Depression is still taboo in most regions of our country. Society plays a second role, but sometimes people fail to accept that they have depression. Depression is just a medical health issue that can happen to anyone at any point in life. It doesn’t need to take a specific incident to happen. Sometimes depression is due to some reason and sometimes without any reason.
Depression is very common. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source, an estimated 8.1 per cent of American adults ages 20 and above had depression in any given 2-week period from 2013 to 2016. Depression affects a patient’s life in different ways. Sometimes it may hamper your work-life, relationships, emotional well-being, etc. It may affect your working skills and result in a loss of time. A person suffering from any chronic disease can face more difficulty with depression. Depression can worsen the situation of a chronic disease patient. Chronic diseases like arthritis, asthma, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity can be negatively affected by depression. Here are some ways through which you can avoid depressive episodes.
Good sleep
A 2014 study found that 80% of people with major depressive disorder experience sleep disturbances. Good sleep can help in reducing stress. Depression and stress disturb your sleep cycle, which can lead to many physiological and physical problems. Activities such as walking or jogging that involve repetitive movements of large muscle groups can particularly stress relieving as it can make you tired so that you get a good sleep.
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Exercise
Stress causes depression and anxiety Exercise is known as one of the best ways to reduce stress. Putting physical stress on your body can help you in relieving mental stress. If you are not regular at exercising, you may find it difficult in the initial days. You may feel that it is adding more to your anxiety but on some days you may feel the difference. Here, consistency is the key. Being regular at exercising can help you in dealing with depression. Exercise lowers downs the level of stress hormones such as cortisol in your body. It also helps in releasing endorphins, a chemical that helps in uplifting the mood.
Separate yourself from Depression
You are a separate individual. Having depression doesn’t describe who you are. It’s just a medical condition that doesn’t define your potential and existence. Treat yourself separately from depression. Try to believe in doing things you are good at. Don’t underestimate yourself. Doing this can boost up your confidence and lookout for life.
Make yourself feel loved
Pampering others is okay but pampering yourself is important too. Do whatever makes you feel happy. It’s okay to avoid people or things that feel toxic or ruin your mood. Whenever you feel like having a depressive episode, just give yourself a day or two. Don’t stress yourself. Just do what makes you happy and relaxed. Physical rest is okay but give your brain some resting time. Try to experience peace as much as you can.
Spend time with your loved ones
Depression is bad, but it goes worse when the person doesn’t share it out. Loneliness is of the major reasons for many mental health disorders like anxiety and depression. A person who is staying alone is more likely to overthink and it can very easily trigger any depressive episode. Being a part of your friend’s group can give you a sense of self-worthiness and self-belonging. People around you play a vital part in deciding your mood. You stay happy around the people you love. Also, sharing that you are feeling depressed can help you in letting out and you may also get help in some cases.
Avoid procrastination.
Procrastination is an act of delaying anything. Learn to set up your priorities and work accordingly. Procrastination will leave you with crumbled and a lot of work. This will make it difficult for you to complete the task on time and also will put you under a lot of stress. Stress can make you anxious and create a sense of self-doubt. This environment encourages depressive episodes. Also, pending work can hamper your sleep either by keeping you busy in completing it or busy in thinking about it.
Make a to-do list and give yourself some realistic deadlines. The feeling of completing your daily life task on time is very satisfactory. It can provide you with a sense of control. You will feel that you have control over things.
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Do deep breathing exercises
This is one of the most tried and effective things to do when you are having a depressive episode. it is very important to stop or slow down whenever you feel like having depression. And the first step you can take to slow down is to slow down your breathing first. Deep breathing gives a sense of calmness. It makes you feel that things are under your control. This can make you feel better. Hence, deep breathing is considered to be one of the most effective ways to calm down your mind.
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Spot the triggers
It’s very important to know what is triggering you. Finding your trigger spot can help you out in avoiding many depressive episodes. It is quite obvious that when you know what’s triggering you, you can avoid such situations or at least inform people close to you about that. This will help you in knowing the reason and that itself is a positive sign for a person with mental health issues. Also, spotting signs of depression earlier can help you in treating it at an earlier stage. Ignoring depression in the initial stage is one of the biggest mistakes we do. Depression sets in with time. Hence, ignoring depression may result in a severe stage.
Educate yourself
It’s very important to know what you are going through. Hence, it is very important to educate yourself about depression. Learn about good exercises. Learn about your trigger points and how to calm them down. Know your comfort zone and when to see a doctor. Study about your medication if you are taking any. Just read it all. It will make you feel confident even after having depression. It can provide you with better ways to tackle your depressive episodes.
Talk about it.
No matter how strong you are. Sharing your feelings always feels better. Expressing what you have in your heart can help you stay calm mentally. Even sometimes you may get useful advice and if not, you will surely get relief after sharing. No matter how hard it is to explain, just let out whatever you have in your mind.
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