Depression can be a very debilitating condition if not treated. If you have had symptoms of depression, or recently been diagnosed with depression, you can recover. Consider these five steps to help you manage and heal from depression, and help prevent relapses.
These steps include taking care of your body, getting a good physician, considering working with a good therapist, and being positive about yourself and your life.
Take care of yourself physically to help your mind heal
Our bodies function much better when we take care of them. You help to boost your immune system and its healing capabilities when you make the choices to eat well, get proper sleep and exercise.
Many studies have been done about the long-term benefits of exercise in boosting mood. Antidepressants help, but for real extended recovery from depression, exercise scores well in assisting to keep depression at bay. There are many different types of exercise. Walking groups may be a good place to begin, or for those with other chronic health complaints - gentle walking in a pool may be considered. Before embarking on any type of exercise program it is always recommended to see a doctor first for a health check and clearance.
Educate yourself about good nutritional choices. Ensure that you get an adequate protein intake (either meat or vegan/vegetarian alternatives), plenty of fruit, vegetables, dairy or vegan/vegetarian substitutes and grains (with regard to intolerances or allergies). Also drinking plenty of water to keep your body well hydrated is recommended.
There have been many studies that support the notion that a lack of sleep can cause many dysfunctions in the body and mental state of a person. For example, sleep deprivation may lead to hallucinations. The immune system is also weakened without sleep. Be sure to get adequate sleep. Most people need between seven to nine hours per night for sufficient rest.
Be sure to also find some enjoyable activities and schedule rest and leisure time for yourself. There is a correlation between participating in leisure activities and its promotion of good health.
Choosing good medical care can help you manage depression better
Choosing a good medical practitioner who is understanding of your individual needs and situation will assist you in being able to manage depression. A good partnership with your medical practitioner will also allow for management of your health and mood, thus helping to prevent relapse. Your physician may or may not prescribe antidepressants or various lifestyle changes such as exercise, good nutrition or reducing stress to help you heal from depressive symptoms. Ensuring you check in regularly with your medical practitioner if you experience any symptoms of depression, particularly in its early stages, will help you manage it sooner rather than later, and help expedite recovery.
Be realistic about your limitations and learn to simplify your life
In a culture of excess, things can get out of balance. Cutting down or reducing some commitments, or changing to a less stressful job may help a person reduce some stressors. A person can investigate possible alternatives to things that are costly and time consuming – for example – if renting a large house is costing a lot of money, and a person is working very long hours in order to pay for it, it could be considered to move to a smaller house or a cheaper area.
Sometimes explaining to the family that they have to reduce extracurricular activities that are funded by long hours at a job may have to be done – if all people within a family can work together to cut costs and reduce pressure on the wage earner(s) then stress can be reduced also.
One of the things that can burn a person out is having too many unrealistic expectations of themselves. David Posen - in the paper – Stress Management for Patient and Physician outlines unrealistic expectations as a source of stress. By making a person’s expectations more realistic, stress can be reduced.
Get a good therapist to help you work through issues
A therapist can use a variety of techniques to help you work through issues that may be causing you stress, and therefore affecting your health. These include:
Interpersonal therapy – the therapist can work through with a person on improving how they relate to another, and examine how possible dysfunctional ways on relating may be contributing to stress in that person’s life.
Cognitive behavioural therapy – the therapist will help a person identify ways of thinking, behaving, habits and feelings that are negative and work with the person to change these to more positive, healthy and helpful habits, behaviours and thoughts.
Client centred therapy – the therapist helps the client to identify solutions within themselves to helping reduce stress and problem solve. It acknowledges that the individual is responsible for solving his or her issues.
There are many other types of therapies available, including psychotherapy, art therapy, Gestalt therapy and Christian therapy. Different people will work well with different therapeutic methods.
Be mindful of the positive things of life
Depression unfortunately pairs itself with a lot of negative thoughts for the person who suffers from it. There are too many critics in our lives, and there are always things to be done that weren’t done, but if a person with depression only looks at what is said badly about him or her, or looks at what she or he hasn’t done, then that will only add to a negative state of mind, which can worsen depressive symptoms. It is therefore essential, if you suffer from depression to start to examine in detail what is positive about yourself, and give yourself some kudos for what you have done. Having a therapist to help reflect on what is positive in life is beneficial for a lot of people who suffer from depression.
In Love Your Life: Living Happy, Healthy and Whole, Victoria Osteen says ‘so often it’s easy to see the good in other people, yet ignore the good qualities in ourselves ... we need to see the good in ourselves and applaud even the little accomplishments in our lives.’ She iterates that by being mindful of the things an individual does right, it can ‘change your attitude.’
Some people keep a journal, to reflect on their day – in it they reflect on how they were feeling that day, and it may help to focus on what the real issue is and help a person sort through negative feelings. Some people may find a gratitude journal also helpful. There may be many situations that are bad, or stressful for a person, but listing things to be grateful for, or writing down positive statements may help consolidate a better outlook.
Research has been conducted on the benefits of gratitude and its contribution to happiness. In one study conducted of people who kept a gratitude journal, those people experienced higher energy positive moods and better sleep duration and quality compared to a control group.
Summary:
Taking care of yourself physically, acknowledging the good qualities in yourself, enlisting help from a physician or therapist and choosing to take an active role in your recovery will help you not be controlled by depression. Considering taking some of these steps can help you take the path to healing and help prevent future relapses. Always see your trusted medical practitioner for advice specific to your situation.
Lori Woodward - Lori is a freelance journalist who seeks to help people enjoy life through informative and entertaining practical information.
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