Dealing With Depression: Helpful Tips and Advice

The word depression is not as simple as it appears. It's like an iceberg, having roots deep and down. Feeling down or blue time to time is a natural part of life. When things don't go according to our wish, when people let us down or loss of loved ones all these situations lead to sadness, hopelessness and at times worthlessness. But when these feelings stretch down over weeks or months then it is possible that one may have depression. Depression is real illness that impacts the brain. Depression not only affects your mood but it also causes changes in your body. It alters hormone levels and changes medical condition of your body. Depression can happen to anyone. A young child or an aged person anyone can suffer from depression. Depression is a serious condition and proper attention should be paid towards it. But luckily depression is curable. Consulting a good doctor and having a support network around you will help in curing depression.

In order to cure depression, one must know the various symptoms and signs of depression. Depression majorly affects your mood, thoughts, emotions, behaviours and your overall physical health. The common feeling that one have during depression are sadness, hopelessness, guilt, anger outbursts, mood swings, loss of interests in friends and activities. During depression a person feels withdrawn, attempts to harm oneself, lacks concentration, and misses work. Moreover during course of depression the physical health also alters to a great extent. A person suffering from depression may feel tired most of the time, have body aches, loss or gain weight.

Recovering from depression may take some time but never give up. The path to recovery or dealing with it may be difficult but it is worth. Overcoming the depression is not a one day task. It is a slow and steady process. To cope with depression be patient and celebrate your each accomplishment. Start small and slowly make your way out of depression.

Self help is a major step towards dealing with depression. Surround yourself with the people whom you love and who loves you back. Social support is essential to depression recovery. Be with people who make you feel safe and loved. Don't reach out for people who may not be supportive. This may lead to more depression. Although phone calls, text messages or emails helps in staying connected, but to deal with depression you need to have real relationships rather than virtual. So go out and talk to people face-to-face. Spending quality time with someone will help in erasing the depression.

Being more active is another way to deal with depression. Don't just stay in your bed all the time. Get up and do some exercise. There is scientific evidence that exercise can help in lifting mood. To start with do some jogging or walking for at least 30 minutes per day. Then gradually increase your level. You can do swimming, dancing, aerobics or any other activity where you move both your legs and arms. Meditation and yoga are powerful depression fighters. Meditation will help you to calm your mind and thoughts.

In order to deal with depression try to resume your earlier routine. Do things that you used to do earlier. Pursue your hobbies. Spend time on activities that you find interesting, relaxing and also energizes you at the same time. Do some fun activity each day that makes you happy. Go on picnics or vacations with friends, do adventure sports, watch movies or TV shows, and read a good book. All these activities will lift your mood quickly. You can also take up some activities that you have always wished to do. You can join some sports club, cultural club or some hobby classes.

Some people don't feel like eating during depression whereas some become excessively hungry during depression. Eating healthy and balanced diet will impact your depression. Reduce junk food and unhealthy food that affects your mood and brain. Avoid intake of alcohol, caffeine, trans fat and food containing high level chemicals and preservatives. Make sure you do not skip meals. Long gaps between meals make you tired and irritated. Also minimize intake of sugar, carbohydrates and junk food. Junk food may taste good but it is not healthy. Increase intake of vitamin B as its deficiency may lead to depression. Eat citrus fruits, leafy green vegetables, beans to boost vitamin B in your body. It is also proven that omega-3 fatty acid helps in stabilizing mood. Also drink plenty of water.

Always try to be positive. Don't let negative thoughts occupy any space in your brain. At first it may appear difficult to control your thoughts but practice to control them. Positive and healthy thoughts will definitely help in lifting the fog of depression. Challenge your negative and destructive thoughts and replace them by positive ones. Try to have a balanced perspective about a situation and have proper emotional reasoning.

If the above mentioned steps do not help you in diminishing your depression, then you should seek medical help. Professional help can either be a therapy or medication. Self help steps along with professional help will speed up your recovery and in due time you will feel better.

Always remember depression is not a sign of weakness. Anyone can fall victim to depression. Don't ever hesitate to talk about your depression with your loved ones. They may help you in coping it. Depression is curable, you just need to reach out and help yourself. Don't be harsh on yourself. Be gentle and love yourself.