When You’re Feeling Depressed..
It’s shocking, but the stats reveal that more than 15 million Americans are currently struggling under the weight of depression! This horrible illness can suck the life out of people, and at its most serious, even put them at serious risk of death, which is why it’s so important to do something about it when you’re feeling depressed.
Many people will tell you to pull yourself together and inform you that you have it good compared to other people, but they are wrong. They simply do not understand the illness you’re facing, and you should not listen to them. Here’s what you really should do if you think you’re depressed:
Seek Medical Advice
If you’re feeling tired, listless, sad, apathetic or even suicidal, there is a good chance that you may be clinically depressed rather than in a funk, but don’t be tempted to look up your symptoms online, or you could end up convinced that you’re suffering from something much more serious, which will only make you feel worse. As Hey April notes, it’s important to seek the advice of professional medical experts in person if possible. This should be your first step.
Try Medication
If your doctor suggests you take medication, you are under no obligation to do so, and I can totally understand why you might want to, but at least consider it because, although it doesn’t work for everyone, it does help many people to climb out of the darkness and start getting their lives back on track. If pharmaceuticals aren’t your think, you could try a herbal remedy like St john’s Wort, which is actually prescribed for depression in places like Germany, instead.
Enroll in Therapy
The thought of baring your soul to a complete stranger is understandably scary, but talking things through with a third party can really help you to organize your thoughts, gain insight into your condition and come up with a plan of action to aid with your eventual recovery. Just bear in mind that you won’t necessarily gel with the first therapist you see, and there are lots of different forms of therapy from CBT to psychodynamic therapy, which means you might have to try a few things before you hit upon something that helps.
Practice Self Care
When you’re depressed, it can be difficult to get out of bed, let alone go for a nice long walk in nature or work in your hobby, and in fact, many people lose interest and are unable to gain pleasure from the things they once loved, but it’s important that you try to do nice things for yourself anyway or find ways to learn the meaning of life. If you can do nothing else in terms of self care, run a nice hot bath, light a scented candle and just try to relax for a few moments. Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t do more, but don’t stop trying completely. The more you keep doing things you used to enjoy, the more likely you will recover quickly and find that spark of enjoyment again.
Have you suffered from depression and come out the other side? What are your tips for getting through the tough times?
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