How to get over depression and let it not affect your performance? Please share the practical approaches that you would follow. Thanks & Regards, Vaishali
From India, Pondicherry
1From India, Pondicherry
The following 7 self-help ways to deal with depression will help you to regain control of your life as quickly as possible.
1. Change Your language
2. Focus on a better future
3. Stop blaming yourself
4. Stop telling yourself you are a failure
5. Have a safe moment every day
6. Have a fun moment every day
7. Get reading
These may seem simple, and to some of you may seem difficult, but the more you practice these 7 things, the more you will help yourself to get over your depression. I want to say a little bit about each of these things, so you know exactly what I mean.
1. Change Your Language
The language we use expresses how we understand ourselves and our world. Too much language around depression is the language of the victim or is the language of a war. Indeed, put them both together and you can be a depression war victim. Stop saying things like, ‘I suffer from depression’…’, or ‘I am going to beat this damn illness.’ Change you language to one of experience, if you have to use language at all. If you stop telling yourself you are a suffering victim in a battle, you will stop being one.
2. Focus On A Better Future
This can be a tough one, for depression is so often about the inability to see a great future. But, too much depression is actually about a morbid focus on the past and what went wrong, and this will only make you feel more depressed. Start to daydream what you would like your great future to look like, or build up a scrapbook of lots of photos and ideas about what it will look like. Think about or write down how you would like to feel in this glorious future.
3. Stop Blaming Yourself
Most people with depression go through the blame thing. You will start to blame yourself for being weak, not being able to cope, letting friends and family down and that sort of thing. Apart from the fact that it is wrong, blaming yourself for your depression is about as useful as blaming yourself for the weather – and I’m sure the really depressed among you might have even done that! But seriously, there is nothing to blame yourself for; your only job is to deal with your depression and get your life back on track.
4. Stop Telling Yourself You Are A Failure
When depression strikes, apart from blaming ourselves, we often combine this with the belief that we are failures. I have failed at my job, my life, my relationships and so forth. Many of you might see depression itself as some sort of failure to cope. Again, this is not true, and neither is it helpful. You have not failed just because you’ve got depression, and the more you tell yourself that you are not a failure the more you will begin to believe it.
5. Have A Safe Moment Every Day
Depression makes us feel unsafe. Feeling safe is essential to good health and well- being, so it is important to practice feeling safe again. You need to find something that you can do, that you know that you can do without thinking – something you feel safe just doing. It could be cooking, reading, making something, writing or whatever. Once you have found something that you feel safe doing (or several things) you then need to make sure you do this for at least 30 minutes a day. At first it may seem pointless or difficult, but very soon you will start to feel much safer again, and therefore much better.
6. Have A Fun Moment Every Day
One of the most damaging things about depression is that it takes the fun out of life. This may seem trivial until you have had the fun removed, then you know what a serious business it is to have fun. Life feeling safe, it is important to establish a fun moment every day in order to practice having fun again. So, as with the feeling safe, you need to think of some things that are (or were) fun for you, and start to do them for 30 minutes a day. It does not matter how silly your fun thing is, and it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t feel like fun at first. Give it a chance, and those feelings of fun will begin to return.
7. Get Reading
There is an old saying that knowledge is power, and in terms of depression this is absolutely true. It is important to understand what depression is, and what it is not, so start to read some good books about it so you know what you are dealing with. But, even more importantly, there are millions of people that have had depression, got over it and built wonderful new lives, and many of them write about it in magazines and books. Start to read inspirational stories about how other people have dealt with their own depression and see what you can learn from them. Reading can also mean listening or watching as you will also find great stuff on the radio, television and in some films.
Remember that depression is now a very common complaint, so you are not alone. The more you practice these 7 things, and embed them into your life, the more you will start to regain control of your life. Depression is a temporary phase, and you have the tools to create a new and wonderful life. Good luck.
