How to Cope With Depression

[RainbowFanGirl]

Hello, guys. I'm feeling kind of sad without an exact reason. It's been this way for months, and I don't really know why. I've found a few ways to cope, and I thought I would share them with you. These have helped me get through my sadness and cheer up a little.

Depression drains your energy, hope, and drive, making it difficult to do what you need to feel better. It makes you feel weak, and you can't do anything. You just want to lay around and shut yourself away from the world. But while overcoming depression isn't’t fast or easy, it’s far from impossible. You can’t just will yourself to “snap out of it,” but you do have some control—even if your depression is severe and stubbornly persistent. The key is to start small and build from there. Feeling better takes time, but you can get there if you make positive choices for yourself each day. If you're feeling depressed, here are some things you can do without taking medication.

Structure your time

Don't just sit around all day wallowing in sadness. Plan out activities for you, and think about what you'll do today. Staying organized will take your mind off things. Use sticky notes, set reminders on your phone. Do anything but sit around wallowing in self-pity.

Don't isolate yourself

Don't hide in your bedroom and cry. Participate in social events and hang out with your friends. Go to parties, hang out at the mall, join a sports team at your school or college. You can even take a walk with your peers. Be as social as possible, and try not to think about the negative things going on in your life. Even though being isolated can sometimes be good for you, being alone can allow you think about bad things, and you can become even more sad.

Take care of yourself

If you smell, take nice warm bath or shower. Brush your teeth, and put on clean clothes everyday. Don't stay up crying all night. I've did that, and I felt absolutely horrible. Turn off your cellophane and close your eyes. Try to get 8 or more hours of sleep a night. Also, bathe before going to bed. You'll feel better already
Exercising also helps a lot. Try to get a membership at a gym. Even walking around your neighborhood can help get that serotonin flowing through you. I do this a lot when I'm sad, and it helps. Trust me.

Keep a journal or diary

Writing out your thoughts and feelings can be a great way to alleviate stress. Write about the guy who left you or the girl who called you fat. Write down everything you feel. Also, drawing helps too. When I was depressed, I drew a lot. Just get a piece of paper and put whatever you're feeling on it.

Relax

Meditate, or do yoga. Take a warm, 2 hour bath, or get in a hot tub. Drink tea, coffee, or even hot chocolate. Whatever relaxes you, do it.

Talk to someone you trust about it

Talk to your mom, dad, best friend, sibling, or even therapist. Let it all out, talk to them about anything you're feeling. If you don't know why you're sad, that's okay too. Ask for a hug, or ask them to be there for you. Just having someone there can be enough to help you cope.

***

I hope this can provide some guidance for you if you're sad. Don't worry, stay strong. You will get through this tough time in your life. Believe in yourself, and don't give up.

[ThisGurl]

Am havin trouble not isolating myself. Am beginning to structure my time, and I do keep a journal. And write poems. :) am starting to do that again, I really do not want to feel depressed anymore. It is absolutely difficult to escape, because I get into the habit of wallowing in my deep sadness.

[ThisGurl]

Thank you for this. (:

[Illusive_Man]

I don't mean to be the gym preacher but... physical exercise the best THERAPY ON EARTH!

[ThisGurl]

I knoooowwwwww errrrrrr mister gym preacher... I used to use my treadmill every other night, I love it so much.. and then I stopped, and I really have wanted to use it, but am havin troubles gathering the strength to do it... >.< @Illusive_Man

[RainbowFanGirl]

Me too. You're welcome.

[Anonymous]

i1127.photobucket.com/.../...f.com-gif-maker_3.gif Thank you for sharing with us very well said and
a very nice MyTake

[RainbowFanGirl]

You're welcome. :)

[JustinCaseUDontKnow]

Thank you for sharing with us very well said and
a very nice MyTake , I been battling depression
since age 6-7 and it's got little better but it's battle
so i know where your coming from and i do wish
you more than the best in all you do :-) Thank You :)

[RainbowFanGirl]

You're very welcome.

[JustinCaseUDontKnow]

:D :)

[Remonster]

It's a good take, but at some point I really couldn't adhere to the above advice anymore. Over a 10 year period of depression I pretty much ended up alone with my computer, rarely ventured outside, didn't know how to relax nor have fun anymore and felt misunderstood no matter who I talked to.

Some people just need something extra to get them going again. For some that can be therapy, for others medication. For me you could say it was neither, as I did psychedelics to get me going again. Best decision of my life, really.

