Five tips to help overcome depression
According to the World Health Organisation, depression will be the second-leading cause of world disability by 2020.
With January in full swing, commonly billed as the most depressing month of the year, it’s essential for sufferers of depression to equip themselves with useful tips on how to overcome feelings of despair and isolation.
In this post, we will be sharing some helpful lifestyle points that can contribute to improved mental health.
1) Create a solid routine
Anyone in the depth of depression can relate to the often debilitating effects. However, in order to take small steps to recovery, it’s important that you start building healthy habits. This all begins with a consistent and healthy routine. A solid routine helps reduce stress levels and act as a guide through times of change.
When putting together your routine, think about taking the following into consideration:
- Make sure you get at least 8 hours of sleep every night
- Set an activity goal for each day. This could be anything from household chores to doing something that makes you feel good about yourself
- Get fresh air
- Take a break from high-stress situations. This could mean taking time out to ‘re-calibrate’ or asking for support.
- Eat three healthy meals every day
- Schedule social event and try to go even when you don’t feel like it
2) Moderate exercise for 20-30 minutes every day
In addition to improving your overall physical health and stamina, exercise is a natural endorphin producer meaning it is the best and easiest way to give your mood a natural positive boost. By setting aside 20-30 minutes a day to go for a brisk walk, jog around the park or even cycle, you’re able to reduce your stress levels and increase your energy. If you can plan with others then this will give an added boost to your mood.
3) Challenge negative thoughts
Intrusive negative thoughts can often be difficult for many people suffering from depression as it involves perceptions of yourself, life events or the world around you in general. Dwelling on negative thoughts significantly increases our feelings of depression, which is why it’s important to retrain your thinking habits. Take the following points into consideration to ensure you challenge negative thoughts on a daily basis:
- Avoid over-generalising. Just because you’ve had a bad experience once, it doesn’t mean you’re doomed to terrible situations for the rest of your life. Take small steps to get yourself in a place where you can take the good with the bad and look at situations objectively.
- Labelling. It may have been a teacher, a parent or even just yourself who gave you a negative label that has stuck ever since. Judging yourself or others harshly based on one mistake that was made or event at a particular point in life does nothing to help healthy opinions of yourself or others. Whenever you find yourself using a negative label, seeing yourself in absolute terms, try thinking about time when the oppositive was try. Remembering the feeling of your happiest memory or a time you excelled at something will help to see more balanced opinions about yourself.
- Dismissing positive events – Depression always tends to make sufferers focus on negative events or situations. By dismissing positive experiences or convincing yourself you don’t deserve to be happy will only cause your depression to take a downward spiral. Instead, try celebrating your small wins or achievements. This could be simple things such as getting out of bed the moment your alarm goes off and not several hours later, or bigger achievements such as, doing some exercise, keeping plans to meet with friends or doing something in work when you did not feel like doing.
4) Spend time with loved ones
When in the depths of depression, it can often feel like a monumental task to maintain even the closest of relationships. Withdrawing from friends and family is a common sign of depression so if you’re able to recognise these signs within yourself at an early stage, try to reintegrate yourself into your social groups, or even take up a new hobby. Reach out and make plans.
5) Keep track of how you feel and understand when it’s time to get professional help
If you get to the point where you feel like your ‘low mood’ has gone on for significantly longer than you had hoped then it might be time to start thinking about seeking professional help to aid these coping strategies. CBT is a talking therapy and a great way to help you deal with negative feelings and helps you create positive thinking patterns to influence positive behaviours.
Being able to early identify when you’re feeling overwhelmed is the ultimate first step to overcoming depression.
If you’re interested in knowing more about CBT and how it can help you, please give us a call now on 0207 929 7911. Alternatively, you can request call back or send us a message.