From India, Pondicherry
1. Change Your language
2. Focus on a better future
3. Stop blaming yourself
4. Stop telling yourself you are a failure
5. Have a safe moment every day
6. Have a fun moment every day
7. Get reading
These may seem simple, and to some of you may seem difficult, but the more you practice these 7 things, the more you will help yourself to get over your depression. I want to say a little bit about each of these things, so you know exactly what I mean.
1. Change Your Language
The language we use expresses how we understand ourselves and our world. Too much language around depression is the language of the victim or is the language of a war. Indeed, put them both together and you can be a depression war victim. Stop saying things like, ‘I suffer from depression’…’, or ‘I am going to beat this damn illness.’ Change you language to one of experience, if you have to use language at all. If you stop telling yourself you are a suffering victim in a battle, you will stop being one.
2. Focus On A Better Future
This can be a tough one, for depression is so often about the inability to see a great future. But, too much depression is actually about a morbid focus on the past and what went wrong, and this will only make you feel more depressed. Start to daydream what you would like your great future to look like, or build up a scrapbook of lots of photos and ideas about what it will look like. Think about or write down how you would like to feel in this glorious future.
3. Stop Blaming Yourself
Most people with depression go through the blame thing. You will start to blame yourself for being weak, not being able to cope, letting friends and family down and that sort of thing. Apart from the fact that it is wrong, blaming yourself for your depression is about as useful as blaming yourself for the weather – and I’m sure the really depressed among you might have even done that! But seriously, there is nothing to blame yourself for; your only job is to deal with your depression and get your life back on track.
4. Stop Telling Yourself You Are A Failure
When depression strikes, apart from blaming ourselves, we often combine this with the belief that we are failures. I have failed at my job, my life, my relationships and so forth. Many of you might see depression itself as some sort of failure to cope. Again, this is not true, and neither is it helpful. You have not failed just because you’ve got depression, and the more you tell yourself that you are not a failure the more you will begin to believe it.
5. Have A Safe Moment Every Day
Depression makes us feel unsafe. Feeling safe is essential to good health and well- being, so it is important to practice feeling safe again. You need to find something that you can do, that you know that you can do without thinking – something you feel safe just doing. It could be cooking, reading, making something, writing or whatever. Once you have found something that you feel safe doing (or several things) you then need to make sure you do this for at least 30 minutes a day. At first it may seem pointless or difficult, but very soon you will start to feel much safer again, and therefore much better.
6. Have A Fun Moment Every Day
One of the most damaging things about depression is that it takes the fun out of life. This may seem trivial until you have had the fun removed, then you know what a serious business it is to have fun. Life feeling safe, it is important to establish a fun moment every day in order to practice having fun again. So, as with the feeling safe, you need to think of some things that are (or were) fun for you, and start to do them for 30 minutes a day. It does not matter how silly your fun thing is, and it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t feel like fun at first. Give it a chance, and those feelings of fun will begin to return.
7. Get Reading
There is an old saying that knowledge is power, and in terms of depression this is absolutely true. It is important to understand what depression is, and what it is not, so start to read some good books about it so you know what you are dealing with. But, even more importantly, there are millions of people that have had depression, got over it and built wonderful new lives, and many of them write about it in magazines and books. Start to read inspirational stories about how other people have dealt with their own depression and see what you can learn from them. Reading can also mean listening or watching as you will also find great stuff on the radio, television and in some films.
Remember that depression is now a very common complaint, so you are not alone. The more you practice these 7 things, and embed them into your life, the more you will start to regain control of your life. Depression is a temporary phase, and you have the tools to create a new and wonderful life. Good luck.
From India, Pondicherry
Depression
Introduction
I felt writing about the Depression because I have come across many people in my life who are depressed and just struggling with their life to come out of this. It becomes very difficult for the other family members or friends to see their loved ones suffering from depression.
