5 Steps To Help Yourself If You Feel Depressed

Feeling depressed is very unpleasant and painful. You feel unmotivated, lacking energy, unwilling to be with other people. This is all combined with despair, guilt, distrust, hopelessness, and physical and mental exhaustion.

Under these circumstances, you also change the way you think and see the world, which is presented as an inhospitable and hostile place. Fear does not let you think clearly.

you can regain control

Many people believe that depression is only resolved with medication and specialized treatment. However, to get to clinical depression that needs it, you have to go through a lot. If you are able to combat your depressive states in time, it will be possible to regain control and overcome a bad time.

Because we all have bad times. The problem is that in many circles it is not right to say that you are suffering from something bad, that you feel depressed and sad. But sadness is not bad, even if it is frowned upon. In any case, overcoming it or not is in your hands, and you can’t leave it in the hands of others or wait for it to pass alone, as if it were a matter of being lucky or not.

Depression as something learned

The attitude towards life is something we learn, something cultural or socially learned. Stereotypes, the education received from our parents, the observation of our surroundings or the beliefs we assimilate play a fundamental role in our way of acting.

If we add to this the stigma that depression means for many, we find ourselves with a bomb that is difficult to manipulate and deactivate. To regain control we have to relearn and be critical, learn ways to behave and react to circumstances and love ourselves more.

How can you help yourself if you are depressed

When you feel the world is going downhill, it’s very easy to get carried away, and even resort to medication. But drugs won’t solve your problems. When its effect wears off, the problems will continue to be there, and it may even have gotten worse. In any case, drug treatment must be prescribed by a specialist and accompanied by appropriate therapy.

You may not be able to control events, but you can decide what to do with them. Next, we’ll look at some strategies for overcoming the depressive state so you can feel better.

1 – Admit

Don’t be ashamed and acknowledge that you feel bad, that you are sad, that you feel that your world is going downhill. There is no need to say this to the four winds, just admit it. It’s a natural thing, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Certain people will say things like “don’t cry”, “it’s all right”, or fall into other clichéd threads and phrases. But you have a right to feel that way simply because you feel that way. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Also, having a bad time doesn’t mean you have depression.

It’s up to you to take action so that this doesn’t happen and your situation doesn’t get worse. In any case, the first step is to recognize how you feel.

2 – Don’t focus on the negative

Once you recognize that you feel depressed you begin to let go. In depressive states, we tend to focus on the negative as permanent, and to regard the good as temporal and ephemeral. Now that you know, change the chip.

If you feel bad, it will be the negative that weighs the most on your mind. Don’t focus on it, just let it pass and try to discover positive details around you, however subtle and ephemeral they may seem. Show gratitude for these little things, no matter how small. This will help you not focus on the negative.

3 – Move

In depressive states, we are invaded by a great weight that makes our movements and activities difficult. We want to hide, but that only fuels negativity and worsens our mood.

However, if we fight this reaction and get moving, the depressive state starts to disappear.  In fact, intense exercise has been shown to be much more effective against depression than medications, especially if the exercise is done outdoors and in sunlight.

Exercise not only helps oxygenate the brain, it also helps produce feel-good hormones that help us fight the effects of negativity and sadness.

4 – Put stress management techniques into practice

The buildup of stress wears us out to the point that it makes us feel depressed. We could say that a depressed brain is a stressed brain. In this sense, the depressive state would not be the result of thinking negatively, but rather the prolonged accumulation of negative and stressful thoughts.

Therefore, applying stress management techniques can be very beneficial in overcoming depression and feeling better within a short time.

5 – Take action without thinking about why

Don’t fall into the trap of trying to rationalize your feelings or how the above advice will help you.  It doesn’t matter what reasons led you to that state. It’s water under the bridge. Now you have to try to get out of there. Also don’t try to understand why exercises or gratitude can help you, or any other advice we’ve given. Just put them into practice. It won’t hurt.

Either way, it’s normal to feel that way. The depressive state closes our minds and makes us suspicious. But if you look deep into your heart, you’ll find a little light that says, “try, you’ve got nothing to lose.”