Ways To Deal With Depression

Nowadays, a lot of us struggle with depression due to the condition of life and our world. The hectic lifestyle leaves a toll on everyone and the turns life takes can leave permanent scars on people’s minds. Dealing with depression can be a major challenge and people try out many ways to do so. While a majority of them might not be willing to do that, they try out therapy and antidepressants for that. As someone who has struggled with depression as well, I can say that it’s not pleasant and definitely not easy to deal with.

Depression can make people feel very helpless and lonely. They don’t care if someone offers to be there for them or assures them that they’ve got them. It’s just a constant spiral of negative thoughts and it’s definitely not good for physical and mental health.

There are a lot of natural ways of dealing with depression and model & actor Julian Brand is here with a few ways to deal with such a menace.

1. Create A Schedule

Depression has you sitting around all day doing nothing but self-loathing and having negative thoughts. It can be fatal for your mental & physical health and it is important to divert your mind. All you need to do is put in a little bit of effort and create a schedule of things to do daily, things you like, things you love to do. You need to do this in order to divert your mind from all the negative thoughts that you’ve been having.

2. Create Some Goals

Having goals in your life can keep you distracted and occupied and it is important if you want to deal with a menace such as depression. Set some goals and stay focused on them. Keep working towards them and forget whatever’s been bugging your mind for the last few days. You deserve to live a happy life and setting goals for your life is a great way of doing so.

3. Workout

To make things work out, you need to work out. Working out can help you in diverting your mind and keeping your body fit. Also, the endorphin rush you get after each workout is one of the best feelings in the world and goes a long way in keeping your thinking positive. Just join a gym and be regular. Follow a proper workout routine and you’ll start feeling the changes in your thinking very soon.

Related: Studies Show How Yoga Will Help You Fight Depression

4. Say No To Junk Food

Eating junk food feels satisfying when you’re struggling with depression. However, it actually makes the situation worse. This is because junk food makes you feel better only for a small amount of time. Our bodies are not made for thriving on such food items and makes us feel physically tired after a while. Hence, it’ll also make you feel mentally tired, making your depression worse. So, say no to junk food and start eating healthy. It’ll also help with your workout as eating healthy will mean better physical results.

5. Sleep More

When you’re struggling with depression, it is normal to suffer from insomnia. Just laying on your bed all night staring into the darkness… overthinking… having negative thoughts. Well, you can try some sleeping exercises such as blinking your eyes rapidly until they get tired and you feel sleepy. Soothing music also helps a lot. Just try to go to sleep… have rest… for at least eight hours… you deserve it.

6. Hold Onto Responsibilities

It is very tempting to let go of all of your responsibilities when you’re in depression because depression makes you feel that way and that seems to be the most logical thing to do at that point, however, it’s most definitely not. Julian Brand says that holding onto his responsibilities was what helped him a lot in dealing with depression. Responsibilities are not a burden. They give a purpose in life and they motivate you to keep moving forward no matter what.

Related: The 10 Basic Do’s And Don’ts Of Depression

7. Pick Up A Hobby

Picking up a hobby or having a hobby is important if you’re dealing not just with depression, but actually any kind of mental health issues. A hobby will be something you’re interested in and like to do a lot and it’ll also keep your mind diverted from all the negative thoughts you’ve been having. The hobby has to be something that keeps you occupied for a long time and when you’re done, it makes you feel happy and relieved.

---