There has been a sudden surge in the number of mental health diseases around the globe. A nationwide survey conducted by WHO post-pandemic found that roughly 56 million Indians exhibit signs of depression. But what exactly is depression, and how is it different from the sadness or grief we experience daily? Let’s understand this further.
Depression is a serious mental health disorder that is characterized by a prolonged period of sadness, worthlessness, and deep emptiness. It is a condition that might negatively affect how you think, feel and act to the extent that it becomes impossible for you to carry on with your day-to-day activities. The situation becomes so dire that even getting out of bed seems like an
arduous task for the patient.
But despite all this, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. No matter how grave the situation is, there’s a lot you can do to put yourself on the road to recovery. Though it’s a long-term process, the smallest step can make a lot of difference. Small acts like getting out of bed, stepping out of your house, and pouring your heart out to your loved ones, can make a world of difference in your mental state.
Why is Depression So Hard?
There is no particular arrival pattern of depression. It can creep in silently, unannounced, and remain undetected for weeks, months, or even years. If left untreated, it can quickly take the form of clinical depression. Therefore it is essential to diagnose it in its early stages. The diagnosis of depression is often the trickiest part because it can be easily confused with sadness.
Here’s why dealing with depression is so hard:
- Requires active participation: Treating depression requires the active participation of the patient. Unlike fever or the common cold, you can not solely rely on the prescribed drug by the doctor. You need to make conscious efforts to change your thought process. Taking constructive actions to change your own thought process when even getting out of bed feels like a huge task requires a lot of mental strength and resilience. This is a reason depression can be so hard to deal with.
- Lack of “one size fits all” cure: Though the symptoms of depression are more or less the same for all patients, the treatment varies accordingly. What works for one patient might not work for another. Devising an effective treatment plan that works well for that particular patient requires a lot of trial and error. It requires a lot of constructive actions and patience on the patient’s behalf for a prolonged period.
- Absence of external signs: This is probably one of the biggest reasons why depression remains undiagnosed. No set parameter can help us separate a depressed person from a non-depressed person. The feeling of sadness, and worthiness, can often be misread as a lack of interest or being in a mood. So, it’s very difficult to identify a person suffering from it and help them.
How to Fight Feelings of Sadness: Start Small
The worst part about depression is that your will or drive to do things can vanish. The lack of motivation can keep you stuck and prevent you from taking the required steps. But just because you can’t do something drastic doesn’t mean you are helpless. In fact, there’s a lot you can do to shift gears and get going.
You may find it hard to take major transformative steps right now but what you can do is do little things that can put you on the road to recovery. Though it may be difficult for you to reach out to the therapist right now, you can definitely reach out to your friend. Though you feel the urge to stay in your pajamas all day, dressing up and stepping out of your house can positively impact your mood. These simple action steps can go a long way in helping you cope with this mental disorder.
1. Set Attainable Goals
Coping with depression is not a quick fix. Rather it’s a long-term process. Hence, goal-setting is extremely important when it comes to tackling depression. Also, it’s imperative to set goals that are attainable. Otherwise, the entire process might get overwhelming for the patient.
It’s important to set attainable goals during the therapy sessions. This process requires setting two types of goals – “Avoidance Goals” and “Approach Goals”. The avoidance goals involve goals that are set to avoid any negative outcome. These include things like avoiding the urge to alienate yourself or reducing the thoughts that feed into the feelings of worthlessness. While approach goals involve goals that are set to have a positive outcome. For example, maintaining a gratitude journal and going for a daily stroll in your nearby park. The important thing here is to make sure the goal is attainable, measurable, and time-bound.
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2. Reach Out for Support
Reaching out for support plays a pivotal role in dealing with depression. Having someone to support and cheer you on can help you stay on track. There might be days when you feel you are a burden. You might feel shame, guilt, or embarrassment in acknowledging and conveying your feelings, but know that you aren’t your feelings. You just have those uncomfortable feelings and emotions. Know that it’s because of this disease you are experiencing these uncomfortable feelings.
So, try to stay connected with your friends and family. Fight your urge to dwell on your feelings and isolate yourself. Instead, pick up the phone and call your closest friend. Vent out your feelings without fearing judgment, remorse, or embarrassment. Know that you matter and you are cared for. Don’t let the voices in your head fool you into believing you are unloved or unworthy. Make sure you stay connected with your loved ones, engage in social activities, join volunteer or support groups, etc. All these can go a long way in making you feel better.
3. Find Ways to Do the Things You Love (or Used to Love)
Doing things you love can drastically improve your mental health. But it’s easier said than done. The crippling sense of gloom can make it extremely hard for you to indulge in anything that gives you pleasure. But don’t confuse this feeling as your fate. It may seem like it’s the end of the world, but it’s not. You may feel like you are all alone, but you are not.
Don’t let these feelings stop you from feeling good in the present. If you can just push yourself to take a small step to do things you love, you’ll notice how quickly your state of mind changes. You’ll notice your energy levels rising and mood uplifting once you start doing things you love. It can be anything like painting, writing, dancing, singing, or cooking. It can even be things like going on a shopping spree or lunch date with your friends or watching a movie you love. Anything that can bring you to the present moment and make you feel joyous will do the deed.
4. Try to Stay Physically Active
The worst part of depression is that it can make it extremely difficult for you to carry out even your basic routine activities. It can keep you stuck in your head, battling all the negative emotions and voices in your head. But don’t let the voices in your head trick you. You need to push through this resistance. A simple yet powerful way to get out of this rut is to exercise. You don’t need to hit the gym immediately. You can start small by just going for a brisk walk around your vicinity.
