Here are a few methods a person in depression can aid themselves to either get over or lessen the symptoms:
1. Do Exercise
Exercise positively affects depression and helps treat mild to moderate types of depression in the same manner as medicine. Besides alleviating symptoms, workout offers several other advantages, including improved cardiovascular health, lower chances of having several chronic diseases and promoting weight loss.
Although during the depression, it might be challenging to exercise, you can start with something less strenuous.
What to Do?
Exercises that are effective for reducing depression include taking brief daily walks regularly, performing callisthenics for 10-minutes at home, along with dancing. Additionally, exercising improves levels of endorphins and helps abate the signs of depression. In this regard, even mild exercises for a few minutes per day can uplift your mood by increasing endorphin levels.
2. Consume Nutritious Foods Regularly
Depression is frequently associated with bad eating habits. For example, junk and fast foods loaded with salt, sugar, and fat might provide temporary comfort, but in the future, these foods lead to increased weight gain, blood sugar, and symptoms related to depression.
What to Have?
So, finding healthy meals you enjoy, ensuring you have enough, and eating these foods daily can help. Also, if you have no food allergies or a preference for food items, fresh fruit, lean meats, salads, and oily fish like whole-grain bread and salmon are all healthy choices.
Hence, finding healthy foods you enjoy eating and teaching yourself to turn to them when you're hungry or depressed can create effective changes.
3. Plan a Routine
Lack of structure and routine for a day might be a problem for depressed persons. In this situation, developing a more structured schedule may help reduce the signs and symptoms of depression.
What to Do?
Creating a wholesome new regimen might be easier than you think. For instance, changing everyday routines as minor as getting dressed and leaving the house in the morning rather than sitting around in pyjamas might have a significant impact.
Apart from it, you can also try calling a friend daily, taking a quick stroll, writing in a notebook, or listening to enjoyable music for 30 minutes. Forming new routines and behaviours can raise dopamine levels which might lessen depressive symptoms.
4. Change Your Routine
A depressed individual can fall into a particular routine pattern that worsens their symptoms. In this regard, a monotonous schedule might make someone feel miserable.
What to Do?
To bring some variations, you can adjust your routine. For instance, go for a little stroll once you get home from work instead of immediately turning on the TV. You can also make efforts to make a healthy preparation for dinner rather than pre-cooked and frozen ones.
Altering habits can also help remodel dopamine pathways in the brain, which is a crucial brain chemical connected to emotions of happiness. Although a simple modification is unnecessary, you can do it once in a while.
5. Consume a Lot of Water
One of the top self-help strategies for depression is drinking sufficient water daily helps the body eliminate toxins, boosts the performance of body organs, and promotes clarity of thought.
What to Have?
You should know that dehydration results from consuming certain beverages, which promotes the body’s inability to hold water. If it's difficult for you to drink plain water, think about these options:
- Sparkling water (Flavoured)
- Ice water
- Putting lime, lemon, or Zingiber in chilled water
- Herbal teas. For example, chamomile, mint, ginger, rooibos, hibiscus, or jasmine
- Adding a few drops of juice to the water
6. Dispute Negative Ideas
It is common for a depressed person to think negatively. For instance, thoughts like you are a failure and unlikable may always captivate your mind, and these kinds of malefic thinking lead to irregular routines and depression.
What to Do?
Confronting negative thoughts with good ones is an effective method to abate them. In this regard, you can raise an objection statement against your questions, and this can slowly eradicate negative thoughts.
7. Get Enough Sleep
Depression and anxiety both have a role in insomnia, which can involve problems getting to sleep. So, you can make adjustments to your routine to sleep more soundly at night.
Our body and brain must take a break to restore, rejuvenate, and regenerate. Hence, sound sleep enhances health and refills energy levels, which can abate depressive symptoms.
What to Do?
Complete at least 8 hours of sleep and ensure a sleep routine. It should include a fixed time in which you go to sleep and listen to calm music before to induce sound sleep.
8. Try to be Mentally Strong
When you're not mentally strong, you will be tempted to stay aloof from society and abnegate your duties. However, it is advised not to do so, as keeping a zestful lifestyle and taking on regular duties can assist you in trouncing depression. Moreover, it can also help you feel accomplished and grounded.
What to Do?
It's okay if you can't handle full-time employment or education. You can also consider working part-time, and if that seems overburdened, consider volunteering.
9. Keep a Diary
A journal for depression might help in the recovery process. By keeping a journal, you can find a channel for your thoughts and a secure setting to express your emotions. Additionally, keeping a journal might help you keep track of your thoughts and feelings over time and spot trends in your sadness.
What to Do?
Here are some things you can write in journal:
- Your daily log
- Goals for the day
- Things that stress you
- Things that make you happy
- What is the best thing that happened to you in the day