This is a guest post by Ashley Jennings. Ashley writes about depression help and self help techniques for a variety of mental health conditions.
Why do you stay in prison when the door is so wide open? Move outside the tangle of fear-thinking. Live in silence.—
If you ever feel exhausted, worthless, helpless, or hopeless, there is a possibility you are suffering from depression. Several steps can be taken to treat this condition.
If you are interested in self-help, there are resources available that can help you get on the right track to feeling more confident and better about yourself.
Self-help consists of several methods that can be performed daily in the comfort of your own home, and these methods are designed to help reduce the effects of depression.
Depending on the severity of your condition, you should seek medical help, but depression help tactics are a great way to start the healing process.
The following tips describe a few methods for reducing stress and building confidence. These methods can also assist in the reduction of your depression symptoms:
• Setting goals are a great way to build confidence especially if you can meet them quickly.
• Split your tasks into smaller sections. This allows you to complete your projects in a timely manner.
• Spend time with those close to you and participate in activities that you enjoy such as going out for a meal, seeing a movie or going to visit some friends. These can both help you feel better.
• Change your physical state: stand straight, smile, hold your head high. Do it in front of the mirror and remember a time you felt great.
• Exercise. It’s scientifically proven that exercise makes you feel better.
This video gives some more ideas on how to reduce depression.
part 2
If you choose to see a therapist to treat your depression, you may be treated with Cognitive Behavior Therapy or CBT. CBT can be considered a form of self-help because of the approach used in treating your depression symptoms. Your therapist may guide this process before allowing you to continue the therapy on your own.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy may consist of keeping a log or diary of your thoughts or facing the problems that may be causing your depression. This method of therapy also helps you to face the problems that may be causing your negative feelings.
Determining the causes of your depression is an excellent first step towards determining the best course of action. In some cases depression suddenly appear in one’s life without an easily distinguishable cause. When this happens, it may be best to see a therapist while continuing your self-help tactics.
Thanks for the great ideas and strategies. As a therapist, my hope is that my clients can have as many good resources at their disposal as possible. Coming from a CBT perspective myself, the goal is for myself to eventually work myself out of my job, so that the client can engage in self-help, using the techniques s/he has learned. Having self-help material can aid in this goal.
Hi Steve
Thanks I agree self help has a lot of useful techniques. I don’t think however that someday therapists will not be needed because sometimes we need a different perspective.
What a great article. I have been suffering from depression for as long as I can remember. You gave me some good ideas.
.-= Russ´s last blog ..You Need One of These. =-.
Hi Russ, thanks I’m glad you like it.
Depression is such a widespread but grossly overlooked problem. People have different coping mechanism – some people fall into a depression faster than others because their coping mechanism is not as strong as others.
In order to combat depression (and in relation to CBT), one has to love himself FIRST. Know yourself better and in doing so, you’ll know what you want out of life. Some who suffer from depression are those who are unsure of who they are and what they want in life. Knowing who you are will result to a healthier outlook in life.
.-= Linda Davis´s last blog ..Can You Regain Trust in Your Relationship with a Lying Spouse? Part 2 =-.
Hi Linda, Thanks I agree knowing what we want in life is another great way to reduce depression.
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thanks for the ideas. Sometimes I can tell I’m headed towards depression, and I have some things to do to pull myself out. Usually involving self-care which for some reason I tend to forget about!!
.-= Anna´s last blog ..Do Conventionally Purchased Power Tools Last Longer Or Out Perform Factory Reconditioned Power Tools? =-.
Hi Anna, what you’re describing is common. Whenever you catch yourself thinking unhelpful thoughts, change them into positive thoughts and do something that makes you feel good.
Valuable thoughts and advices. I read your topic with great interest.
Thanks Clemento
Interesting article from Ashley here. I will absolutely visit again!
As a panic attack sufferer for 20 years, I find your topic very interesting. In my experience you need to realize that you have this problem, and be open about it. It helped me.
.-= Stop Panic Attack Blog´s last blog ..How To Know If You?re Having A Panic Attack =-.
Are you a professional journalist? You write very well.
Hello from Russia!
Can I quote a post in your blog with the link to you?
