Things You'll Need:
- Determination
- The desire to feel better
-
Step 1
EXERCISE:
Doing a little exercise releases Endorphins, which naturally 'lift' your mood, if even temporarily. However with depression even a moment of improved mood can be motivation to work harder.
A 15 minute run or bike ride in the outdoors should be sufficient. -
Step 2
MAKE YOURSELF LAUGH:
Watching something genuinely funny, conversing with people, doing anything that makes you laugh out loud should release Serotonin, a chemical that has shown to be noticeably absent in people suffering from depression. -
Step 3
SMILE:
Forcing yourself to smile even when you don't want to or feel like it can help tremendously. Research has shown that when your face is pulled into a smile, it makes you feel happier. I'm not sure how that works but for some reason it does! -
Step 4
DO SOMETHING:
Anything at all whether it be going for a walk, doing some exercise, bake a cake, write a letter to someone, apply for a job. Anything at all from start to finish. The act of forcing yourself to do something and actually completing it gives you a sense of purpose and completion, something noticeably absent when feeling depressed. -
Step 5
ACCEPT YOUR SITUATION:
One of the unusual ways to deal with depression is to not fight it. To accept you're going to feel quite down for a while and just keep yourself busy while you feel bad. Part of what can make depression worse is feeling bad or guilty for feeling depressed. Give yourself a break, it's not your fault. -
Step 6
BE INSPIRED:
Read or watch memoirs of people who have triumphed and feel inspired by their determination. Writers such as Ghandi, Maya Angelou, eastern and western philosophers all have excellent inspiring work out there that is easy to find and easy to read. -
Step 7
HERBAL REMEDIES:
Taking Vitamin E otherwise known as a cod-liver oil in high doses, such as 2000 - 3000mg per day have been shown in people to improve mood and decrease instances of depression. This is anecdotal evidence rather than scientific research but does appear to work. -
Step 8
MEDITATE:
If you're able to, try an activity such as meditation or yoga. Not only are they trained to reduce the chatter in your mind, working at them can help you feel a sense of progress and achievement, both are feelings that can counter feelings of stagnation and helplessness common in depression -
Step 9
TALK:
Whether it be to a friend, a stranger, a samaritan, a doctor, an online chat room, talking about how your feeling stops you feeling trapped by depression. Choose the person you speak to wisely as not everyone knows how to respond. Someone you know to be caring and open minded would be your best option by far. -
Step 10
PATIENCE:
One of the worst things about depression can be the feeling that nothing will ever improve. Try to remember that no matter what happens, your situation now is unlikely to be the same in a year from now. Even though it sometimes happens very slowly, change always happens. That's one of the best and worst things about life is that nothing ever stays the same, neither good nor bad so we have to make the most of the good times and ride out the bad. -
Step 11
REMEMBER:
Most adults in some point of their life is going to experience some form of depression so you're not alone in what you're going through even if it feels like it for the moment.
