How to Fight Off Depression
Depression.
It's a delicate topic for me. I know I suffer from it and I have for a long time. Probably always will. Compared to some, I have it easy, so it feels callous to say that something as complex as depression can be 'fought off'.
Everybody gets sad, of course. Bad things happen to us, or the people we love. Usually we can shake off sadness within an hour or two, when the trigger is no longer there.
Depression, unlike sadness, may not have a specific trigger. There might not be an answer to "why are you depressed?"... you just are. It can last for days and weeks (or months in severe cases), but its severity is a spectrum. Those with mild cases of depression can still get to work and are not a constant teary mess, but they can't shake the feelings of sadness, lethargy, difficulty concentrating and performing at their usual level.
It is the mild, infrequent type of depression that I am speaking about in this post. Mild to moderate depression shouldn't be treated with medication, because the benefits outweigh the risks. So even though you have been diagnosed with depression, and it is affecting you negatively, you're on your own. YOU need to fight it off.
** the tips below are not a substitute for professional treatment **
If your depression is more severe (or persistent), get to a clinic and talk to a doctor.
1) Know what your depression looks like and acknowledge that it's there.
It's not your fault. Just accept that you are depressed. I liken mine to a kind of fog that wraps my head and an inability to find motivation, or joy in much of anything.
2) Decide you are going to fight it off.
It may seem simple, but these two first steps are usually the most important to fighting depression off. I don't like to admit that I'm depressed, and that keeps me from deciding to fight it off. Once I make the decision, things get better.
3) Let people know you are having problems
...and it might take you a bit longer to make good on your commitments.
You've made the decision to fight, and part of the fight might be taking it easy. A mind fighting off depression is a bit more delicate than it usually would be, and if you're able: just raise the red flag to people. I usually try to hide it from my colleagues unless it's a very severe case (and you should look into a company therapist or confidential referral program), but family, friends and other personal commitments deserve the heads up. Not only do they deserve to know, they can help you.
4) Detox.
Try to avoid chemicals that mess with your brain: caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, sugar and chocolate. I know, I know, when you can't get up in the morning and all you want to do is drown your sorrows, this doesn't seem like a good plan, but you'll recover faster.
5) Clean your environment.
Clutter affects us on the inside, and the repetitive, light motion is a good way to get yourself moving. Focus on cleaning one area at the time, and forgive yourself if it doesn't go as quickly as usual.
6) Go for a walk.
If possible, sit in the sunshine. I'm not sure what it is, but just walking aimlessly at a leisurely pace always seems to help. When it's raining, I just walk through the mall. It's not ideal, but at least it's not wet.
7) Look sharp.
Clean up, put on a skirt/tie. Once you improve the picture you see in the mirror, your internal, self-image improves a bit, too.
8 ) Do something fun, just for fun.
All work and no play make you something something. Rediscover the joy in your hobbies, or just fun in general. Don't worry about whether or not the work applies to your goals, or what else you might be doing. Find anything that can make you smile.
9) Get back on your diet and exercise regime, as soon as you are able.
If possible, don't go OFF your diet and exercise regime. On my most depressed days, I manage to drag myself down to the gym, but can't quite push myself to work up a sweat. I do what I can, but sometimes I just need to sit in the dressing room in the dark for awhile.
10) Gently, gently ease back into your routine and get things done.
Just going through the motions can help. Just like your diet and exercise routines, ANY progress you can make while still in a rough state is good progress. You don't need to be a superhero, just a regular human surviving the day.
11) Keep at it.
Remember that you're still delicate, but celebrate small victories and try to make every day better than the last until you're back to normal.
October 5th, 2010 - 17:44
Fantastic post. I’m stunned at how similiar it is to the list of things I try to work on myself – once I get over that step 2 hump! I find detox the hardest – it tends to come further down my list, after I’ve been getting sunshine and doing good things.
October 8th, 2010 - 12:55
Interesting! Detox is definitely a difficult step but in the two times I’ve added it to this process so far I find that it speeds up the process somewhat.
October 11th, 2010 - 10:49
Great post! I wish that I stumbled on this a few years back when I was struggling with depression for a few years. I recovered by losing weight, get myself in shape by exercising on an exercise bike daily. Even though I didn’t have any motivation to do so I did (and still do) anyway and most of the times I feel much better afterwards.
The thing with depression is that it is gradual (for me at least). It sneaks into your life a step at the time and by the time you realize it you’re already pretty deep. Realizing that something is wrong though is usually the first big step to getting out of it which is a good thing.
Aside from my work out I tried to put my mind to work, to keep busy on different things, to start doing things that I did in the past and finding the pleasure in it of doing so, whether it was playing a game with a friend, building something in Lego, solve something that was on my mind. Having my satisfaction back after I created something was a big boost.
I think depression does have triggers, but multiple small ones that stack up and form a big one until it bursts, one that you probably won’t realize until you dig deep and analyze everything of your emotions, your surroundings, interactions, past events and so on. Saying that you’re OK and you got over something is a very different thing that actually being over it, even if you don’t consciously realize it.
Again, what I’ve written above is based on what I learned out of my personal experience, I don’t know how accurate it might be for someone other than me, but I hope it might help someone anyway
(Sorry if some sentences doesn’t make sense, I seem to have the habit of editing them over and over again, unsure if they are comprehensible enough
)
October 14th, 2010 - 10:54
Great comment, and thanks for pointing this out: depression can creep up on you.
It’s definitely true that you can sink into the sea and forget that you’re not supposed to feel sad every day. These terrible feelings become our “normal”. That’s why it’s so important to acknowledge that it’s NOT normal and work to get out of depression again.
Identifying and working my way out of my personal depression triggers takes a long time, but as soon as one lifts it’s an amazing feeling