12 Ways to Avoid Depression Relapse | Guest Post by Thomas Shelby
Today, we are moving fast, and life is all about technology and how it is finding new ways to make our life easier and accessible. There are different pros and cons of a fast-moving life. The biggest downfall is that a significant chunk of people in the world today suffer from depression. Depression is a common mental condition where a person does not feel like themselves. When you are depressed, you feel negative, and that feeling of negativity controls how you think, how you feel, and how you act.
It is not impossible to come out of depression; with the right amount of love and care, one can make it out and have a healthy life, but it has seen that depression relapses. A depression relapse is a concept where depression comes back to your life. It can occur in months or years; the symptoms can be the same or changed.
A relapse can happen because of many different reasons such as the loss of a loved one, harassment to trigger it, hormonal change, death of a loved one, or any personal change in life. It can be scary as it is not easy to defeat depression, but there are many different ways in which a depression relapse can be avoided.
Stop thinking you’re responsible for everything
When an individual is depressed, it is expected from them to blame themselves for everything that is happening in life. Whatever happens in life is happening for a reason and if things are not going your way then there must be some good behind it or a bigger reward. Don’t blame yourself by saying I could have done better, or I would have acted in a better way as that can throw one into the pit of depression. Keep a definite thinking pattern towards the thing and believe whatever is happening has a reason behind it, and the goal is not you.
Exercise must be your best friend
Depression can make you lazy and lousy. Exercise and a balanced diet go hand in hand. When an individual exercises, their body releases hormones known as endorphins. Endorphins are also called painkillers or happy hormones, and they are the reason you feel happy after exercising.
Moreover, exercise can be done with your friends and family giving you time to vent out and unfold your feelings as you have someone to chit chat to while you work out.
Eat healthily and consume a balanced diet
Humans require a balanced diet that has vegetables, fruits, meat, and vitamins. Whatever we consume can affect our mental and physical health. Therefore it is necessary to avoid junk food as much as they can be as they can cause feelings of anxiousness and depression to return and stick to a healthy diet with the right portions.
Don’t overwork yourself
A person suffering from depression must find different activities that can help him take his mind off things and keep him distracted. Being busy is an excellent activity, but being too busy can cause stress, and stress is the root of depression. There is a fine line in working and working too much; that line must never be crossed as that can make things line up on one another, making you overwhelmed. Therefore, it is necessary to work and rest. A balance is to be maintained.
Don’t consume drugs and alcohol
Drugs and alcohol may give you relief for some time, but when the drug wears off, it can cause feelings of distress and anxiousness to the person feeling depressed. One consumes drugs and alcohol to ignore how they feel, but that one makes things add up once you are not under the influence of such materials. The hangover the next day can make you feel ten times worse about yourself, and it is never worth it as with your mental health, it affects your physical health too.
Build your confidence
Depression has the power to destroy the confidence you once had in yourself; therefore, it is necessary to do things you enjoy. If you enjoy painting, do the painting. If you enjoy cooking, cook something for yourself. Let the opinion of others not make you feel wrong about what you enjoy and surround yourself with people who lift you when you are not feeling yourself. Believe in what you do.
Try to remain positive
One of the biggest challenges one has to face in depression is staying positive, and it is not easier as the negativity attacks you on everything you try to do. The key is to find a positive in everything that is happening in life. For example, if an individual has lost their job, they can look at it as a break from that hectic routine. Make yourself believe the positive behind everything as it can do wonders for you.
Sit with people who suffer from depression and have defeated it.
Many different people have faced depression, as it is a common mental condition. There are people in friends or family, and then there are support groups. If you join a support group, that can be a huge help as you will get to hear stories and different experiences of different people and how they defeated depression, which can give you different ideas. Take a diary with you and write down whatever you find useful, and then later, when you are alone, you can make a list of your own coping and healing mechanisms. These mechanisms will help you not only heal but show a way to move on to a better life.
Keep seeing your therapist
The one rule that every depressed individual must keep is that you stop seeing your therapist when the therapist says you don’t need to see him anymore. There is a connection that must be formed between your therapist and you, where you can talk about whatever that bugs you. Depression can take years or months to go and can leave its footprints even when it has left, so make your therapist stand with you so that you are not alone.
Health is wealth
Depression pushes you towards unhealthy mechanisms for things you feel wrong about. You may not want to leave your bed; you may not want to exercise; you may not want to see anybody or leave your room and many other things. These things not only impact your mental health but physical, too; therefore, it is necessary to consume the right foods, have a healthy diet to stay healthy. Seeing friends and family can take the mind off things, so that is necessary too. Push yourself towards these things and make yourself your priority. Many different products are availed by depressed people that help them cope with whatever they are suffering from, and they feel good about themselves, head onto The Fun Guys to find out more about the wonders of such products.
Help others
The aim is to find the purpose that can shout at you that you are doing well when the negativity attacks you and what better way than helping other people. Helping others can do wonders for you.
When we help others, we feel good about ourselves as if we have a purpose. The help you provide others can be in any way you find comfortable. Even listening and understanding what another individual is going through is helpful and can change your perception of you in your mind.
Connect with family and friends
Isolation is one of the significant consequences an individual has to face depression, and when you isolate yourself, you lose your connection with friends and family. Tell yourself that this is not only bad for you but for the people you love. Go to parties, talk to friends and family to socialize. You can tell them how you feel and make them understand where you need space. Socializing can help you not only reconnect but may take your mind off so many things that are bothering you. It is always better to feel loved when one is suffering from depression.
In the end, I’ll conclude by saying that depression is just a condition that can be defeated with love and care from friends and family. Motivate the person going through it and show them you stand with them as it’s okay to feel depressed, and there is hope for them.