Sadness is one of the most common and natural human emotions. However,
if you feel as though you are increasingly sad, and feel like your sadness is difficult to explain, then depression may be knocking on your door.
There are a few things you can do to cope with depression symptoms and improve your quality of life. Here are eight tips for living with depression.

Talk about your feelings

Negative thoughts and feelings tend to focus your attention on things you do not like about yourself or your life situation. These thoughts also tend to make your problems seem worse than they really are. Talk to your friends and family about them and with their help and input concentrate to your positive characteristics and your ability to solve problems.

Find support and continue receiving it

You are not alone in this. People around you will always be ready to help you. Ask others around you to encourage and praise you for each small step you take. Recovering from depression is a bit like learning to walk again after breaking your leg. When you find support you need to insist because depression is something that doesn’t simply go away.

Reduce, reduce, reduce your stress

When you are under stress your body produces an hormone called cortisol. This hormone can cause many problems in the long term and is responsible for depression. Try to take stress out of your life by not being overwhelmed from daily things, seeing things in an optimistic rather than pessimistic way and splitting correctly your daily time into work and personal/free time.

Make sure you eat well and healthy

Eat small portions of healthy food that you like. If you don’t have appetite, take your time and do not feel under pressure to finish if you are eating with others. Don’t forget to drink plenty of fluids and especially water.

Sleep well but don’t oversleep

Sleep enough hours every night and get up at the same time every morning. Do not stay in bed in the morning and do not sleep during the day. If you find it difficult to relax and sleep, reduce coffee and tea to no more than 2 cups a day and find some relaxation exercises to do.

Plan your day and stick to it

Set goals and deadlines for daily activity. Plan full days of useful activity by making a list of the activities you are going to engage in at different times during the day. Try to stick to this plan as closely as possible.

Get a healthy habbit

Find a habit or an activity that you enjoy and do it. Try to increase the amount of time you spend on this activity.

Source professional help

People with depression almost always benefit from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). For some people, antidepressant medication will be the first line of treatment for the elimination of severely depressed mood. For others (especially those who don’t show improvement with medication) the best option is Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT). The way to go is not something you can decide on your own. Your medical professional is the one who will decide the best solution for you, taking into account all factors of your symptoms and health history.

If you need more information on the innovative therapy on depression, check the NeuroStar TMS Therapy that our practice offer.