Depression affects cognitive, emotional, behavioral and physical functions. One of the most insidious aspects of depression is that it tricks you into thinking that nothing will help, or that the relief will be temporary thus keeping you in a cycle of maladaptive thinking, feeling, and doing (or non-doing). However, there are some simple steps you can take to cope with depression.

Take Care of Your Physical Health
Get active! It is important to get 30 minutes of physical activity daily. This can be anything from yoga, walking, jogging, walking stairs, a stroll around the block, gardening. If this is too daunting, start with 10-15 minutes a day and add 5 minutes to each day. Remember to nourish your body- make sure you eat well-balanced meals. Getting adequate sleep is important for our physical wellbeing, mental acuity, and concentration.

Take a Closer Look at Your Thoughts
Write down recurring thoughts…negative thoughts about oneself, one’s future, and the world are common; these thoughts are often distortions that feel real and often perpetuate unhelpful behaviors. By writing down these thoughts, one can begin to see the distortions a bit more clearly. Ask yourself “what is one thing that I can do right now that is good for me?”

Identify Unhelpful Behaviors and Replace them with Healthy, Helpful Behaviors
Build a sense of mastery-this involves setting realistic, achievable goals daily; rather than tackling big ticket items. Break larger items down into small manageable units. This sense of mastery will help to chip away at the unhelpful distortions.

Engage in Healthy Joyful Activities

Engaging in joyful activities from something as small as brewing a nice cup of tea, listening to a favorite song, or dancing in your own space can improve your mood in the moment and help you find gratitude in the simple things life has to offer you.

Practice Self-Compassion - Use Affirmations

Being harsh or overly critical is not helpful, give yourself some grace and kindness. Affirmations are positive reminders or statements that can be used to encourage and motivate yourself or others. They can be a powerful way to improve your overall mindset and research has shown that affirmations increase our feelings of confidence and self-worth.

Practice Gratitude

Research has found that gratitude, the act of affirming and appreciating the good in one’s life — can have many benefits. Result have revealed the many positive impacts that feeling grateful had on both depression and general mental health. When practiced over time, feeling thankful seemed to act as an overall mood booster.

Signs of Depression Include:

1. A loss of interest or withdrawal from activities that you once looked forward to — sports, hobbies, or going out with friends.

2. Depression is also linked with insomnia. The lack of quality, restful sleep can also lead to anxiety.

3. Difficulty caring for yourself, meeting basic needs or attend to daily responsibilities.

4. Persistent feeling of sadness or loss of interest that characterizes major depression can lead to a range of changes in behaviors.

5. Depression can also be associated with thoughts of suicide.

If you are experiencing severe depressive symptoms, it may be time to seek out professional help. Counseling can provide the skills and insights to overcome depression and get back to a life worth living.

At Joie de Vivre Counseling and Therapy we give you the tools to change negative and destructive patterns that prevent health and wellness. We provide a variety of treatment options with proven effectiveness in treating depression to heal the mind and body.

~By Jade Asuncion