It’s a New Year!
That means a fresh opportunity to keep depression at bay.
Granted, maybe last year was a bust when it came to handling your depression. While you may have put in a lot of work, it just seemed to not be effective at making you feel better.
However, now is the chance to start fresh and try something different.
Trying to keep depression at bay isn’t easy, and it does take effort. However, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t stop trying either.
Consider these practical suggestions for how you can tackle depression.
1. Be Kind to Yourself
Depression makes it really easy to mentally beat yourself up. It never seems to miss a chance to remind you how you’re such a “terrible” person.
That’s why one way to keep depression at bay in this new year is to be kinder to yourself. So, show some compassion to yourself if you make a mistake and remember that managing depression is a process.
2. Create Screen-Free Time
Another way to keep depression at bay is to create time for yourself and turn off your cell phone and/or other technology devices.
Social media especially can be counter-productive to depression treatment. That’s because everyone online puts out this persona that everything is just wonderful in their lives. However, those illusions can cause you to compare your life to theirs and focus only on the negative.
3. Get a Hobby!
Hobbies may sound like a waste of time, but they are actually really important. They allow you to do something you find enjoyable and fun. Remember fun?
Depression causes you to lose interest in things that you once enjoyed. So, try getting back into those hobbies or discover a new hobby. Who knows, you might ignite a passion you didn’t even realize existed.
4. Build Your Support System
A support system consists of the people in your life whom you know you can talk to, no matter what. This allows you to freely communicate what you feel and what you need to be healthy.
Make sure your support comes from people who you know will be supportive but also won’t get drawn into your depression with you. They should have some objectivity.
5. Walk More Often
There’s a lot of research out there about how exercise helps keep depression at bay. However, going to the gym and working out may be too overwhelming and demoralizing for you. After all, you see everyone else exercising and getting strong, and you feel pretty inadequate.
That’s why walking is so powerful. You can do it by yourself (or with a buddy, including a pet) at your own speed, yet, still get the same benefits of exercise to help manage your depression.
6. Set Small Goals for Yourself
If you have big plans for the new year, that’s great!
However, it might be better to start off with smaller goals. They can be easier to complete than a big goal and are likely less overwhelming. Plus, as you build up a series of small successes, that can help keep your depression at bay long-term.
7. Stay Sensible with Your Expectations
Along with setting small goals, keep your expectations realistic and sensible. Do you really think you’ll climb Mt. Everest this year?
It’s nice to have big, wide-sweeping expectations. However, when you don’t meet those expectations, it’s easy to get down on yourself. This may only deepen your depression. So, it’s important that you stay reasonable with your expectations for this new year.
8. Know How Others are Affected by Your Actions
It can help to realize how your depression affects the people around you, especially those to whom you are close.
For example, anger is one of the symptoms of depression. It helps, therefore, to be conscious of how your anger could affect someone else. At the same time, focusing too much on the negative can also influence depression. Use this understanding to make better choices with your actions.
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To keep depression at bay you need not just one but many strategies. By keeping the above-mentioned suggestions in mind, you can use this year to start fresh and get a handle on your depression.
If you would like to know more about my approach to depression treatment, please click on the link.
