Rants, Tags and Random Ramblings

How to: Tackle Depression

Hi everyone. So, recently, I've had to go to my doctor, due to some symptoms I've been experiencing, which had been festering for a while and it turned out to be depression.

I'm not, nor do I pretend to be, qualified to help you deal with mental health problems you may be having. However, I am someone who has suffered from anxiety for a long time, and am now on my way to recovering  from depression. Here are eight things you can do yourself that really helped me, aside from taking my medication.

1) Go for a walk everyday : Filling your lungs with fresh air can really help you feel refreshed and energised. It's not going to take effect by doing it once and giving up. I advise doing this every single day. In the long run, it may help, even if it's only for five minutes. And I know, when you're down, it's the last thing you probably will want to do, but just do it. Make yourself. And where possible, take a scenic, serene, peaceful route.

2) Affirmations: Every morning, afternoon and evening, take a couple of minutes to close your eyes, do some deep breathing, and repeat one of the following mantra five times:

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

"I am worth loving."

If you feel those negative thoughts that have been getting you down to creep in while affirming this to yourself, start breathing deeply again, and focus on the sound of your breaths as they come in and go out. Once you start to believe the mantra, that's a good sign; a sign that says you're starting to overpower those feelings of worthlessness and sadness.

3) Cut out social media: I know, I know, in this day and age, that may seem the impossible task, but trust me, if you're feeling down and depressed, staring at a phone or computer screen is the last thing that's going to uplift you. If you're using it to message your friends and or family, meet up with them instead and do it on a frequent basis. That will prove much more beneficial to your mental health that snapping, tweeting or flicking through Instagram and losing yourself in it.

4) Listen to music and sing along: This one may sound stupid, but music is great for the soul, and singing along is even better. Trust me, try it on a regular basis.

5) Gratitude list: Again, this may sound incredibly stupid, but, every day, make a gratitude list. Write down three things that you are thankful for. And try come up with different answers every single day. The idea behind this, is that when you're focusing on the positives in your life, you are momentarily distracted from the negative. Doing this activity every day can enforce a positive mindset.

6) Set daily goals: Even if it is as simple as hanging out a basket of laundry and cleaning the ashes from the fireplace, set yourself two manageable daily tasks to complete. When you have something to focus on, it can distract you from the grasp depression can have on you.

7) Set that alarm clock: When going to bed, set an alarm for yourself that will wake you after 7-8 hours. When you're feeling down, oversleeping is a common tendency. Don't give in to it, from experience, I know it only makes it worse. So, get up after an adequate amount of sleep, I get that it's hard, but you just gotta force yourself. And when you feel the urge to just pull those covers back over yourself, and curl up again, fight it. Say no. Say fuck you to depression, and fight it. I know it's easier said than done, but it's what you need to do to overcome it.

8) Talk to someone: Tell someone who's good at listening about how you feel. Don't hold back. Let all that negativity spill out. And do it routinely. Don't let those feelings continue to build up until you can't cope anymore and just explode; that's really not going to get you anywhere. From experience too, I find that sometimes it's a lot easier to discuss these thoughts with someone you don't have an emotional tie with.

And there you have it. The steps that helped me back to a better, happier place. I'm still struggling with it somewhat, but it is getting better. So, please, try those steps out to see if they make a difference. And below are a couple of videos you can check out, which really helped me gain some perspective on the problems I was experiencing.