Content

• Steps
• Advice
• Warning

If you are hindered by feelings of worthlessness, sadness, or hopelessness, you may have depression. Depression is different from being in a bad mood or having an unlucky week - it's a depressive condition that can prevent you from enjoying life. Although it is hard to imagine how happy you will be because of these feelings, you can completely control your depression and recover with support from others, change your mindset, increase your fitness, and life. healthy.

Steps

Method 1 of 4: Increase Social Exposure and Support

1. 

   Talk to the therapist. A therapist can help you with current problems. Your doctor can also help you learn about depression, which is important in treating depression.
   • If you don't like the traditional therapist, you can look for a unique variant of it. Specialist in animals, art, film / drama, music. Combining your therapist's advice with your outreach will help you overcome your depression.
   • Ask friends and family to recommend a local psychologist. You will be surprised by the number of people who have to see a psychologist regularly. Ask someone you trust to convey your trust to the therapist before the meeting, so you will recover more quickly.

2. 

   
   
   Make time for the optimistic person. Social support is to recognize people with depression and help them deal with stressful life problems (changing or losing jobs, etc.). Support from others can help you limit the negative thoughts that lead to depression. Find optimistic people around you, be it friends, relatives or colleagues who have a positive impact on your daily activities. Do they encourage you? Do they like their current job? Can you go out and work with them? These are the people you want to spend time with.
   • Plan to go out with your supporters, once or twice a week. Simply go for a coffee or lunch together, or take a vacation in another city or spend the afternoon kayaking. You can plan it together, get out and do it!
   • Keep distance from people who worry you or those who don't support you. Being with them will only make your condition worse and make your determination to recovery difficult.
   • Make big plans for the future. Plan a camping trip or vacation to celebrate a few months. This is a way to encourage you to try to recover.

3. 

   
   
   Giving and receiving physical contact. Physical exposure includes cuddling or having sex that releases oxytocin in the brain that makes you happy and reduces depression. You can hug one another and use physical contact to reduce depression!
   • Hug your friends
   • Hold hand
   • Play with your pet
   advertisement

Method 2 of 4: Changing Your Mindset

1. 

   
   
   Optimistic and realistic thinking. Repeating bitter and negative thoughts is a sign of depression. That is, you get stuck in negative thoughts. Changing these negative thoughts will take time, but persevere as it will make a big difference.
   • Write down all negative thoughts on paper. It doesn't seem like you have a lot of negative thoughts so keeping a list of thoughts will help you check in reality. Observing the amount as well as the content helps you determine what causes you to be depressed.
   • Next, create a positive and logical alternative to each negative thought you write down on paper. Maybe: "Instead of writing 'I'm ugly' you should think 'I'm special and beautiful in my own way. I don't need to satisfy any social standards of beauty.'"
   • Change your negative and unreasonable thoughts. Every time you have a negative thought, you need to realize this and stop. You replace each negative thought with a more realistic, positive one. This may seem silly and weird at first, but it changes moods and acts with time. For example, if you have a thought like "I know it's going to be this bad" replace that thought with "Maybe the ending won't be too bad. Maybe the results will be good."

2. 

   Praise yourself. Even though you may not believe it, optimizing yourself helps reduce depression and increase your feelings of well-being.
   • Make a list of 10 physical features and 10 personality traits you like about yourself. For example, you might like the color of your eyes and your compassionate personality.Stick it in a place where you can see it every day, and remind yourself when needed.
   • When you realize you are disappointing yourself, praise yourself for something. You can look at the list to remind yourself of your best traits.
   • Accept compliments from others. Instead of questioning their motives, just agree to their compliments. This can help build your self-esteem and make it easier for you to celebrate each other.

3. 

