Overcoming Depression

Depression can be debilitating and stop you from living a fulfilled life. You may feel sad most of the time, don’t want to get out of bed, stop tending to your hygiene, have negative self-beliefs or thoughts, or in extreme cases have thoughts of suicide, which if you do feel suicidal you should seek professional help as soon as possible.

Luckily for most there are ways to overcome depression and improve your wellbeing. Below are some ways that may help you overcome depression.

Ways to Overcome Depression

·      Improve Sleep

·      Eat Healthily

·      Try Natural Remedies

·      Exercise Regularly

·      Maintain Good Hygiene

·      Clean Your Environment

·      Write A Journal

·      Develop A Routine

·      Change Your Thoughts

·      Do Things You Enjoy

·      Reduce Stress Levels

·      Get Out More

·      Try Something New

·      Maintain A Healthy Social Life

·      Tap Into Your Spirituality


 

Improve Sleep

Sleep is vital in order to get rest and help the body and mind recover and heal. A lack of sleep can have a detrimental effect on your health and wellbeing as well as your mood. Having a bedtime routine will help you get ready for sleep, too much stimulants such as caffeine and screen time before bed can negatively impact your sleep quality and duration. Take time to relax and unwind before bed, to help you get ready for sleep. Your bedroom should induce feelings of sleep, and should be tidy, dark and quiet in order to assist you to sleep properly. Getting out during the day, even when you don’t want to and exposing yourself to light may help your sleep cycles and circadian rhythms regulate properly.

 

Eat Healthily

Ensuring you eat healthily is very important to maintain a healthy body and mind. Having a balanced nutritional diet and getting all the nutrients your body requires can assist you to overcome depression and support healthy wellbeing. If you are not getting all the nutrients your body requires through your diet, then you may need to take supplements or vitamins. A healthcare professional such a dietician or nutritionist will be able to help analyse and give you advice on your diet. There is growing research that has linked gut health with mental health, so improving your gut health can improve your mental health. Things such as fish high in omega 3 fats, nuts and probiotics may be beneficial to people with depression, which has been proven through research and studies.

 

Try Natural Remedies

There is some research to suggest that there are natural anti-depressants that can be used to help alleviate depression, however caution should be used before using them and you should seek professional help.

Research suggests that St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) can be more effective than a placebo at alleviating mild to moderate depression, however there are precautions that St John’s Wort should not be taken if you are currently taking prescription antidepressant’s or another supplement that affects serotonin levels or if you are pregnant, trying to become pregnant, or breastfeeding.

A diet high in omega 3 fats has shown that it may improve symptoms of depression, though researches are currently unsure as to how this actually works.

 

Exercising Regularly

Regular exercise can help develop a healthy body and mind, improving overall wellbeing and vitality. The UK’s chief medical officer stated that adults should be active daily and aim for 150 minutes of physical activities per week, through various activities.

If you haven’t exercised for a long time, then taking it slowly at first, and over time, building up intensity and duration can help prevent injuries and burnout. Walking, cycling, running, yoga or palates are some good examples of exercise that you could do on a regular basis. Exercise increases endorphin production in your brain, which is your brains ‘feel good’ neurotransmitters. Getting outdoors and breathing fresh air can help to alleviate depression. Although it may be difficult to be active when your depressed, it is possible. If you feel that you are unable to do it alone then reach out for help from a friend or family member. There are also various organisations that can help and support you to get more active.

 

Maintain Good Hygiene

Hygiene is important for your health and wellbeing as it can prevent illness and disease as well as help you to feel good. Depression can cause people to neglect their hygiene. Regular washing and cleansing not only helps you feel good but it also helps your bodies biggest organ, ‘the skin’ to function properly. Protection is the skins main function. Protecting you from bacteria, chemicals and temperature.

 

Clean Your Environment

A tidy and clean environment can improve your mental health, as often an untidy or dirty environment can cause you feel depressed. A tidy space can help clear your mind and make you feel good. Regular cleaning of your environment can also prevent illness and disease as it reduces harmful bacteria and allergens. Opening windows to get fresh air into your environment is recommended to get rid of toxins and increase oxygen levels (which we breath in). Plants can also help with cleaning the air by removing toxins, carbon dioxide (which we breath out), and replenishing the oxygen levels.

 

Write A Journal

A journal can help get your depression into perspective and motivate you to achieve what you want out of life. Writing down what you’re going through and seeing it on the page can help you clarify the situation and may help you find a way to improve it. Often having things run through our minds can make us feel trapped in our thoughts and writing them down helps to clear our mind. Spending about 5-15 minutes in the morning writing things in a journal can help set you up for the day, making it more enjoyable and productive.

