The Impact of Depression
Depression affects one in ten adults each year. Perhaps you are currently one of those who is experiencing significant depression right now. If so, the chances are you have already felt how deeply it can impact your life.
People who are depressed frequently find that they lack energy, their concentration/attention begins to falter, relationships are difficult to maintain, and work performance suffers.
With all this pressure it is easy for the depressed individual to withdraw from life: to stop socializing, no longer pursue hobbies/interests, to dwell on problems rather than exciting goals and opportunities.
If this trend continues, most depressed people begin to notice that others have started to avoid them, which in turn just adds to a sense of being caught up in a very dark downward spiral. What to do?
You could make an appointment with a therapist (no, I’m not suggesting you call me just yet… read on and try what I am about to suggest).
Or you also could speak with your doctor about a course of antidepressants.
You might even decide to just ‘gut it out’ until the depression passes.
What I suggest, however, is that you take a different approach. Some simple lifestyle changes that research shows are effective in reducing depressive symptoms in many people.
How To Push Back Against Depression
Exercise
The benefits of exercise are not limited to enhanced physical health but also include improved mood. There are several reasons why exercise helps alleviate depression. For one, it boosts the release of endorphins. These are the chemicals the brain pumps into the blood system as a result of sustained exertion and result in a sense of well-being. Endorphins are nature’s anti-depressants.
The good news here is that you need not run a marathon to enjoy to benefits of endorphins. Simply get out of the house and walk briskly for half an hour. When that becomes easy for you ramp up the effort a bit and increase the pace. (Eventually, you may want to jog for five minutes and walk for five minutes).
Just make sure you are exerting enough energy to feel as though you are pushing yourself. I’m not talking about making the experience miserable, but it should feel moderately taxing.
The second reason exercise is an anecdote to depression is that it results in a sense of accomplishment. Planning to walk a mile and then doing so requires setting and then meeting a goal. That is an accomplishment. Success at reaching goals increases one’s sense of having at least some control over life. This, in turn, reduces the feelings of helplessness that so often are a part of depression.
The bottom line, get moving. Push yourself a little, and then push a little more. The impact may seem small at first, but if you will keep at it three or four times a week, within a month or so you should see a noticeable lifting of your depression.
But what if walking is not for you? That’s fine, get on a bicycle, treadmill, stair stepper, rowing machine, swim laps in the pool, jump rope, use a mountain climber, go to a jazzercise class, a spinning class, or any other activity that gets you moving, and your heart pumping faster.
Again, don’t exercise to the point of misery (you want to be able to sustain this activity on a regular basis). If you push yourself to the point that you are just out of your comfort zone, that will be fine. If, after the first few weeks, you get bored with walking simply change to another activity. The main thing is to get out and move, to get those endorphins pumping. Experiment with different activities and you will find one that is a good fit.
Shift Your Focus
One of the hallmarks of depression is a tendency to focus on the negative. It turns out that nearly everyone has a tendency to focus more on the negative than the positive. When depressed, this tendency becomes heightened.
In turn, this causes the person to view him or herself less favorably, to believe that solutions to common problems are more complex (when they are not), and to see the future as much less promising.
The key to turning this around is to take control of your thinking. One great way to do this is by keeping a gratitude journal. Within this journal, just before bedtime, write down two or three things for which you are grateful.
These may be things for which you are profoundly grateful (the recovery from an illness), or mildly grateful (the great meal you enjoyed earlier in the day). As you lay in bed spend a few minutes really focusing on those things you’ve written down.
Each day (or every other day) add to the journal. Try to look for new points of gratitude, but if you cannot find something new, focus on a previous focus on gratitude.
As the days pass continue to add to the journal, and each evening focus on that day’s moments of gratitude as well as those of previous days and weeks.
If you really want to boost the impact take your journal with you so that you can review it throughout the day.
Sleep
Depression is well known to interfere with sleep. Disturbed sleep, in turn, causes people to be more irritable, prone to anxiety/sadness, diminishes concentration, impairs energy levels, and more.
All of this creates a downward spiral for the person who is already depressed. The impaired sleep increases depression which in turn leads to further disruptions in sleep quality and so forth.
A good night’s sleep is important for everyone, especially those who are fighting back against depression.
To turn this around work on developing a nighttime routine that maximizes your chances of getting quality sleep. Try to go to bed at the same time each night. Turn off computers, television, etc. an hour before retiring for the night.
Turn off overhead lights in the evening (these can change your circadian rhythm which then interferes with your sleep cycle).
Cut out caffeine in the evening.
Take a shower within the hour prior to going to bed.
Find some form of relaxation to engage in within the last 30 minutes prior to sleep (reading, listening to relaxing music, meditation, etc).
You can find more information on developing a good sleep routine here.
Socialize
Interaction with others is another effective way to alleviate depression. But it is not just any social interaction that is effective. For example, social interaction on Facebook and other social media sites has been shown to increase the likelihood of depression, not reduce it.
You need more than social media has to offer – you want meaningful face-to-face interaction. I want you to socialize with people who are positive, affirming, and with whom you can identify. This does not need to be with close friends (although that would be great), but the interaction needs to be positive.
Try and do this on a daily basis, even if it is just for twenty minutes. If you cannot arrange to socialize with others that frequently then do so a couple of times a week for thirty minutes or longer.
Here is an important tip: it will be important to put your ‘game face’ on during these interactions. Even if you do not feel happy, I want you to act happy. Save the times of raw honesty regarding your depression for those interactions with your closest friends and family. (Even with close friends and family it is important to act happier than you feel more times than not. Appearing depressed most of the time tends to elicit responses from others that have the unintended consequence of reinforcing depression. That, you would agree, is something we want to avoid).
Most people who struggle with depression, yet force themselves to socialize in the way I just described, report feeling better in very little time.
Help Others
Helping others has been shown to reduce stress and provide a counterweight to depressive states of mind. When you help someone else it shifts your focus away from yourself, gives you a sense of competency, and provides a quick jolt of dopamine.
You don’t need to save a third-world village or commit yourself to a life that Mother Theresa would aspire to live. Smaller but still meaningful acts of altruism will suffice.
Perhaps you mow the neighbor’s lawn because they went on vacation. Or you help a stranded motorist. Maybe it is simply writing a note of encouragement to a coworker, or bringing a cup of coffee to the guy who is coaching your son’s t-ball team.
Each of these acts will help move the needle away from depression and toward happiness. If you make it a habit to be altruistic it will, over time, continue to improve your mental health.
Conclusion
The above suggestions will work best if you give serious thought to how best to make the most of your efforts. So, think it over, then plan, and stick with it. Give yourself time to see changes. Chances are you’ll notice your depression lessening very soon. Your mood will begin to lift, and the future will look brighter.
If that doesn’t happen, if your depression is deeply rooted and stubbornly holds on, then pick up the phone and give me a call. Or, for that matter, give another counselor a call. But by all means, get additional help. You don’t have to fight this battle alone. Life is far too short to remain stuck in a depressed state of mind.
You can learn more about depression, and how therapy may be of help, by clicking here.