   Accept the possibilities. Negative thoughts and feelings that accompany depression can make it difficult to take risks or to push yourself. Try to remind yourself that your negative outlook is the result of depression and it doesn't take your full potential. Take small steps to accomplish your goals and they seem easier to accomplish.
   • Divide big goals into smaller tasks, allowing yourself to work as much as you can.
   • Bear in mind that recovery is not instantaneous. It takes time to feel better, but this is achievable. Thinking about feeling better todayAnd what makes you feel better, instead of focusing on the big task, is feeling normal again after months.
   • Be realistic and avoid perfectionism. If you want to exercise for 30 minutes a day, but there are many days that you cannot exercise or do not guarantee time. You can continue training the next day.

4. 

   Deal with negative filters. Cynical thinking is often the result of thought filters. This filter will block out good experiences and only let you see bad ones. For example, you might just remember an embarrassing comment about your date the night before, but not a great conversation or a kiss at the end of the session. You need to see both the good and the bad, instead of looking at them unilaterally.
   • Be specific instead of generalizing things based on a negative experience. If you are struggling with something, you tend to filter out the entire period of time when you are successful. Remembering an experience is not the result of all of your thoughts and behaviors.
   • If you experience something bad is more than good, keep in mind that this is just one of many experiences, and most of them are better than bad.
   advertisement

Method 3 of 4: Physical Change

1. 

   Focus on health. Poor health can lead to increased depression and loss of happiness and comfort. Observe your overall health and evaluate yourself honestly.
   • Identify the link between health and depression. For example, depression can cause insomnia or lethargy, significant changes in weight (sudden weight gain or loss), and fatigue.
   • Make a list of health goals you can accomplish, such as weight loss, exercise, and healthy eating.
   • See your doctor if you have health questions. Sometimes you experience depression due to medications, substance use or health conditions. Make sure you have a full check-up by your doctor for symptoms of depression.

2. 

   Exercise regularly. Feeling "high and running" is not a rumor; exercise produces endorphins in the brain that boost mood. Furthermore, exercise is an effective remedy for long-term depression. The goal is to increase your heart rate to 120-160 beats per minute for 30 minutes per day to increase endorphins.
   • It's not just traditional exercises like running and weightlifting that increase your heart rate. There are many other sports you can do such as swimming, hiking, dancing, sports, horseback riding, yoga. to get your endorphins.
   • If you can't exercise 30 minutes a day, you can try some light stretches at home or ride a bike to work. This can cheer up the mood.

3. 

   Healthy eating. Not only does junk food slow you down and lethargic, it can also worsen depression. Elderly people with depression usually eat less fruits and vegetables. Fight sickness by eating healthy foods to change your mood.
   • Omega-3 fatty acids can reduce symptoms of depression, eat nutritious foods two to three times a week. Includes fish: salmon, sardines, lake salmon, tuna; as well as walnuts, flax and olive oil.
   • Avoid processed foods. They make the body heavy and reduce energy. You should eat mugs, vegetables, fruits to increase energy.

4. 

   Sleep better. Depression is often related to lethargy (hypersomnia) or insomnia (insomnia). Even if you go to bed at 1 o'clock at night and wake up at 11 a.m., going to bed without a regular schedule can worsen symptoms of depression. The best time to sleep is during good weather, when the body produces melatonin (a hormone that regulates the circadian clock).
   • Try to go to bed at the same time each day, when it's dark, and it's not too late to get more sleep in the dark. Going to bed at 10 pm is most suitable.
   • Wake up at the same time each morning so your body gets used to this schedule. You will need an alarm clock at first, but then your body will automatically wake up on time.
   • Stop using your phone, computer before going to bed. The light from this device can reduce melatonin production and keep you from feeling tired and sleepy according to the circadian clock.
   • If you work the night shift (evening to morning), sleep disruption can cause sleep irregularities in your sleep cycle. Get as much sleep as possible during breaks and naps. If possible, change your schedule to daytime.

5. 