 

Develop A Routine

Developing a routine can help alleviate the symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. Not having a routine can actually increase these symptoms. A routine can help you to know what to expect for the day and help you prepare for it, so rather than being shocked when something pops up you can have a plan ready to tackle it. Having a routine can increase your levels of focus and reduce negative mind chatter. A routine can help you bring stability and normalcy into your life when struggling with depression, anxiety or stress.

 

Change Your Thoughts

Even though it may not seem like it, you can change the things you think about and develop a positive mind-set, it may take practice though with determination you can achieve more positive thinking, which in turn will reverberate throughout your life. As humans we can default on negative thinking when dealing with unknown situations, this is a defence mechanism that is intended to keep us from harm. However, this unchecked negative thinking can have a detrimental effect on our mental health and wellbeing and cause us to feel depressed. Instead of focusing on all the bad things that might happen, try and focus on all the good things that can happen, psychologically our brains tend to have more context around negative thoughts then positive thoughts so it may take some effort in order to overcome the negative thoughts. Recognising negative thoughts and adjusting them into positive thoughts can help develop a positive mind set, so for example if you were thinking, ‘there’s no way I can achieve anything in my life’, you can change this negative thought into, ‘I am going to focus on what I can achieve in my life and start to work towards it slowly’.

 

Do Things You Enjoy

 

Taking time to do things you enjoy is important to inject some fun into your life, if all you do are things that make you unhappy then this can lead to a depressed mood and a routine that has a negative impact on your health and wellbeing. If you have no fun activities in your life, then you can try to write a list of things you would like to try and work through the list one by one until you find something or things you enjoy. It may take some motivation in order to have the get up and go to try new things though with some determination you should be able to motivate yourself enough to at least try to do something that you enjoy.

 

Reduce Stress Levels

 

Too much stress can have a negative impact on your mood, and if you struggle with being stressed out, then it would be a good idea to attempt to reduce your stress levels. There are five stages of stress which are alarm, resistance, recovery, adaptation, and burnout. Understanding what stage you are in and making necessary adjustments can be key to avoid burnout. Cortisol is a chemical that is released when you are stressed, people with depression tend to have high levels of cortisol, which when prolonged can have a damaging effect on health and wellbeing. Taking time to relax and unwind is important to help reduce stress levels. There are many things you can do to relax and unwind, such as breathe deeply, meditate, take a walk, soak in a warm bath, enjoy some aromatherapy, listen to music, watch a film or spend time in nature.

 

Get Out More

 

Getting out and about, is a good way to boost your mood. It could be going for a walk, learning to dance, taking a trip to a local park, spending time with family or friends, getting involved in a peer support group, or taking part in an activity of your choice. There are many things that you could do, which you may enjoy doing. This would help to build confidence and self-esteem. It may be difficult at first to find the motivation to get out and do something, though with some determination it should be possible. If you are struggling then you could reach out to your doctor, therapist, friends, family, carers or neighbours, charities, peer support groups, or workplace support services for example.

 

Try Something New

 

Giving something new a try could help give you a renewed spark in your life, which may motivate you to focus on more positive things in your life as well as giving you something constructive to do. You could try to make a list of the things you haven’t tried before and would like to try. Then take time to decide on what you would like to try and give it a go. Although it may be difficult to motivate yourself when your depressed, try and do at least one thing from the list every week.

 

Maintain A Healthy Social Life

 

When your depressed you may find yourself withdrawing from society and isolating yourself more and more, causing you to spend increasing time alone. This can have a detrimental effect on your mental health and wellbeing. Spending time with family and friends can have a positive impact on your mental health and also give you something fun to do. If you have no family or friends that you would like to spend time with then you could reach out to peer support groups or charities, for example in order to establish some kind of a positive social life. It is then recommended to maintain your social life by interacting with others on a regular basis, in whatever way is most comfortable for you. Making plans to meet up with others will give you something to look forward to. You could also consider volunteering at a local charity or organisation, which should help bring some structure into your life and can boost your confidence and self-esteem.

 

Tap Into Your Spirituality

 

Tapping into your spirituality can improve your mood and wellbeing, bringing clarity into your life as well as uplift your spirits. A good way to tap into your spirituality is to mediate on a regular basis, preferably in the morning after waking up. There are many meditation techniques that you can try, such as mindfulness or guided meditation. A simple one is to rest quietly with your eyes closed and breath naturally, focusing on how your body feels while breathing, and if your mind wanders, bring your attention back to your breathing and how your body feels. In addition to this you could also imagine breathing in fresh rejuvenating air, and breathing out any tension or stress.

Here is a 10 Minute Breathing Guided Meditation for Anxiety and Depression, you can download it here in high quality.