Why is dealing with depression so difficult?

Depression drains your energy, hope, and drive, making it difficult to take the steps that will help you to feel better. Sometimes, just thinking about the things you should do to feel better, like exercising or spending time with friends, can seem exhausting or impossible to put into action. It’s the Catch-22 of depression recovery: The things that help the most are the things that are the most difficult to do.

While recovering from depression isn’t quick or easy, you do have more control than you realize—even if your depression is severe and stubbornly persistent. The key is to start small and build from there. You may not have much energy, but by drawing on all your reserves, you should have enough to take a walk around the block or pick up the phone to call a loved one, for example.

When you’re depressed, you can’t just will yourself to “snap out of it.”

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6 Quick Tips to help you cope with depression

Tip #1 – Reach out and stay connected – When you’re depressed, the tendency is to withdraw and isolate so connecting to even close family members and friends can be tough. You may feel too exhausted to talk, ashamed of your situation, or guilty for neglecting certain relationships. But this is just the depression talking. Staying connected to other people and taking part in social activities will make a world of difference in your mood and outlook. Reaching out is not a sign of weakness and it won’t mean you’re a burden to others. Your loved ones care about you and want to help. And if you don’t feel that you have anyone to turn to, it’s never too late to build new friendships and improve your support network.

Tip #2 – Do things that make you feel good – In order to overcome depression, you have to do things that relax and energize you. This includes following a healthy lifestyle, learning how to better manage stress, setting limits on what you’re able to do, and scheduling fun activities into your day. While you can’t force yourself to have fun or experience pleasure, you can push yourself to do things, even when you don’t feel like it. You might be surprised at how much better you feel once you’re out in the world. Even if your depression doesn’t lift immediately, you’ll gradually feel more upbeat and energetic as you make time for fun activities.

Pick up a former hobby or a sport you used to like. Express yourself creatively through music, art, or writing. Go out with friends. Take a day trip to a museum, the mountains, or the ballpark.

Tip #3 – Get moving – When you’re depressed, just getting out of bed can seem like a daunting task, let alone working out! But exercise is a powerful depression fighter—and one of the most important tools in your recovery arsenal. Research shows that regular exercise can be as effective as medication for relieving depression symptoms. It also helps prevent relapse once you’re well.

To get the most benefit, aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. This doesn’t have to be all at once—and it’s okay to start small. A 10-minute walk can improve your mood for two hours.

Tip #4 – Eat a healthy, depression-fighting diet – What you eat has a direct impact on the way you feel. Reduce your intake of foods that can adversely affect your brain and mood, such as caffeine, alcohol, trans fats, and foods with high levels of chemical preservatives or hormones (such as certain meats).

• Don’t skip meals. Going too long between meals can make you feel irritable and tired, so aim to eat something at least every three to four hours.
• Minimize sugar and refined carbs. “feel-good” foods quickly lead to a crash in mood and energy. Aim to cut out as much of these foods as possible.
• Boost your B vitamins. take a B-complex vitamin supplement or eat more citrus fruit, leafy greens, beans, chicken, and eggs.
• Boost your mood with foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies, sardines, tuna, and some cold-water fish oil supplements.

“In order to overcome depression, you have do things that make you feel good”

Tip #5 – Get a daily dose of sunlight – Sunlight can help boost serotonin levels and improve your mood. Whenever possible, get outside during daylight hours and expose yourself to the sun for at least 15 minutes a day. Take a walk on your lunch break, have your coffee outside, enjoy an al fresco meal, or spend time gardening.

Tip #6 – Challenge negative thinking – Do you feel like you’re powerless or weak? That bad things happen and there’s not much you can do about it? That your situation is hopeless? Depression puts a negative spin on everything, including the way you see yourself and your expectations for the future.

When these types of thoughts overwhelm you, it’s important to remember that this is a symptom of your depression and these irrational, pessimistic attitudes—known as cognitive distortions—aren’t realistic.

You can’t break out of this pessimistic mind frame by telling yourself to “just think positive.” Often, it’s part of a lifelong pattern of thinking that’s become so automatic you’re not even completely aware of it. Rather, the trick is to identify the type of negative thoughts that are fueling your depression and replace them with a more balanced way of thinking.

Once you identify the destructive thought patterns that contribute to your depression, you can start to challenge them with questions such as:

• “What’s the evidence that this thought is true? Not true?”
• “What would I tell a friend who had this thought?”
• “Is there another way of looking at the situation or an alternate explanation?”
• “How might I look at this situation if I didn’t have depression?”

As you cross-examine your negative thoughts, you may be surprised at how quickly they crumble. In the process, you’ll develop a more balanced perspective and help to relieve your depression.

When to get professional help for depression

If you’ve taken self-help steps and made positive lifestyle changes and still find your depression getting worse, seek professional help. Needing additional help doesn’t mean you’re weak. Sometimes the negative thinking in depression can make you feel like you’re a lost cause, but depression can be treated and you can feel better!

References

What Causes Depression? – Including genes, temperament, stressful life events, and medical issues. (Harvard Health Publishing)
Depression: Back from the Bluez – Self-help modules for coping with and recovering from depression. (Center for Clinical Interventions)
How Depression Causes Negative ‘Spin’ – Learn about common cognitive distortions and how to change them. (clinical-depression.co.uk)