   Avoid drugs and alcohol. They affect health and should not be overdosed. Alcohol can increase the risk of severe depression.
   • If you routinely take drugs and drink alcohol, you should work with your doctor or a specialist to safely cut down or eliminate drug dependence.
   advertisement

Method 4 of 4: Coping Healthy

1. 

   Choose an old hobby. Depression is a lack of desire to do things and you used to enjoy. Instead of continuing to avoid these activities, you should take the initiative to approach them again! If you've ever enjoyed reading, playing sports or hiking, do this again often.
   • If you feel that continuing your old hobby is not feasible, you can find a new one. Look for classes where you live or try something you've always found fun. Finding an art class or adventure activity is a great way to relieve yourself of depression.
   • Start hobbies any time you have time. It won't matter at first, but over time they will get interesting and you will look forward to the next time you get a chance to join.

2. 

   Go out. The sun's vitamin D has been shown to reduce depression. Spend 30 minutes a day in the sun (wear sunglasses) and get vitamin D. Or you can take vitamin D by mouth.
   • Take a walk in your local park or reserve to get vitamin D from the sun. Go for a walk near where you live, develop everything that can help develop your senses and give you energy and focus.
   • Exposure to sunlight also helps the body regulate circadian rhythms, the part that controls sleep. This exposure can keep you awake all day long and tired at night, giving you plenty of energy at the right time.
   • If the place where you live rains a lot and it is cloudy, look at the light therapy box. This is a special lamp that simulates the sun's rays to improve mood.

3. 

   Practice mindfulness meditation. Research has shown that mindfulness light benefits people with depression and anxiety. Practice can help you begin to train your mind to recognize negative thoughts and lack of contribution and not accept them as true.
   • During mindfulness meditation, you need to find a comfortable place to focus on your breath. Sit down and focus on reality, understand your negative worries and thoughts but only consider them thoughts, not facts.
   • Practicing meditation takes time and effort.Focusing on the present can take a long time, especially when you are obsessed with the past and worry about the future. Try to be patient and remember that this is a very effective treatment if you stick with it.

4. 

   Take care of living organisms. Research shows that people responsible for taking care of living organisms, plants or pets recover much faster than those who don't. Try growing a small garden, buying a beautiful plant pot or raising and taking care of your goldfish. Being accountable to little creatures helps you to be more active every day.
   • Don't assume you have to jump in and buy a Husky; A small tree or other animal is sufficient to provide mental health benefits. If you were thinking about buying something before you got depressed, buy it now.
   • Volunteer on a local farm or borrow a friend's pet to interact with animals without having to buy a new one. Spending a few hours each week playing with them is a good choice to reduce anxiety and depression.

5. 

   Dedicate your time. Helping others can be a powerful predictor of comfort and optimism. Find out if local organizations need volunteers and spend time working with them. Becoming a helper at the grocery store or a park cleaning team will help you proactively work outside, make you feel the need, and provide plenty of social opportunities.
   • Volunteering at a center provides another therapeutic benefit of hitting one arrow twice. For example, volunteer at the animal shelter to spend time with animals, or spend time cleaning trails with both exercise and sunbathing.
   • Start small so you don't get overwhelmed. Overloading because your schedule can easily make you feel depressed and don't want to continue for long. For example, start volunteering for 1-2 hours a week, then slowly increase your hours if you feel like it.

6. 

   Use relaxation skills. The main element of depression is anxiety, so gradually reduce anxiety in your life by relaxing. This includes avoiding stress related to depression, especially problems related to people and work.
   • Take a bath, go to the spa, read a book - do whatever relaxes you.
   • You can learn progressive muscle relaxation techniques, which are techniques that will help you stretch and release individual muscle areas, starting with your feet to your face. Slowly release the muscle tension that helps to release the tension and relax you.
   advertisement

Advice

• Track your changes to find what works and doesn't work. This helps you keep up with positive changes while eliminating the unhealthy ones.
• Always keep yourself busy

Warning

• If you have suicidal thoughts, call an emergency number or go to hospital right away.