Sure you can, but if you want to quote the whole post and the post is new please wait a day from the time I publish it. If you just quote the excerpt or a small part then you can quote immediately.
Well written and insightful. Depression is an issue that touches so many of us and it is important to explore ways of handling it.
.-= amanda@choosing-life-my-way.com´s last blog ..Saying I Want My Life Back Means Regaining Empowerment =-.
Hi Amanda, thanks for visiting.
as much as one would think it’s more than that. nobody likes to feel out of control and the first step towards healing is gaining the self esteem and inner power
Great post! All of those things combined together helped me through my depression a few years ago. Thanks for sharing this information, I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who will benefit from it.
Hi – I believe in healing depression through consciousness change, from my own personal experience. I know that all of us out there talking about it will help many more people to choose the drug-free, self-healing route, with fantastic results.
I feel very passionately about this subject, and am writing a book about it: see my (newly formed) blog to hear me talking about this stuff and find out how you can help me put my book out there and create more of this healing in the world. I’m at http://www.hilcave.blogspot.com
Thank you for your time.
Hilary Cave
Well written and really interesting! Everybody experience depression at any time of their lives. Depression is cause by many factors and it can be treated under the different self help strategies. These self health strategies that can help in avoiding the occurrence of depression are taking botanical medicines, eat foods as close to the way God created them as possible: raw, whole, and unprocessed, regular exercise and sleep and proper nutrition.
Great tips! One good idea also would be to take a look at the individuals you are dealing with in everyday life. If there is someone who always criticises you and everything you are doing, a while all by yourself would surely do miracles.
Depressions happen due to lack of understanding, they happen when a person enters a particular state which they see is as the ultimate confine.
There is a book thats new that promotes self help in a way which people might understand. Its a new and interesting book. Though it has valuable information.
It talks about the mysteries and Magic of life, and promotes self awareness which is assessible to people.
It helps people by pointing them to awareness of somethings they aren’t usually aware of. These are the neglected things that can help them bring about change, and kick their engines starting. Its definitely a must.
The link is below:
http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/BookOfSpells.html
Good day you definitely have a useful site on here containing certain health concerning issues. Basically kinda hunting this kind of information to use on my site that might be useful to folk seeing as I also am in First Aid services also and give health and safety and First Aid+ Training to small companies or people. Cheers for the helpful advice here and hope to see more from you as it’s helpful to people and myself.
Mike Poody
I think the best way to treat depression is by self-medication. A therapist may help make you realized that you are going through depression and help you find how it happened, but after that, nobody else could help you but yourself. Nobody knows you better than you right? Even if we go to therapy if we refuse to let go of the things that make us unhappy, our time, effort, and money would just go to waste.
I think its fantastic that so much information is available on this topic. The fact that you have put it so succinctly and touched on the simplest of actions, get some exercise is a credit to you. Also found Streets To Success by Ben Blanch helpful being tweeted at http://twitter.com/LeadSeekers or go to streets2success.com
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That is plenty of inspirational stuff. For no reason knew that opinions could be that varied. Thanks for all the enthusiasm to offer such helpful information here.
Depression is an illness which exists in the mind and therefore the cure and prevention lies with treating the mind.Depression can be treated with counseling, medicine or both. It’s also important to take good care of yourself, to exercise regularly and to eat healthy foods.
Your Article contain nice topic.
Thanks for that…
Nice topic. Different person has different way to face depression. I always write everything (my mind, my thoughts, my problem, or whatever) in notes or just type and save it. Throw away useless stuffs that might distract you mind. And don’t face the mirror, face the window, cause you can see the world through it.
Depression is one of the chief cause of reduced productivity. For me being depressed means you can spend all day in bed, and still not get a good night’s rest.
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The various tips given are really helpful. Recently I have lost my wife. I am 54 year old. and at this stage the incident is just a panic attack/ heart attack. How ever I have to face the life without her. It is difficult.let me know how to get out from the situation
A new study in Japan stated eating tomatoes only two days in a week can reduce the risk of depression. It is help to beat depression naturally 50 present by tomatoes, I found in this link http://www.cereforce.com/2012/12/beat-depression-naturally-by-tomatoes.html and thanks a lot for useful information