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. Remove sunglasses but never stare directly at the sun and use sunscreen as needed. For some people, the reduced daylight hours of winter lead to a form of depression known as seasonal affective disorder SAD. SAD can make you feel like a completely different person to who you are in the summer: hopeless, sad, tense, or stressed, with no interest in friends or activities you normally love.
No matter how hopeless you feel, though, there are plenty of things you can do to keep your mood stable throughout the year.
That your situation is hopeless? Depression puts a negative spin on everything, including the way you see yourself and your expectations for the future. But even so, they can be tough to give up. 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.
All-or-nothing thinking. The mental filter — Ignoring positive events and focusing on the negative. Noticing the one thing that went wrong, rather than all the things that went right. Diminishing the positive. Jumping to conclusions. Making negative interpretations without actual evidence. Emotional reasoning. Everyone must be laughing at me! Once you identify the destructive thoughts patterns that contribute to your depression, you can start to challenge them with questions such as:.
As you cross-examine your negative thoughts, you may be surprised at how quickly they crumble. Authors: Melinda Smith, M.
Social support and protection from depression: Systematic review of current findings in Western countries. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 4 , — Cuijpers, P. Treatment outcomes for depression: Challenges and opportunities.
The Lancet Psychiatry, 7 11 , — What Causes Depression? Harvard Health Publishing. Depression: Back from the Bluez — Self-help modules for coping with and recovering from depression. Center for Clinical Interventions. In the U.
Australia : Call Lifeline Australia at 13 11 This holiday season alone, millions of people will turn to HelpGuide for free mental health guidance and support.
So many people rely on us in their most difficult moments. Can we rely on you? All gifts made before December 31 will be doubled. Cookie Policy. Coronavirus update As the COVID pandemic continues, many of us are dealing with social distancing, isolation, and lockdowns that make it even harder to cope with symptoms of depression. Help someone else by volunteering. Have lunch or coffee with a friend. Ask a loved one to check in with you regularly.
Accompany someone to the movies, a concert, or a small get-together. Call or email an old friend. Go for a walk with a workout buddy. This is considered a "time-limited" treatment, which generally means 12 to 16 weeks, and it is commonly used in mood disorders like MDD.
The Cleveland Clinic indicates that several complementary treatment options show some benefit for depression. They include:. Including these alternative remedies in your treatment plan may help you begin to feel better.
That said, self-care , such as sleeping well, eating a nutritious diet, and not misusing alcohol or drugs to cope can also help you feel better faster.
Another form of self-care to consider is exercise. Research shows that 20 to 40 minutes of exercise three times a week can help reduce depression symptoms, not only now but also long term. Many people with depression, however, understandably struggle with self-care during episodes. When this occurs, other treatment options may be required until your depression is at a level where self-care feels more manageable.
Click below to listen now. You may even benefit from taking a combination approach, using two or more of these treatment options together to offer even more relief from your depression. One example of this would be taking a medication while also establishing a self-care routine.
Another example could include medication with exercise and massage. For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database. While it's not impossible that a particular episode of depression will go away on its own if given enough time, reaching out for help can get you feeling better faster. It can also potentially keep the depression from getting worse or affecting your physical health. Since depression is highly treatable, your doctor can help you find the best treatment option for you.
Plus, some forms of depression are simply harder to resolve. In cases such as these, you can't just "make it go away. Besides, you deserve proper and individualized depression treatment. There is no harm or shame in asking someone to help you begin to feel better again. Everything feels more challenging when you're dealing with depression.
Get our free guide when you sign up for our newsletter. National Institute of Mental Health. Published American Psychiatric Association. What is depression? Published January Cleveland Clinic. Alternative therapies for depression. Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Patel R, Rose G. Persistent depressive disorder. Depression basics. Updated Dhar A, Barton D. Depression and the link with cardiovascular disease. Front Psychiatry. Burcusa S, Iacono W. Risk for recurrence in depression.
Clin Psychol Rev. Depression: How effective are antidepressants? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Computer-assisted cognitive-behavior therapy for depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database. Everything feels more challenging when you're dealing with depression. Get our free guide when you sign up for our newsletter. Functional recovery in major depressive disorder: Providing early optimal treatment for the individual patient. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol.
Lifestyle medicine for depression. BMC Psychiatry ;14 An everyday activity as a treatment for depression: The benefits of expressive writing for people diagnosed with major depressive disorder. J Affect Disord. Assessment of the severity of primary depressive illness: Wakefield self-assessment depression inventory. Psychological Medicine.
The Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Healthcare. Depression: How effective are antidepressants? Updated June 18, American Psychiatric Association. What is depression? Updated October Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellMind.
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