In a layman¡¦s language can you tell me what depression is? It is nothing but the feeling of sadness, unhappiness, despair, gloominess, downhearted; hopelessness etc. It is a disorder that affects your mind in terms of thoughts, moods, feelings, behavior and even your physical health. But in scientific term depression is caused by an imbalance of brain chemicals along with other functions.
Anyone at any stage of their life can get depression; there is no age limit for it. Depression is curable with proper treatment and medications. Depending upon the type of depression it takes one week to six months and the person can return to his normal daily routine life but some chronic depression requires life long treatment.
Causes of Depression
There are different factors which are responsible for depression. The illness often runs in families. Experts believe a genetic weakness along with environmental factors such as stress or physical illness which triggers an imbalance in brain chemicals resulting in depression. The other factors which can be included for causing depression are:
Heredity, Stress, Medications, Illness, Personality, Hormonal imbalance, Alcohol, Nicotine and Drug Abuse.
Risk factors of getting a depression are more when you are living a stressful life; lose of a loved one or a job. It has been observed that women get the depression more often than men. That is why we believe that mentally men are stronger than women. Gender difference in depression is may be due to biological causes, hormones & different levels of neurotransmitters.
Symptoms of Depression
If you show little interest in once-enjoyable activities, if you feel sad, helpless, tired or worthless, and if your eating and sleeping habits have changed greatly, see your doctor to determine if you have depression. In addition, for a doctor or other health professional to diagnose depression, most of the following signs also must be present for at least two weeks.
o Lack of concentration
o Change in weight
o Agitation
o Fatigue or slowing of body movements
o Low self esteem
o Less interest in sex
o Thoughts of death
Depression can lead to wide variety of physical complaints, such as indigestion, constipation or diarrhea, headache and backache. Many people with depression also have symptoms of anxiety. Children, teens and older adults may react differently to depression. Kids may pretend to be sick, worry that a parent is going to die, perform poorly in school, and refuse to go to school, or exhibit behavioral problems. Older people may be more willing to discuss the physical manifestations of depression, instead of their emotional difficulties.
If you know someone who exhibits the characteristics of depression, encourage him or her to seek professional help.
Coping with Depression
Once the treatment for depression begins, you still have to manage on a day-to-day basis.
„Ï See your doctor regularly. Your doctor can monitor your progress, provide support and encouragement, and adjust your medication if necessary.
„Ï Take your medications. Finding the best medication for you may take several tries. It may take several weeks for you to start seeing results. Once you feel better, continue to take your medication as prescribed.
„Ï Don't become isolated. Try to participate in normal activities.
„Ï Take care of yourself. Eat a healthy diet and get the right amount of sleep and exercise. Exercise can help treat some forms of depression, ease stress and help you relax.
The other things that can help you to cope up with depression are meditation, social skills and spiritual skills.
Meditation helps settle the mind so you can think calmly throughout the day. The goal is not for immediate relaxation but to increase serenity. Meditation puts you in control of your thoughts by forcing you to be present in the moment and to observe your thought processes. There is no point in starting to meditate unless you intend to make it a habit; you won't reap its benefits unless you practice on a regular basis.
In the early stages, meditate for 10 to 15 minutes once or twice a day. Increase this to 20 minutes no more than twice a day. Avoid meditating just before going to bed or you'll be too energized to sleep.
Social skills involve relationships. People and pets are an important source of comfort: spend more time with them. Diversional skills are distractions. These don't require dealing with the problem directly; but are a way of taking your mind off what's happening.
Spiritual skills involve getting in touch with yourself to find meaning in your life. Tending to your spiritual life is an important way of dealing with stress, particularly if you experience a sense of loss in direction or meaning. Spirituality is not limited to religion. Take some time to connect with yourself and with nature.
Hope this article will help.
Thanks
Ushma Baria
From Canada, Montreal
Introduction
I felt writing about the Depression because I have come across many people in my life who are depressed and just struggling with their life to come out of this. It becomes very difficult for the other family members or friends to see their loved ones suffering from depression.
