Depression Self Help & Support
Self Help
The important thing to remember is that the very nature of depression can make self-help very difficult. However, if you are going to go through the self-help route it is important that you take the following into consideration:
- Get a good understanding of what depression is and that you grasp what form of depression you have as this will make dealing with it more effective.
- Look after your general health and eat three meals a day at the right times whether you are hungry or not.
- Regulate your sleeping patterns and stick to this, even if you find you can't sleep or have trouble getting up in the morning.(Maybe ask someone else to wake you)
- Make sure you get outside early so you can take advantage of the bright light which will help regulate your sleeping patterns.
- Keep yourself occupied at all times and don't take the time to mull over your depression or other problems you may have.
- Break down large tasks into smaller more manageable ones, this may prove more time consuming but it will benefit you in the long run and create a less stressful approach.
- Try to exercise regularly as research shows this can lift depression, also this will help focus you on freeing your mind of negative thoughts.
- Take the time to release thoughts. Meditation, self hypnosis and tai chi are good ways of creating mind calming this will greatly ease the physical effects of depression.
- It is very important to postpone important decisions until the depression has lifted. Significant transitions like changing your job or getting married or divorced you should discuss with someone who knows you well and can give you a more objective view of your situation.
- Try to be with other people and confide in someone as it is usually better than being alone and coping entirely by yourself.
- Now is time to start challenging your own negative thinking, write about your negative thoughts and find a positive alternative way of thinking about this. (Try to put this into practice with all negative thoughts you have)
- Understand that depression is not something that is part of you, it's created from a set of symptoms. These symptoms cause you to think, feel and act very differently to normal, but once you have the skills to beat depression it is far less likely to re-occur in the future.
Self help can be something thats very difficult to achieve through depression, but it is very important that you ask for help with this if you feel you need it.
Support
There are many different types of support for all depression e.g specific forms of depression. These range from support groups, support websites, forums/blogs to support cd's and leaflets ect.
The most important thing to anyone suffering from depression is that they do have someone or some place to turn to for the support they need. But also there is a lot of support for carers and family of people suffering from depression.
If you are someone who is not too comfortable talking face to face with others about your issues, online depression support groups may be the best solution for you. These groups are just as effective as the regular groups but they afford the anonymity you crave. For many it is easier to open up about their innermost feelings and problems online rather than in person. And also the bonds that are formed through these groups are just as strong and are quite likely to provide lasting solutions.
