How to Fight Depression
It has been a long winter. If you and your people are anythinglike me and mine, all your conversations over the past few months have tendedtowards serious discussions of the end times—which, for the naturally melancholicamong us, can be a strange comfort. "Finally," you may have thought,"people get it! I'm not alone!" But now the sun has started to comeout, and today you looked around and saw all the people smiling and frolicking,and the birds were singing and you were like, "Oh! Why do I still feellike garbage?"
Well,you're still not alone, and it's not your fault. The world is honestly kind ofhard and miserable, and some of us are just built to withstand itdifferently than others. For some of us, depression periodically orcontinuously lays us really low and makes us unable to do the daily life thingsthat other people seem to do so handily. It's super unfair, but maybe you haveto work a little harder than others at staying above water.
Disclaimer:I am not a doctor or any sort of mental health professional just a laypersonwith, shall we say, extensive on-the-ground experience. So here's a few thingsthat have worked for me and people I know—with the caveat that everyoneis different, and what works for you might end up being something elseentirely.
Talk to someone. The somewhat facilemessage of "get help" can be pretty annoying if you're a depressedperson, because the state of mental health care in most places is a real messgetting good help can be difficult, expensive, scary, and prohibitivelyexhausting for a person who's having trouble just getting out of bed. Buttalking to someone is crucial, whether it's a friend, a family member, a clergyperson, or a counselor. I know it seems basic, but saying what you'refeeling–honestly and straightforwardly—can lighten your burden anywhere from alittle to a whole lot. And don't be scared to ask for exactly what you need,whether it's just an ear or help with grocery shopping people can be dauntedby depression and not know what to do, but if they care about you, they'll beglad to help you out. (Don't forget to be mindful of the fact that caring for adepressed person is a lot of emotional labor, but I think most depressed peoplelean too little on others rather than too much.)
Ifyou don't have anyone you're comfortable talking to, the National SuicidePrevention Line isn't just for people who are actively suicidal it's foranyone who's in a bad place and needs someone to talk to, and it's at1-800-273-TALK. That'll route you to a local hotline, staffed by really nicevolunteers who are there to non-judgmentally listen. Give it a try. (Sincethese help lines are staffed by volunteers, sometimes youmight not get through, or get someone whose non-judgmental listening skillsyou're not that crazy about—but don't give up.)
Exercise. Oh, I hate this one. Exercising is hard andsucks. But what I probably hate the most about it is that it actually works, sonow I have to do it. You don't have to become a gym rat or anything, but addingjust a little movement and sweatiness to your day does some annoyinglysuper-effective mood-boosting thing to your brain. If you're not a gym orsports person (lord knows I'm not), try to work it into your daily routine bywalking to a farther transit stop than usual, taking the stairs at work, ordoing an exercise video at home. The real trick, though I've never managed thisone myself, is to do it often enough that you get "addicted" toit—this is what people say happens! I swear!—and then you're stuck beingslightly happier forever.Good luck with that.
Stop drinking, atleast for a bit. Thisone can be pretty hard, because alcohol is fun, tastes good, makes socializingeasier, and breaks up the monotony of your feelings a bit. People willtell you alcohol is a depressant, and if you're anything like me, you'll smuglybe like, "Actually, that's not technically even what depressantmeans," and finish your delicious beer.
Butyou know, even if alcohol doesn't actually make you more depressed (Ianecdotally think it does, though the studies tend to be bedeviled by theobvious entanglement of cause and effect), it makes you more impulsive, whichis extra dangerous when you're depressed. When you don't drink, you might beway bored and awkward at social events, and have to stay brutally aware of allyour feelings (I'm sorry, I'm not really selling this), but you're also muchless likely to scare the shit out of your friends with your uncontrollableweeping or to make a big old mess texting your ex. Who needs to deal with theconsequences of drunken behavior when you're already depressed? Plus, the darksynergy of depression + hangover is to be avoided at all costs, and I alwaysfind my mood the day after drinking is a little lousier than usual.Worth giving it a rest for a bit, just to see if it helps. (And if you find youcan't give it a rest, that tells you something important, too.)
Try practicingmindfulness. Theidea of mindfulness comes from Buddhist practice stated most basically, itmeans being non-judgmentally present in the moment, no matter where you are orwhat you're doing. Which maybe makes it sound really hard and not that fun:Probably the present moment doesn't seem that great, right? But with practiceit can be an astonishingly anti-depressant brain habit that makes the presentmuch more tolerable. It's got something for everybody—you can connect it withspiritual practice if you're into that, or do it on its own, and it also has alot of support from peer-reviewed research as a treatment for anxiety anddepression.
I'vebeen really into a PDF called “You are Here: A Modern Person Guide to Living inthe Present”, but there are lotsof books and resources online that might appeal to you more. You might feel alittle corny or self-conscious using a guided meditation app called "Buddhify"(my favorite), but think about the happiest people you know—they're all kindacorny, right? (Sorry, happy people.)
Hang out with someanimals. Idon't know what it is about animals that have such an anti-depressant effect.Maybe it's that they remind you that there's a different way to move throughthe world than "excruciatingly," or just that they're funny and cuteor cool-looking. I like to go to the aquarium because looking at fish chills meout either that or I play with a friend's dog. Volunteering at an animalshelter is another good way to get some quality animal time, plus doing anysort of volunteer work gets you out of the house and creates a brand new sourceof meaning in your life—another challenging but really effectiveanti-depression tactic.
Think aboutmedication. Thisis a obviously a super-personal choice that requires the care and guidance ofexperts far more expert than me, and lots of people are opposed to takingantidepressants for all sorts of legitimate reasons, but talk to a handful ofpeople who have dealt with depression and you'll definitely find someone whosays medication saved his or her life. To me, this makes it at the very leastworthy of some thoughtful consideration and discussion with a doctor. There'snothing to be ashamed of in using medications for depression, any more thanthere is for any other illness. They can give you the breathing room you needto get better.
Don't give up. "Easier said than done" is an understatement. But people whostruggle with depression can have awesome, happy lives, too. Because if thisendless winter proved anything, it's that even endless things don't lastforever.
ArticleSource: http://adequateman.deadspin.com/how-to-fight-depression-1691673539
ImageSource: http://www.whywesuffer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/WWS-DepresSM.jpg
VOCABULARYWORDS:
1. Melancholy (adj.) ~ sad pensive thoughtful
2. Withstand (v.) ~ to resist or endure successfully
3. Disclaimer (n.) ~ a denial of responsibility or connection
4. Caveat (n.) ~ a warning or caution
5. Facile (adj.) ~ done or achieved with little effort ordifficulty
6. Daunt (v.) ~ to lessen the courage or disposition
7. Monotony (n.) ~ tedious sameness
8. Lousy (adj.) ~ inferior or worthless
QUESTIONSFOR DISCUSSION:
1. What is depression? What are the common causes of it?
2. Do you sometimes experience depression? Discuss your answer.
3. Do you think that talking to someone is really helpful forpeople experiencing depression? Why?
4 . Discuss the other tips mentioned in the article. Do you thinkthey are really effective?
5. How would you help a friend who is experiencing depression?
