Identifying and Combating Depression

Here are the signs that your daily “blues” have turned into depression:

• Frequent sadness or crying for no reason
• Hopelessness, feeling that life is not worth living or being pessimistic about the future
• Ignoring hygiene or no longer caring about appearance to the outside world
• Decreased or no interest in your favorite activities, the feeling that nothing’s fun anymore
• Persistent boredom or low energy with loss of concentration or slowed thinking
• Social isolation or poor communicate with friends or family
• Low self-esteem, feeling like a failure, experiencing guilt about simple things
• Extreme sensitivity to rejection or failure
• Increased irritability or anger, constant criticalness or sarcasm
• Difficulties with relationships or no interest in maintaining friendships
• Frequent physical illness or aches, common ailments are dizziness, back pain, headaches
• Changes in eating or sleeping habits, not enough or too much
• Thoughts or expressions of suicide or self-destructive behavior; self-injury
• Alcohol or drug abuse

Once you’ve determined that your change in mood has become depression, there are ways that you can combat depression and start feeling better. You may want to see a therapist and keep up with any medications that are prescribed. There are other changes you can make at home to help you feel better day by day.

1. Change your eating habits to include a more healthy diet. Healthy eating can improve a person’s mood and their outlook on life.
2. Keep yourself active, physical activity such as hiking, biking, running, swimming, etc. can alleviate the symptoms of depression.
3. Identify your feelings and mood, depression is an effort to avoid feeling.
4. Challenge your depressed thinking. Don’t blame yourself for bad events and give away credit for good events.
5. Be with family and friends that you can trust. Depression usually causes a fear of intimacy because of feeling unworthy or shameful. Confide in someone about your feelings and mood.
6. Practice detachment. Don’t try to change things that you can’t and learn to walk away from unimportant things.
7. Set realistic goals for yourself and assume a reasonable amount of responsibility.
8. Break your large tasks into smaller ones. Set your priorities and only do what you can, when you can, don’t try to take on too much.
9. You may want to postpone important or difficult decisions until your depression lifts.

If you are not the one suffering from depression, but you know someone who is, there are still things you can do to help them feel better. Be supportive of them, offer kindness, attention, and keep reaching out to them even if they don’t respond at first. Don’t be hostile or sarcastic when they finally do respond, be there when they make the effort. Don’t make promises to them that you can’t or don’t intend to keep, this will only heighten their sense of rejection and lower their self-esteem.

Don’t take over the things that they can handle, allow them to do what they are comfortable with at their own pace. Don’t lie or make excuses for their behavior, but realize that depression is an illness and that they are not to blame. Do not take talk or thoughts of suicide lightly, report all suicidal tendencies to the person’s therapist.

An important point to consider when helping a friend or family member through depression is to know your limits. If helping them creates your own health issues; like stress or physical illness, or if you start feeling some of the symptoms yourself; know when to back out.

Offer your continued support or kindness, but back away from frequent activities or contact with the person until they start to feel better without fully abandoning them.