Depression can paralyse you. Keep you tucked inside the walls of your house. At times it might feel like you are drowning, except when you look at everyone around you, you see them living life. It can make you miss moments and can make life pass you by.
Even Winston Churchill described depression as a black dog, seemingly because it is so hidden on the inside. A darkness that can enfold you and make you forget about life. For some ordinary day to day living becomes a struggle….
But there is hope….
By recognising the symptoms of depression, we can take steps to change some basic day to day things to stop it from overtaking our lives.
– Feelings of hopelessness
– Difficulty concentrating
– Loss of interest in normal day to day things
– Difficulty sleeping through the night or needing more sleep during the day
– Feeling fatigued. Not having energy, struggling with simple day to day tasks.
– Significant weight loss or weight gain, or a decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day.
– Feelings of worthlessness. And just struggling in general to make sense of life.
– Thoughts of death or ideas about suicide. Thoughts that life is not worth living.
There might be times in our lives that we struggle with depression due to things happening in our lives. A loved one dying. An accident that is life changing, divorce or a relationship break up. Sometimes it might just be that we have too much going on and we need to slow down.
But there are things we can do in our everyday lives that can help us. Here are some top tips to help you:
Routine activities can give purpose to your life in so many ways. It can help you function and feel motivated to step back into day to day living.
Get up in the morning. Try and engage in enjoyable activities every day, even if you don’t feel like it.
Exercise, Even something simple like taking a walk can make a difference. Look up and count the chimneys while you walk. This will help with the absorption of some vitamin D, which can also make a difference to your mood.
Maintain a healthy diet. Eat good food like fresh fruit and vegetables. Avoid junk food where possible. Limit coffee and sugar as caffeine and sugar can influence your mood. Where possible swop coffee for tea.
Try and recognise the positive things in your life. What are the things that make you happy? Focus on the positives not on the negatives in your life.
Talk to friends and family. They are there to support you.
Be kind to yourself. Pamper yourself. Have a nice bath and soak. Relax.
Create a good sleeping pattern. Be consistent in the time going to bed and getting up to ensure that your body recognises when it is time to rest, and when it is time to get up.
Get professional help. Counselling is a great way to look at reasons why you might feel depressed and your therapist can help and support you in so many ways.
Finally, never give up on yourself! There is help out there. People that understand and that are willing to walk with you in working towards feeling better.
If you feel that therapy is something that you (or someone close to you ) could benefit from to help them deal with feeling low or depressed then please e mail : info@yourcounsellingservice.co.uk or call 07590 663938.