In a layman¡¦s language can you tell me what depression is? It is nothing but the feeling of sadness, unhappiness, despair, gloominess, downhearted; hopelessness etc. It is a disorder that affects your mind in terms of thoughts, moods, feelings, behavior and even your physical health. But in scientific term depression is caused by an imbalance of brain chemicals along with other functions.
Anyone at any stage of their life can get depression; there is no age limit for it. Depression is curable with proper treatment and medications. Depending upon the type of depression it takes one week to six months and the person can return to his normal daily routine life but some chronic depression requires life long treatment.
Causes of Depression
There are different factors which are responsible for depression. The illness often runs in families. Experts believe a genetic weakness along with environmental factors such as stress or physical illness which triggers an imbalance in brain chemicals resulting in depression. The other factors which can be included for causing depression are:
Heredity, Stress, Medications, Illness, Personality, Hormonal imbalance, Alcohol, Nicotine and Drug Abuse.
Risk factors of getting a depression are more when you are living a stressful life; lose of a loved one or a job. It has been observed that women get the depression more often than men. That is why we believe that mentally men are stronger than women. Gender difference in depression is may be due to biological causes, hormones & different levels of neurotransmitters.
Symptoms of Depression
If you show little interest in once-enjoyable activities, if you feel sad, helpless, tired or worthless, and if your eating and sleeping habits have changed greatly, see your doctor to determine if you have depression. In addition, for a doctor or other health professional to diagnose depression, most of the following signs also must be present for at least two weeks.
o Lack of concentration
o Change in weight
o Agitation
o Fatigue or slowing of body movements
o Low self esteem
o Less interest in sex
o Thoughts of death
Depression can lead to wide variety of physical complaints, such as indigestion, constipation or diarrhea, headache and backache. Many people with depression also have symptoms of anxiety. Children, teens and older adults may react differently to depression. Kids may pretend to be sick, worry that a parent is going to die, perform poorly in school, and refuse to go to school, or exhibit behavioral problems. Older people may be more willing to discuss the physical manifestations of depression, instead of their emotional difficulties.
If you know someone who exhibits the characteristics of depression, encourage him or her to seek professional help.
Coping with Depression
Once the treatment for depression begins, you still have to manage on a day-to-day basis.
„Ï See your doctor regularly. Your doctor can monitor your progress, provide support and encouragement, and adjust your medication if necessary.
„Ï Take your medications. Finding the best medication for you may take several tries. It may take several weeks for you to start seeing results. Once you feel better, continue to take your medication as prescribed.
„Ï Don't become isolated. Try to participate in normal activities.
„Ï Take care of yourself. Eat a healthy diet and get the right amount of sleep and exercise. Exercise can help treat some forms of depression, ease stress and help you relax.
The other things that can help you to cope up with depression are meditation, social skills and spiritual skills.
Meditation helps settle the mind so you can think calmly throughout the day. The goal is not for immediate relaxation but to increase serenity. Meditation puts you in control of your thoughts by forcing you to be present in the moment and to observe your thought processes. There is no point in starting to meditate unless you intend to make it a habit; you won't reap its benefits unless you practice on a regular basis.
In the early stages, meditate for 10 to 15 minutes once or twice a day. Increase this to 20 minutes no more than twice a day. Avoid meditating just before going to bed or you'll be too energized to sleep.
Social skills involve relationships. People and pets are an important source of comfort: spend more time with them. Diversional skills are distractions. These don't require dealing with the problem directly; but are a way of taking your mind off what's happening.
Spiritual skills involve getting in touch with yourself to find meaning in your life. Tending to your spiritual life is an important way of dealing with stress, particularly if you experience a sense of loss in direction or meaning. Spirituality is not limited to religion. Take some time to connect with yourself and with nature.
Hope this article will help.
Thanks
Ushma Baria
From Canada, Montreal
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