Depression is an inevitable phase that we all have to go through in our lifetime. Some people may face it in quite early stages of life while for others it could be in their later stages. Now depression cannot have specific causes because what you feel is depressing, for others it could just be a normal thing. It is different for different people based on their thought processes and stress levels. Now, what is stress? If we go to see it through the eyes of science then the brain releases stress hormones so that body can be ready for quick responses or actions and it’s beneficial in emergencies. In general terms, it’s a feeling of emotional or physical tension.
Positive stress won't cause any harm but negative stress does definitely!! Negative stress if persistent can turn out to be depression. Mostly failure or incompetence causes depression. Anything like everyday responsibilities of family and work to serious issues like death and prolonged sickness can trigger depression. Let's take a simple example: Two persons are working as a sales executive in an office both are given a target of 60% sales in two days. Now here person A took it as a challenge, kept calm, and completed it before the deadline whereas person B was stressed out and he panicked due to excessive work and started doing things in haste and at last he couldn't achieve his target. Hence, what causes depression depends on our behaviors. But it's not only the way of thinking that causes depression there are several other factors around us which may make us feel sad, stressed, or depressed. E.g.:- Along with work stress, there are other issues in family or the death of our loved one or it could be our sickness. It becomes difficult to handle such situations as there is no peace anywhere, lack of support and as a result, we are extremely clueless about what should be done to sort everything and bring it back to track. Such stress causes insomnia i.e. loss of sleep which affects our appetite and everything starts ruining from right here.
Whatever causes it isn't important because, in the end, it is up to us how we tackle it and how we bounce back through this phase turning out to be stronger than before. So here are few things which according to me may prevent you to cope up with depression:-
1. TALK AND EXPRESS
Whenever you feel that things aren't working out as you want, talk with someone who could guide you or suggest you how to make it better. Prefer elder people as they have similar experiences and they can guide you in a better way. It could be anybody in our family, friends, or relatives. At such times we need a person who listens to us without judging us even though he/she won't be able to fix our problems but the emotional support that they provide is very crucial now. Most people isolate themselves when they're depressed but instead of isolating themselves, we should try interacting with others. Talking about our problems doesn't mean we're weak or people will judge us. Talk to people who care for you or want to help you. Feel the emotions, don't suppress them thinking it's a sign of weakness. Emotional support plays an important role in overcoming depression.
2. CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE
Recovering from depression takes time and a lot of effort. But remember your mind is very powerful, it can do wonders. That's why you need to change the way you look at things. Whatever may be your negatives turn it into your positives. It's not as easy as it seems to be. Depression brings up a negative perspective so we develop unrealistic pessimistic attitudes. We often ignore positive events and focus only on the negatives and end up making negative interpretations about ourselves. For this, you need to question your thoughts and identify the mistakes and try finding solutions for them. No-one is perfect; all tend to make mistakes so stop thinking that you're the only one who's wrong all the time. Instead of blaming yourself try to correct yourself. Once you look at things positively it will surely help you to relieve stress and depression.
3. VISUALIZE HAPPY MOMENTS
Think about the good moments you've spent with your loved ones, think about your achievements. Life has so many more pleasurable moments to give you, so don't waste your time thinking about the unhappy moments. Just close your eyes and visualize the happy times. Think about simple things that make you happy like going to the movies, to the beach, picnics, or any social outings with friends and family. There must be one of your favorite places where you would feel peaceful. Try to visit that place. Go through the photo albums, connect with your old friends whom you have lost touch with. Ask yourself if you want to sit all alone in the room for the rest of your life or just move out and explore the world? Visualize about your future how you want yourself to be, things you want to achieve in life and things that would make you happy and give you peace. Visualizing can be very effective and fill your mind with positivity.
4. INDULGE YOURSELF IN PLEASANT ACTIVITIES
Do simple things like going for a walk, watching a funny movie, or re-cultivate any of your old hobbies. Feel the sunrise and beautiful sunset. Try spending your time with nature. Come out from the darkroom and sit with family, don't go out for social gatherings but spend time with people who always lift you. Maintain a diary. Write down about things that made you feel sad or depressed also make sure you write how you fought it and how you faced that situation. Reading about your own success stories will trigger your self-motivation. Doing things you like will help in enlightening your mood and this will surely help you in developing a positive attitude.
5. ACCEPT YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES
Often people suffering from depression get suicidal thoughts as they think they're no longer capable of handling their responsibilities. Don't run away from your responsibilities because you have to face it firmly. After all, nothing is long-lasting, such bad times will go and there will be good times back soon. Till then you've to stand and face every situation courageously. To begin with, setting up small goals like completing the household work, exercising every day, trying out a new recipe, etc. will help a lot. After you achieve these goals give yourself a treat maybe an extra piece of cake or have more ice cream. When you accomplish such small tasks you gain your self-confidence back and strive to achieve more. If you're facing issues in the family or at the workplace try solving it but don't give up on these responsibilities. Think wisely before you take a step ahead.
While you're fighting with depression you need to take care of your health. Many types of research have proved that eating nourishing foods, having a proper sleep routine, exercising regularly also helps you in reducing depression.
Even after trying all these things if you still, feel depressed, consult a clinical psychologist or counselor and make sure you're out from this very soon because the whole new world of opportunities are waiting for you so don't miss precious moments of your life anymore ...
Thanks for reading ?