How to overcome depression

You can take steps to cope with and navigate depression. Small changes to your daily routine, diet, and lifestyle habits can all positively affect you. Depression can drain your energy, leaving you feeling empty and fatigued. This can make it difficult to muster the strength or desire to get treatment. Small lifestyle changes may help you manage these feelings. Seeking help Depression made me feel very alone and hopeless for many years, and I only started to recognize the signs and learn to take care of myself when I decided to seek out professional help. I didn't feel like something I could conquer on my own, and I've learned to understand that that's completely OK. It's still a part of my life every day, I just now have the tools to better combat my symptoms. On days when you feel you can’t get out of bed, exercise may seem like the last thing you’d want to do. But exercise and physical activity can help Even when you feel you’re unable to or have little energy, see if you’d be willing to do the opposite of what your mood tells you to do. Instead, set a small goal for yourself, such as walking around the block. Depression can tinge recollections with difficult emotions. You may find yourself focusing on things that are unhelpful or perceived as difficult. Try to stop this overgeneralization. Push yourself to recognize the good. If it helps, Seeing the weight you’re giving to one thing may help you direct your thoughts away from the whole and to the individual pieces that...

Depression is classified as a mood disorder. It may be described as feelings of sadness, loss, or anger that interfere with a person’s everyday activities. It’s also fairly common. Data from the Though depression and grief share some features, depression is In grief, positive emotions and happy memories of the deceased typically accompany feelings of emotional pain. In major depressive disorder, the feelings of sadness are constant. People experience depression in different ways. It may interfere with your daily work, resulting in lost time and lower productivity. It can also influence relationships and some chronic health conditions. Conditions that can get worse due to depression include: • • • • • • It’s important to realize that feeling down at times is a normal part of life. Sad and upsetting events happen to everyone. But if you’re feeling down or hopeless on a regular basis, you could be dealing with depression. Depression is considered a serious medical condition that can get worse without proper treatment. Depression can be more than a constant state of sadness or feeling “blue.” Major depression can cause a variety of symptoms. Some affect your mood and others affect your body. Symptoms may also be ongoing or come and go. General signs and symptoms Not everyone with depression will experience the same symptoms. Symptoms can vary in severity, how often they happen, and how long they last. If you experience some of the following signs and • feeling sad, • feeling h...

Trying to beat depression? Small daily efforts can be more effective than sweeping changes. Depression isn’t something you’re able to turn off like a switch. It doesn’t go away just because someone tells you to “toughen up” or because you had a moment of laughter during the day. When you live with When these moments feel like an eternity, there are ways you can loosen the hold depression has on daily life. Beating depression and coping with depression aren’t the same. While there are many daily tips and tricks to cope with depression, “beating” depression implies a long-term resolution of symptoms. Based on the volumes of research behind depression causes, daily goals may have the most beneficial impact if they: • promote a sense of meaning, accomplishment, or mastery • increase the frequency of positive emotions • help you identify self-defeating or Keeping these criteria in mind, you can start to develop some daily routines to help you beat depression. The weight of an obligation is something that can make a task feel impossible when you live with depression. When you have to do something, the pressure can make you feel like you’re stuck in concrete. Depression can stall you from doing things that might make a difference in the long term, like visiting supportive friends and family. Reminders on your phone, computer, or tablet, can help refocus your attention on activities you might otherwise pass by. Writing these reminders in goal-form can also remind you it’s somethin...

Unfortunately, these efforts often backfire, as I recently discussed with fellow CBT psychologist and Psychology Today contributor Joel Minden. “We’ve all had experiences where we think we can do something to make ourselves feel better,” said Minden, “and it doesn’t work in that moment.” The result can be worse than simply not finding relief. “It can be really frustrating and defeating when people work so hard to try to change their emotions,” Minden said, “if they’re just not able to do that very effectively.” We can end up believing “that we don’t have coping strategies, or that we can’t deal with difficult emotions, or that we’re stuck and there’s no way out of it.” A Better Way So what’s the alternative? Living the best life we can, with whatever emotional experience we’re having. “For a lot of people, a much better road is to relate to the emotions rather than trying to control them,” said Minden. “It’s really important to learn to accept our authentic emotions, our inner experience, and relate to it differently so we can ultimately redirect our I’ve often heard people suggest that action-focused approaches are unrealistic, and that psychologists don’t understand what it’s like to deal with anxiety or depression. But Minden and I both find that the practices we offer to others are just as helpful—and necessary—for ourselves. Minden cited his own example of using behavioral strategies to get back to the gym—"setting alarms, making small commitments. If I do one pull-up...

Helping someone with depression can be a challenge. If someone you know has depression, you may feel helpless and wonder what to do. Learn how to support and understand them and help them get the resources they need. The more you learn about depression, how it affects people and how it can be treated, the better you'll be able help someone else. Depression symptoms vary from person to person. They can include: • Feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness. • Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters. • Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, such as sex, hobbies or sports. • Sleeping too little or too much. • Tiredness and lack of energy, so even small tasks take extra effort. • Reduced appetite and weight loss or increased appetite and weight gain. • Physical problems that can't be explained, such as back pain or headaches. • Anxiety, restlessness or nervousness. • Slowed thinking, speaking or body movements. • Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, focusing on past failures, or blaming yourself for things that aren't your responsibility. • Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things. • Frequent or repeated mention of not wanting to live, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide. For many people with depression, symptoms can affect daily activities at work or school. Depression also can affect social activities and relationships with others. Other people may feel generally m...

One of the most important things you can do to help yourself with depression—other than medication and therapy—is to develop For some, this may mean forging stronger ties with friends or family. Knowing you can count on supportive loved ones to help can go a long way toward improving your depression. Think of things you like to do when you're happy. Then, when you're feeling down, try one of those activities. Here are some things you might include in your wellness toolbox: • Cuddle your pet • Listen to your favorite music • Take a warm bath • Read a book • Go for a walk • Call a loved one • Take yourself out on a date • Watch a movie or tv series • Grab one of your favorite cozy • Write your thoughts down in a • Try a light therapy lamp • Pfeiffer PN, Heisler M, Piette JD, Rogers MA, Valenstein M. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2011;33(1):29-36. doi:10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2010.10.002 • Dedovic K, Ngiam J. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2015;11:1181-9. doi:10.2147/NDT.S62289 • Soehner AM, Kaplan KA, Harvey AG. J Affect Disord. 2014;167:93-7. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2014.05.060 • Sarris J, Logan AC, Akbaraly TN, et al. Lancet Psychiatry. 2015;2(3):271-4. doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(14)00051-0 • Lai J, Moxey A, Nowak G, Vashum K, Bailey K, Mcevoy M. J Affect Disord. 2012;136(1-2):e31-e39. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2011.06.022 • Driessen E, Hollon SD. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2010;33(3):537-55. doi:10.1016/j.psc.2010.04.005 • Slade M, Amering M, Farkas M, et al. World Psychiatry. 2014;13(1):12-20. doi:10.1002/...