they are willing to try to cope with their condition, they rarely have the motivation to do so. In this case, a doctor may prescribe medication to help you get out of the rut.
To justify this, however, your symptoms must outweigh any possible side effects of the medicine provided.
Medications commonly prescribed or recommended for depression include:
- Antidepressants Although they are sometimes portrayed negatively, when used responsibly and combined with positive lifestyle changes, they could finally provide the boost needed to turn your life around.2
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors act by increasing serotonin levels in the brain, thereby helping stabilize your emotions and end the rollercoaster depression sometimes puts you on.
- Natural supplements Increasing your B-vitamin intake could help raise energy levels and prevent a depressive episode. At the same time, folic acid has also shown some benefits in reducing the symptoms of depression.
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