Depression makes everything you do feel like a challenge, but here are a few tips for managing depression at home

Going to work, getting up for school, hanging out with friends, even just getting out of bed can be a struggle when you are suffering from depression. Not all is lost, however, because there are some things you can do to help deal with the symptoms of depression.

Get Support from Friends

Studies show that talking to those around you is beneficial when dealing with depression. There are ways that depression makes you feel isolated from those around you but in general your friends and family are going to want to support you.

This can be as simple as telling them you’re having a tough time and that you need some leeway from them if you are a little grumpy or reticent to reply to a message. It’s okay to give yourself that space and time.

In the best case scenarios, your friends are going to be your champions and they’ll ensure that you’re able to get through your rough patch by being there for you. However, another major consideration with your support group is your friends’ needs, too.

Sometimes, depression can make it feel like you are the only person in the world that feels that way, but — unfortunately — you are not. Depression affects more than 264 million people around the globe.

Say ‘Not today’ to Procrastination

Procrastination is one of those insidious activities that most of the time, you’re unaware that you’re doing until it’s too late and you’ve whiled away hours scouring YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter aimlessly looking for something to fill the fatigue-filled void in your brain.

When you are suffering from depression, the fatigue that comes along with it can often lead to this self-sabotaging practice of putting off your tasks until it’s too late, and you “need to go to bed now” so you will “do it tomorrow instead”. Well, tomorrow comes along and your fatigue hasn’t gotten better, so you’re going to put off what you need to do again.

And so the cycle continues.

This cycle and habit actually helps contribute to feelings of depression so beating procrastination is a great way of tackling your depression, also.

Stave off the procrastination beast by tricking it: for every task you know you need to get done, think of a smaller task within that larger one and complete it, instead. Throughout the day, performing these smaller tasks that are easier done will build momentum until you suddenly realise you’re finished.

Learn Methods of Defeating Negative Thoughts

One of the major stumbling blocks to recovering from depression is often the inability to think your way past the problem. Your brain is tricking you, through a lack of basic chemicals it needs to function, that you are incapable of moving forward.

But, you’re in luck! It’s definitely possible to make your way past these blockages in your thinking, and it’s even possible to do yourself. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is something that teaches you techniques to change the way you feel through the understanding that emotions are tied to our thoughts and actions.

So, CBT is a flexible, useful method of changing the way we think by consciously adopting particular actions or actively thinking happier thoughts. This sounds basic, and in some ways it is, but CBT is a research-proven method of combating the difficulties of depression.

As a specialized form of talking therapy, CBT is often used by licensed therapists as part of treating mental health disorders, particularly anxiety and depression, and the wealth of research on the subject shows just how useful it is.

If you’re interested in speaking to a therapist about CBT and the possibilities it might have for you, our clinic in San Francisco has free 15 minute consultations with new clients. Speak to a professional about your needs, today.

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