Saturday, October 24, 2009

5 Must-Knows for Those Seeking Help with Depression

By Carl Clark

There are many reasons why a person gets depressed. It could be because of a family problem, a financial problem, bad grades, fight with a friend or lover, death of a loved one, pressure from work or school, inability to fulfill expectations of other people, or many other possible reasons. Regardless of the cause of depression, it is something that must be taken seriously. Being depressed is not easy, and can lead to the person depressed perpetrating drastic actions. If you need help with depression right now, you can do something to put your depression behind you.

First, you must nurture supportive relationships. While you might feel that reaching out to your family, relatives or friends, even those who are really close to you, is embarrassing, do not forget that they love you, care for you and want to help you feel better. Share to them what you are going through. You will be surprised at how much comfort you can feel by just having someone there who will sincerely listen. Remember that you really need help with depression. Do not be ashamed to ask for their advice. This is the time when you really need some support.

Second, you must take care of yourself. Make some time for things you truly enjoy and arrange amusement activities to do for the day. Forcing yourself to enjoy will never work. So, choose to engage in activities you find pleasure in. Doing the things you honestly love and having fun really help with depression management. You can pick up a pastime activity you used to like. Go out shopping. Play with your puppy. Write something in your diary. Read a book. Take a walk in the park and appreciate nature. Listen to your favorite songs. Eat vanilla ice cream. The more activities, the better it will be and the greater chances of lifting the fog of depression. Even if you might not feel like it, push yourself to do these things. Once you are out there, you might be surprised to find yourself feeling better.

Third, even if physical activity may be the last thing you would feel like doing when you are depressed, find and make time for exercise. Research has shown that regular exercise caused the energy levels of individuals who needed help with depression to increase and their feelings of fatigue lessen as how they would if antidepressants were taken. Of course, do not overdo it. Exercise but begin small and be progressive slowly.

Fourth, eat a healthy and hearty meal. Your diet has a direct impact on your feelings. A good diet is one with a balanced amount of foods under the go, grow and glow categories. Also, keep in mind that breakfast is the most important meal because this is where you get the energy for the day. Make sure to eat well during this time. It would be best to not skip meals too. Ideally, you should eat every four hours. Avoid comfort foods. This may provide temporary consolation but afterwards, the melancholy will just come back in addition to a crash in energy and mood. They can only help with depression for so long.

Fifth, contest your negative thinking with optimism. Depression would usually cause an individual to develop a negative outlook in life. Everything would just seem negative all of a sudden. The chirping of birds does not sound melodious anymore. Everything about you just feels bad. You become sensitive to criticism and may begin to feel worthless. You would always be able to give a negative reason to any event that happens. Rather than letting your negative thoughts control the way you look at yourself and your life, challenge them! Give a positive reason or a positive effect to any negative occurrence. For example, you failed your Math quiz because you were not able to study as you were busy playing computer games. Instead of letting yourself get absorbed in the fog of depression, think and say to yourself that your failure in the exam is a wake-up call for you so that you would never repeat the same mistake. It would also remind you that whenever there is an exam, studying is a must if you do not want to fail. In addition to this, it would be helpful to go out and socialize with optimistic people. Your hanging with them may motivate you to adopt their positive way of thinking.

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