[RainbowFanGirl]

Glad you enjoyed reading

[Remonster]

Thanks. Just be careful with the meds. They often cause more issues than they solve, sadly.

[RainbowFanGirl]

I know. My friend takes depression medication and she gained weight.

[Remonster]

A common side-effect, yeah. Personally I hope that Psilocybin gets approved for treatment of depression in the near future. It's the stuff in magic mushrooms that has helped me immensely. Universities are researching its anti-depressant properties so let's hope for the best.

[RainbowFanGirl]

Yeah, me too.

[ajboarder]

A decent take, but for somone who is struggling with crippling unipolar or bipolar depressive disorder (I was clinically depressed for 4 years) most of these things are not going to cut it.

For severe depression, the most important step in coping/recovery is finding a psychologist/psychiatrist who can give you a diagnosis and determine whether or not you should be on meds. You might even want multiple opinions. Next step is weekly/bi-weekly therapy. No exceptions.

The rest of these suggestions can follow that.

[RainbowFanGirl]

I know.

[Illusive_Man]

You don't need a shrink for depression.
You need to go to a gym.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oQ0bWCrZaE

[RainbowFanGirl]

Shrink? What's a shrink? I do go to the gym.

[Illusive_Man]

YEEEEESSSS!
Cheapest therapy you can find.

[Remonster]

It works well for mild depression. But for the severely depressed it's simply not enough. I personally always had trouble motivating myself, and though exercising felt good I fell back into the hole as soon as 'gym time' was over.

[RainbowFanGirl]

Well it helped me so I put it down.

[Remonster]

Oh I won't say it's not legit. It has real benefits, of course. Glad it helped you!

[RainbowFanGirl]

Oh okay. Thank you.

[Illusive_Man]

@Remonster
Take a preworkout for INSTANT motivation.

[26ukdude]

Have you been to the codtor? why are you against taking medication? For those who have an actual chemical imbalance medication can in some instances be life saving for people who are severly depressed.

[26ukdude]

doctor i meant to say

[RainbowFanGirl]

I never said I was. I take medication too. I have clinical depression.

[YourFutureEx]

Goal: 10th June will be the last day of my depression.

[OrdinaryGentleman]

Bawhahahahaha

[OrdinaryGentleman]

Whoops sorry i didn't see the goal, I just assumed that day you were just going to choose to get over it.

[YourFutureEx]

@OrdinaryGentleman - I can choose to get over it now but, fuck exams. 😆

[RainbowFanGirl]

Teehee, why?

[YourFutureEx]

You don't want it?

[RainbowFanGirl]

Want what

[YourFutureEx]

That I'll ditch that depression from my life.

[RainbowFanGirl]

Yes I do. :'(

[YourFutureEx]

I will and you stay happy too :)

[RainbowFanGirl]

Thank you. :)

[harakiri]

great take. the first tip is the most important, in my opinion

[RainbowFanGirl]

Thank you, and yes it is.

[PhiOmega]

I don't mean to offend those who struggle with depression

But it akways seemed so over diagnosed to me... like everyone says they have it and that's without going to a doctor first

[RainbowFanGirl]

I did go to the doctor though.

[PhiOmega]

I believe you, i was just talking about what I've seen

[RainbowFanGirl]

Oh, alright. :)

[Watermelonoma]

Great work on this. I agree with your solutions. It's what i do during days when i feel a little depressed about whatever it may be

[RainbowFanGirl]

Thank you. :)

[atcnew]

the hardest part is doing those things , it is just so much easier to give in

[RainbowFanGirl]

Yeah it is.

[Anonymous]

thank you! i will try to follow your recommendations

[RainbowFanGirl]

You're welcome! :)

[blondfrog]

What about video games would that help?

[RainbowFanGirl]

Yes they will. They keep you busy.

[dartmaul15]

Yes and no. As a way to cope with stress and as a way to get a brak they are EXCELENT, especially RPG's and similar.
Just don't play too much, when you're depressed you're much more prone to have it develop into an addiction. Set a maximum tim you play each day, and stick to it. Exceptions from that time can ONLY be made when couch gaming at a friend's place, or if got people over to couch game with.

I know from exprience.

[Remonster]

Depends. For me they sometimes were a nice distraction. But at the same time I got annoyed that I couldn't really enjoy them while I was depressed. For others, videogames become pure escapism which can be really harmful in the middle of a depression.