All you need to do is get your body moving. Why? Because exercising can play a pivotal role in fighting depression. In fact, it can be equally effective as medication. If doing intensive exercise seems overwhelming right now, just begin with 10 minutes of exercise. This will ensure that you feel upbeat and energetic for up to 2 hours. Have an exercise partner with you who can motivate you to push through your resistance. But, just get started!
5. Pay Attention to Your Diet
Your diet plays a pivotal role in keeping your mental health in robust shape. So, you need to keep your diet clean by including foods that help you ward off depression. Here are a few points you need to keep in mind regarding your diet:
- Foods to avoid: Avoid caffeine, alcohol, processed sugar, processed foods, trans fats, packaged foods, and foods laden with preservatives or hormones (like red meat). Avoiding comfort foods is important because they lead to an instant dip in energy levels.
- Foods to include: Include citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables, chicken, egg, salmon, and herring. Make sure your diet has those food sources that are rich in Vitamin B-12, folic acid, and Omega 3 fatty acids.
6. Get Some Sun
It is a proven fact that sunlight helps reduce depression considerably. Not getting enough sunlight can actually make you depressed. This is the reason why so many people experience depression in the winter months. So make sure you bask in the sunlight as much as possible. It would be better if you could exercise in the sunlight. Make sure you get at least 15 minutes of sunlight each day. This can boost your serotonin levels a great deal and can make you feel happy and uplifted for a long duration.
7. Challenge Negative Patterns of Thinking
Do you feel like you are a failure? Do you feel like you haven’t achieved anything worthwhile in your life? Do you feel unworthy or unloved? Do you feel like you’re sinking deeper into a pit of darkness, and there’s no way out of it? Do you feel like each moment is a burden and your life is a complete waste? Then don’t panic; these are just the usual cyclic thoughts a person gets when in a state of depression. It’s just the disease that makes you feel worthless and hopeless. Know that it’s not you, and you can get out of it.
Getting stuck and lost in the loop of these repetitive negative thoughts can get fairly easy. But you need to remind yourself that these are just regular symptoms of depression. You need to be aware of and challenge these negative thought patterns.
Here’s how you can do it:
- Stop looking at life as black and white; know that there can be grey areas in between: Stop saying things like, “If I don’t make it through this test, I will be a total failure.
- Stop generalizing things. Don’t let one negative incident define the course of your entire life: Stop saying things like, “I failed twice at public speaking. I am not meant to be a public speaker”. Challenge your thoughts instead. Question your beliefs by saying to yourself, “So what if I failed twice? I can succeed now. It’s definitely worth another try.”
- Stop focusing only on the negative: When doing something, focus on ten things you did right rather than one thing you didn’t.
- Avoid jumping to conclusions: Know that you can’t read people’s minds and can’t predict things. Be rational in your approach and avoid making false assumptions.
- Avoid putting labels on yourself: Avoid labeling yourself based on your past mistakes. Remember, “You are not your mistakes.” Stop using sentences like “I’m a failure or an idiot.”
- Don’t put yourself into rigid TO DOs and NOT TO DOs: Stop being a prosecutor for yourself. Stop beating yourself up for your mistakes. Stop saying, “I was a fool to think I could get this job.” Know that it’s okay to make mistakes, and you can always give it another try.
- Giving in too much to emotional reasoning: Avoid creating worst-case scenarios in your head. Don’t assume things. Refrain from making false assumptions like, “I messed up in the presentation; people must be laughing at me.”
8. Start a Gratitude Journal
Depression can make it seem like nothing worthwhile in your life, but this is not true. There are plenty of things you can be grateful for. Yet, our brains are designed to focus on the negatives more due to their protection mechanism. The state of depression can make it even worse. So, it’s important to remind yourself of all the things you are grateful for.
How can you do that? Make it a habit to maintain a gratitude journal every day. Make sure to list at least ten things/people in your life for which you truly appreciate. You can even be grateful for small things like your bed or the pen you use for journaling. The key here is to shift your attention from what you don’t have to what you do have. Doing this can have a significant impact on your mental and emotional well-being.
9. Practice Mindfulness
The real reason for all mental health diseases, including depression, is the fact that the person is unable to live in the moment. They are either lost in the regrets of the past or the worries of the future, all of which are illusionary. It’s easy to get caught up in this illusion but there’s a way to break out of this loop. All you need to do is be mindful. You need to be in the “Here and Now.” How do you do that? Simply focus on your breath – Breathe in and breathe out deeply. You can also try focusing your attention on the sounds you hear around your vicinity. Another effective way to do so is to practice guided mindfulness meditation.
10. Reward Your Efforts
In your battle against depression, it’s extremely important to maintain consistency. But how do you do that when you are feeling unmotivated? You need to reward yourself for every single effort you make that helps you cope with depression. Rewarding yourself for positive behavior helps release dopamine in your brain, giving you a feel-good factor. So, make sure you reward yourself for the effort you made to get out of bed and practice yoga for 15 mins. Make it a habit to appreciate and reward yourself for every single effort you make to beat depression.
When to Reach Out for Professional Help
All the above self-help tips will definitely help you in your battle to defeat depression. But, despite practicing all these steps, if your depression is getting worse, you may need to reach out for professional help without further delay. You might feel like there’s no way out of it, but there is. You don’t need to feel helpless. All you need to do is seek the professional help of a therapist or psychiatrist. Know that it’s very much treatable. Trust the process and seek help.
Seek Depression Counseling from a Trusted Therapist With DocVita
Dealing with depression is not easy, but it’s definitely treatable. All you need is a trusted therapist who can listen to you wholeheartedly and guide you through all the action steps needed to recover from it. We at DocVita have various psychiatrists you can choose from based on your preference and liking. All you need to do is book a session by choosing the time slot at your convenience, and get started today!