Helping yourself during Depression

Self-Help for Depression

Depression can appear in our lives unexpectedly causing major issues with our health and well-being.  Some forms of depression are situational, seasonal, chronic, major, or depression linked to another mental health condition.  Regardless of type, depression can cause any number of unhealthy thoughts and behaviors.  There is treatment available in the form of talk therapy, monitored prescription medication use, and lifestyle changes.  We’ve all heard how exercising, diet changes, and adequate sleep can help depression.  But what if our depression gets in the way of being able to do those things?? If you’re stuck at this point, the key is to start small.  Break things down into manageable pieces.  We may not be able to get in a full exercise routine, but perhaps we can take a small walk.  Baby steps are essential to battling depression.  If we set goals that are too large then we can sink even deeper into depression when we don’t meet them.

Some other things we can do to alleviate our depression:  talk to a close friend or family member, join a support group, try to regularly see friends and family (even if it’s only briefly), remember things you enjoyed doing and take small steps to reincorporate them into your life, physical movement (start small), logical thinking, and avoiding things that contribute to depression.  Most of those things are self-explanatory, but let us take a closer look at logical thinking and avoidance.  What do we mean by logical thinking?  When you’re thinking negative thoughts that directly impact your mood, take the time to sit down and analyze why you’re thinking this way.  Ask yourself the following questions: is this a valid thought?  What evidence do I have to support this thought? Have I always felt this way? What are other explanations for how I feel?  What’s the worst that could happen, the best, the most realistic? How would I respond to a friend dealing with the same problem?  And, finally, what are the benefits or costs to thinking this way?  Taking the time to analyze our thought process often allows us to see the irrationality of our thoughts that contribute to depression.  Once we recognize that pattern we can take steps to change how we think.  In terms of avoidance, we want to avoid things like alcohol or substance abuse, locking ourselves away from others, and participating in any risky behavior.  These behaviors will only serve to deepen depression making the path to recovery longer and harder.  

Remember to be kind to yourself.  If none of these things help, consider contacting your medical doctor or mental health provider for more assistance.

   

Written by: Amanda Furca, Graduate Level Intern, 

Loring Therapy LLC

loringtherapy.com

Adapted from the WebMD Feature, “Help Yourself out of Depression,” by Martin Downs, MPH

http://www.webmd.com/depression/features/help-yourself-out-of-depression