Depression is a mental condition that can be temporary or occur on a long-term basis. It can take over your life and make it very difficult to do simple tasks. Living with depression can be difficult and many people find that prescription medications can often help them overcome or at least handle the condition in a somewhat productive way.
There are many people who live with depression every day and do not realize they’re battling it. Feeling run down, lonely, drawn away, and sad are all signs of depression. If you feel that you may be suffering from depression, use the following guide to live as productive of a life as you can and get the help that you need.
Depression Is More Common Than You May Think
Many people suffering from depression are afraid to tell anyone about the way that they’re feeling because they’re fearful that it’s going to make them look weak to people who are close to them. In turn, they suffer in silence because they’re embarrassed or afraid to let others know.
Don’t be afraid to talk to your loved ones about the way that you’re feeling. Knowing what is going on with you can help them better understand why you’re behaving the way that you do and may even spark them to be more cognizant of the things that they say and how they say them.
Do Not Attempt to Self-Medicate your Depression
It’s common for someone with depression to try to self-medicate to overcome the feelings that they feel. They take illegal drugs or drink excessively to try to numb their feelings. This isn’t a good idea because it can often lead to a dependency or addiction to the drugs or alcohol. While the drug or alcohol may help to lessen the pain that you feel at the moment, it could lead to a lifetime of hardship that you could have avoided. Stop drinking.
Many people who have depression and start using drugs become addicted and end up needing to seek dual diagnosis treatment in Arizona to overcome it. Arizona has been shown to be one of the best places for addiction and dual diagnosis recovery, and many mental health professionals will recommend traveling to Arizona to be treated.
Dual diagnosis treatment requires a person to have both their addiction and their depression—or other mental health illness—treated at the same time. The treatment can require inpatient or outpatient care and often takes quite a long time to complete because there are so many issues that need to be handled.
Improve your Diets
It’s important to know how much food affects your body. Every food you eat has a direct impact on the way that your body works. Some foods, such as processed sugars, hydrogenated oils, soda, and high fructose corn syrup can all affect your body in a negative way and actually intensify the depression symptoms that you experience.
To decrease the depression symptoms that you experience add spinach, avocado, strawberries, cashews, and salmon to your diet. All of these foods are rich in vitamins and nutrients that can boost your mood, reduce stress, and improve your health overall. Be willing to make small changes to your diet over time so that you can stick with them. Try to eat as little processed foods as you can to make your body as healthy as it can be.
Get Plenty of Exercise
Getting regular exercise helps to get the blood flowing in your body and has actually been proven to be a great mood booster. Choose exercises that you enjoy doing and that make you feel good. Some people make the mistake of trying to push themselves too hard at first and end up hurting themselves or dreading workouts in the future.
It’s best to choose exercises that are not overly difficult for you to do and that you actually enjoy. Zumba, yoga, and swimming are all great forms of exercise that can help you to reduce the depression symptoms that you feel.
Exercising can also help you lose weight, build muscle, and boost your self-confidence. When you feel better about your body, it can help to boost your mood and reduce the feelings of depression that you have.
Talk to a Professional Counselor
If you notice that you’re not feeling as good as you want to feel, you may need to talk to a professional counselor to seek help for your depression. The counselor can help you to determine the root of your depression and help you to treat it. There are medications that can be prescribed to you to help you overcome the depression that you feel.
It’s important to know that you may have to try a few different prescription medications before you’re able to find the right one for you. It can be hard to know which medication will work, especially if you have never taken any in the past.
Once you find a medication that makes you feel better, it’s important to take it how you’re prescribed. You want to be sure that you don’t abuse it, or you could become addicted to it or overdose on it and hurt yourself and even die.
Try Something New and Interesting
There are many times when people start to become depressed simply because they’re bored and lonely. A great way to battle depression is to try something new and meet new people. There are often classes available nearby that you can take when you want to learn how to play an instrument, learn to do something artistic such as paint or make something with clay, or even want to learn how to cook. There will be other people in the classes that you can talk to and perhaps even build friendships with along the way.
Pay Attention to the Way You Feel
It’s important to monitor the way that you feel so that you can tell if anything is wrong along the way. Keeping a journal can help you to monitor how you’re feeling so that you can track any changes that have happened in your life. Knowing that your mood has improved, that you have become more productive, and that you’re enjoying a better quality of life can help to motivate you to keep pushing for overall happiness.
Go to Meetings with Others
Many people don’t realize that there are meetings available for people suffering with depression. You can meet with other people who have depression and discuss the feelings that you have and the different things that have worked to help you manage it. The people will share stories about what they’ve gone through and can provide you with suggestions of things that you can do to battle your depression too. This can help you to realize that you’re not alone in your journey and that it’s important for you to keep pushing to improve your life and live as proactively as you can.
It will take time to be able to manage depression. There are many people who suffer from it on and off throughout their life. Being able to identify when the symptoms arise and get help for them as soon as possible is important. You want to be able to enjoy the best quality of life possible and getting help when you feel out of sorts is essential.
