Content

• Steps
• Warning

When a doctor is diagnosed with depression, your doctor will do a physical exam and some basic tests (to rule out other medical causes of depression). Your doctor can prescribe an antidepressant for you. However, it usually takes 2 - 8 weeks for them to be fully effective. During that time, it can be helpful to develop a routine, and start some healthy methods of managing your day until you begin to notice the difference in your symptoms.

Steps

Part 1 of 4: Managing your day

1. 

   Take medication as directed. You need to take your depression medicine at the same time each day. It's best to take your medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor, as following the instructions will help minimize the side effects you experience.
   • Never stop taking a pill unless your doctor tells you to. Suddenly stopping the medication will make your symptoms come back worse, and you may experience more symptoms of quitting if you stop taking them after a while.
   • Remember that not taking the medication as directed, or not taking it at all, will cause you to develop thoughts that you want to harm yourself. If you are having suicidal thoughts, immediately call your doctor or a suicide hotline. If necessary, you can go to the hospital.

2. 

   
   
   Follow certain habits. It can be difficult to gather energy and get out of bed when you are depressed. Establishing a morning routine from small, consecutive steps will help you manage your day more easily and help you get off to a good start.
   • Wake up at the same time every morning (including weekends). When you wake up, do a few simple tasks, like getting up. Then focus on getting out of bed. Next is a little stretch. Wash your face and brush your teeth. Have breakfast and take medicine.
   • Instead of thinking about getting through an entire day, focus on one task at a time.

3. 

   
   
   Practice healthy sleep habits. Turn off your phone, computer, TV, and relax for about an hour before bed. Avoid caffeine and alcohol, as both will inhibit the quality and duration of your sleep. Read, take a shower, establish a nightly bedtime routine, and go to bed at the same time each day.
   • As you improve your sleep habits, you will feel more alert and energized. Lack of sleep has a significant effect on your mood, so establishing healthy sleep habits can be of great help in improving your depressive symptoms - now and after medications take effect. .

4. 

   
   
   Do exercise. This is a measure to help improve mood. The endorphins produced after a sweaty exercise will naturally improve your mood. Plus, regular exercise will increase your confidence and reduce stress, provide healthy coping mechanisms, and can even help you sleep well.
   • As you wait for your symptoms to improve, don't pressure yourself on the intensity and duration of your exercise - you don't need to do any of the strenuous activity of you. Just try to get your body moving in any way possible. Walking, swimming, and yoga are all gentle activities you can do.

5. 

   Bathe, change clothes, and groom each day at specific times. You will feel better. And everyone around you will also appreciate this. Including these activities in your morning routine will help you feel fulfilled and motivated to perform another task that awaits you. If this is all you can do then that's okay. advertisement

Part 2 of 4: Coping with negative thoughts and feelings

1. 

   Track your thoughts. Depressive thinking is often very negative. One of the most helpful ways to deal with depression is to learn how to change your negative thought patterns. This is a huge task that you have to perform on your own. Usually it works best when you are instructed by a psychologist or therapist to change negative thinking habits through cognitive behavioral therapy. In the meantime, just focus on becoming more aware of unhealthy thoughts.
   • When you feel extremely down or down, consider your thoughts. What did you say to yourself in the last few hours or days? These thoughts are more likely to be negative thoughts and contribute to your bad mood.
   • Try to pinpoint negative thoughts for a few days. Recognize them, acknowledge that they are very negative and not helpful to your situation, and then release them. Remind yourself that thoughts are just thoughts; they are not true.
   • Once you have mastered the perception of negative thought patterns, you can try to challenge them. Is what you are telling yourself completely reasonable and realistic? Or is it exaggerated in some way? Can you think of the evidence to refute this negative thought? You should try to attack them by pointing out their irrationality, and talk to yourself in a more realistic way.
   • For example, you might say, "My symptoms will never improve". If you can jot down the slightest improvement in your symptoms, like you sleep better or can complete more homework, you've got evidence to disprove this statement. You should talk to yourself based on this evidence in mind. The new saying is: "My symptoms take time to improve significantly, but I find that I sleep better and I complete more homework."

2. 

   Journal every night. Journaling will be a purifying experience as it allows you to vent any worries, problems, and stressors on the page. For depression, journaling will help you solve the problem and keep track of your symptom pattern.
   • Journal for a few minutes at the end of the day, including details of what happened, how you felt, and what you thought. If you want, you can also strengthen this technique, and consider how you can cope with the day differently by changing your thoughts or responses to stressful situations.

3. 

   Practice relaxation. Although meditation is highly praised for its mental health benefits, unless you are a master, it will be difficult for you to have the spirit of discipline to do it in the meantime. Try doing easier relaxation exercises to reduce stress. These can include breathing, yoga, massages, listening to soothing music, or a hot tub bath. advertisement

Part 3 of 4: Be kind to yourself

1. 

   Divide the big task into smaller chunks. Similar to when you need to simplify your preparation routine into small, sequential steps, you should do this with homework, chores, and other projects as well.This method will help you avoid further stress as it can make your symptoms of depression worse. It will also help you stay focused if depression makes you feel distracted or distracted.
   • For example, if you have to write an essay for a particular subject, you should first focus on compiling research material on a given topic. After that, you can write an outline for the essay. Next, you can write down sections that are clearly established in your mind - no matter what part of the essay they belong to. And you can work on each part of the outline until you create a complete article. Finally, you can go back to edit the article. You can complete each step on a different day (if you have enough time) to make the task more manageable.

2. 

   Don't force yourself to be too social. Your family and friends will probably think that attending a big meeting or event is good for you, but it's okay to not want to be around others when you're depressed. If your symptoms haven't gotten better yet, you won't want to be social. If you need to do this, attend a small event or event near your home where you can give up without a big deal.
   • Try to be social in small ways every day, like chatting with your mom or best friend on the phone or talking to your next door neighbor. Even a small social connection can lift your spirits.

3. 

   Bathe in the sun, even if it's just during lunch break. Research has shown that people with vitamin D deficiencies, provided by the sun, experience depression. Furthermore, being in nature can reduce stress and reduce symptoms of depression. One study showed a significant improvement in participants in the outdoor walking group. Spend more time outdoors while you are waiting for the medication to work. advertisement

Part 4 of 4: Understanding depression

1. 

   Remember, this is just like any other disease. It requires medication. You are not disabled. Your brain chemistry is at an unhealthy level, similar to diabetes when your blood sugar is at an unhealthy level. Like diabetes, there are other effective treatments to help you manage the disease.

2. 

   Do not take supplements without first telling your doctor. Many people believe that the herb St. John is a very effective natural remedy in treating depression. Unfortunately, the supplement will interact with antidepressants and will increase the side effects of a potentially life-threatening condition known as serotonin syndrome. Do not take any of these supplements until you have discussed possible side effects with your doctor.

3. 

   Don't give up hope. If you find that the antidepressant you are taking is not working, another medicine will help. You will probably need to try many options before you notice a significant improvement in your symptoms.
   • If you have tried many medications and they have not worked, you should consult with another doctor or perhaps further testing. A fresh look will help you find the cause of your depression (for example, your thyroid has a problem or you have an autoimmune disease), and help you feel like you are yourself. once again.
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Warning

• The underlying cause of depression (hard-to-adapt thinking patterns and poor coping skills) cannot be addressed with medication alone. You will probably need to combine medications with psychotherapy to fully recover from depression, and help you lead a healthier and more productive life.
• If at any time you have thoughts of wanting to harm yourself or others, you should seek medical help immediately.