Hey, I just wanted to remind everyone who may be feeling depressed or generally low of a few things which may help...
1. Remember, when you are feeling depressed, it's sooooo easy to make the mistake of doing what your depressed mood dictates, for example, you don't see the point in getting out of bed...so you stay in your bed!
It's important to NOT do this. Depsite how hard it may be, you must must must try to do the opposite of what you feel because doing what you feel like doing when you are depressed is likely to maintain/worsen your symptoms.
Trust me on this one...for example - if you feel like staying in your bed because you can't see any point in getting out of it as you feel like you cannot face the day...GET OUT OF BED! It will make you feel so much better and it's likely to have a positive impact on the way you're feeling - therefore you are actively combating against your depression which will eventually lead you up the road of recovery!
2. When you are suffering from depression, I know how hard is it to have the motivation to do things - especially when you cannot gain any enjoyment out of the activities you previously enjoyed.
Depression is famous for dulling the ability to gain enjoyment and pleasure out of the things you like to do...BE PATIENT WITH YOURSELF!
Trust that your feelings of enjoyment can return over time. You can get to this point by simply doing things for the sake of doing things - you may not be gaining any enjoyment, but if you still continue with the activities, you will feel that enjoyment coming back.
Don't, however, place pressure on yourself to feel like you're having a good time...it's okay to find things difficult and dull at the early stages of your recovery.
3. Withdrawl/social isolation and inactivity are the main factors which MAINTAIN depression.
One of the best ways to start overcoming depression is to start becoming more ACTIVE. You will not only feel better by doing this, you will also start to re-engage with your family/friends, plus you'll also gain the confidence and motivation to tackle simple things such as going for walks or hanging out with your loved ones, etc.
So....... talking from personal experience of depression, I urge everyone who is feeling depressed to do this:
Write down one activity that you're going to do tomorrow. Or the next day, or whenever you feel ready to! And do it - no matter how you feel, you will feel so much better by doing it. And build it up until you're getting up to one activity per day, then continue to build on that even further. You will see what I mean
Now that the lovely weather is here, and the sun has decided to show himself for another year... I recommend that one activity would be to sit in your garden for a bit when the sun is out. Go out and enjoy the golden ray of warmth from the sun and the sounds of nature itself. Or alternatively, go for a short walk - even just around the front door, round to your back door. The key is simplicity. Even doing something small will have a huge impact on your mood.
REMEMBER: Doing something is better than nothing, doing nothing is feeding your depression!
Does anyone else have any other tips which can be used in combating depression? If so, you know what to do - post it here!!
Thanks for reading, and I hope this post can be of some help to someone
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