How to alleviate symptoms of depression

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Major Depression affects 15 million adults. Depression is a very real and serious mental health issue. The symptoms of depression include persistent sad mood, changes in sleep, appetite or energy, difficulty with concentration and memory, lack of interest or pleasure in pleasurable activities, lowered motivation, feelings of guilt, worthlessness and/or hopelessness, thoughts of death and/or suicide and possible physical symptoms. Unfortunately there is no "cure" for depression, but one can gain recovery and live a happy and full life. With the tips in this article, one can begin to have some relief from the symptoms.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Motivation
• Some good supporters

1. Try to regulate your sleep. Depression usually changes sleep patterns, either too much sleep or not enough. Study sleep hygiene tips and make sure you get the amount of sleep you need to function. If you're sleeping too much, set a bedtime and wake time and stick to it.
2. Take care of yourself. Make sure you're showering, eating and getting physical activity. Depression so often lowers motivation, even to do simple things like taking a shower. If you're appetite goes down, make sure you're eating enough to stay healthy, maybe adding a vitamin for good measure. If you're eating too much, try to regulate what you're eating and try not to eat out of emotion.
3. Get out and do something! Depression tends to lower motivation and deplete the pleasure in once pleasurable things. You must force yourself to get out of bed and get back into your routine, at your own pace. You may need to have a friend/supporter to help motivate you to do something. Remember, once you start to do something, chances are you'll build up momentum and continue doing it.
4. Try not to isolate. Keep in contact with friends; force yourself to call those who care about you. If you don't want to go out to meet friends and/or family, invite them over. Having people come over may motivate you do clean your home, and take care of your hygiene. If you have no supports, try finding a therapist or a depression support group.
5. Make yourself look at the positive things in life. Depression tends to create "tunnel vision", in which you only see the negative things that are happening. Chances are there are some positive things. Try writing down something that's positive, or that you're grateful for, everyday.
6. Make small, manageable goals everyday and reward yourself for them! Start small. Maybe you're first goal is getting out of bed for an hour one day. When you reach that goal, give yourself positive feedback or give yourself something tangible as a reward. Remember to start small and reward big! The more you do it, the more you'll have positive things to recognize.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have thoughts of death and/or suicide, call someone immediately. You may need to call 911 to keep yourself safe.
• If your depression persists for a long period, or you don't feel you can cope with it on your own, call your local mental health center or a therapist.
• You may want to consider an antidepressant. You won't necessarily have to stay on it forever, but it can help to regulate your brain chemistry to get you out of the depression enough to make more steps.
• I can't stress it enough, if you have thoughts of suicide, get help immediately!
• If you have set backs, try not to give up completely. Depression is difficult to recover from. It may take a while, but keep on track and you can beat it!