The Ugly Side Of Depression
Do you walk through the halls of depression and self-doubt daily? Have you made them your home? Do you feel like you have been living in a fog, not knowing exactly which way to go to get out of it? Do you even want out?
Depression is an ugly place to take up residence. Add anxiety to the mix and now we have multi-symptoms. Throw in some anger, sprinkle in a little resentment, add a whole lot of fear and we are sure to feel gloom and doom.
It can feel like you are in a constant battle within. It’s often hard to overcome, but remember that change takes time. When trying to take control of your feelings, remember to be patient.
As humans, we are built to go into survival mode when dealing with physical and/or emotional pain. That source of pain can come from within the family unit, relatives, friendships, acquaintances, and most surprisingly yourself.
Overtime, it’s common to develop your own coping mechanisms – which become habits – which become our new norm. This builds a “safe” environment for us to live in.
However, this is a distorted view of what “safe” is. You are not alone in this battle. if you notice that your depression is getting out of hand and you can’t handle things on your own, it may be time that you get help from a professional. They’ll be able to provide you with an “attack” plan to help battle your depression.
Whatever the situation, there are people available whenever you need the help. No one will judge you; they’re simply there to help you get the support that you need!
Listed below are some tips you can use to try to lift your feelings of depression.
If you feel as though the tips given won’t help, or that your depression is on a high level, then you may want to consider talking to your doctor about medication to help balance your moods. There are also helplines available to anyone who doesn’t feel comfortable getting help from their doctor, or whose depression has gotten so out of hand that they’ve thought about harming themselves.
1. Stay in touch. Don’t withdraw from your life and your loved ones. When talking to others, it has been proven that it can improve your mood. Talk to the people you care about the most. Let them know how you feel because they may be the biggest key in you getting the healing that you need.
2. Be more active. Take up any form of exercise. Studies have shown that exercise helps to lift your mood.
3. Face your fears. Whatever is making you feel so low, face it, but in small amounts. Running away from something difficult can actually just make your mood drop even more. Depression can make people lose their confidence, but don’t let it take that away from you. Battle through it and tell your depression who’s boss.
4. Don’t drink too much alcohol. Alcohol in large amounts is a depressant, which will only make you feel more depressed. You may turn to drinking to cope or hide from your depression, but in actuality only makes it worse.
5. Try to have a healthier diet. When depressed, many people don’t feel like eating. This makes them in danger of being underweight. On the flip side, though, some people find comfort in food, which then puts them in danger of being overweight.
6. Have a routine. Keeping your body on a regular schedule has shown to decrease stress and low moods. Ensure that you go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time. Without a routine you can fall into a slump and notice a new level of sadness. Another negative to not having a routine is that it impacts your eating. You may stop cooking regular meals, eat snacks throughout the entire day, or miss meals because you stay in bed all day.
I wish you enough💜
Ginny Hanson
Health Coach and Mentor
