If you found this post by typing into a search engine “how to get out of depression“, I’m very proud of you. I’m proud of you because by having the strength and insight to type those words it means you are already beginning to care…and that is the first step. Because let’s face it, when you are depressed…seriously depressed, you just don’t care.
How do I know this? Because I’ve been there. I won’t say I’ve been in YOUR shoes…because I haven’t. But I’ve been in my shoes, and my shoes have definitely felt some serious depression (often suicidal), some of which I doubted sometimes I would ever see the light from. But…I did…and so can you.
So regardless of what brought you here, since we can’t have a one-on-one chat (although if you want to leave a comment or contact me I’d love to hear from you, especially if you are really needing someone), but regardless of why you are here I hope you can find some help in the information provided to you below.
So first…What Does Depression Mean?
Well the official definition is: severe despondency and dejection, typically felt over a period of time and accompanied by feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy. Feeling a constant feeling of sadness and lack of interest.
I can say from personal experience that although I did feel this definition most of the time, that doesn’t mean I never felt “highs”…or at least okay from time to time…but I still would have considered myself depressed and it definitely interfered with my life.
Sometimes I wondered if the so-called happy moments were me just pretending, or maybe I was borderline bipolar, I don’t know and at the time I didn’t care that much. I was just sad. Sometimes I was even too depressed to get out of bed, although I still had to, but I didn’t want to!
There are different forms and severity of depression, bipolar being one of them. I believe mine, however, was something considered Situational Depression.
What Are The Different Types of Depression?
– Major depressive disorder (major depression)
– Atypical Depression
– Melancholic Depression
– Dysthymic disorder (dysthymia)
– Psychotic depression
– Postpartum depression (postnatal depression)
– SAD (seasonal affective disorder)
– Bipolar disorder (manic-depressive illness)
What Are The Signs and Symptoms of Depression?
As we are all unique, our signs and symptoms will be too. Here are some of the signs and symptoms you might be experiencing:
– constantly feeling sad, anxious or empty
– a general feeling of pessimism (or the Eeyore attitude I like to call it)
– hopelessness
– restlessness
– irritability
– loss of interest in activities/hobbies you used to enjoy
– loss of interest in sex
– loss of energy, feeling fatigue
– difficulty concentrating, remembering details or making decisions
– disturbed sleep patterns – sleeping too much or too little
– change in eating habits – having no appetite or increased eating
– suicidal thoughts or actions
– feeling aches and pains, headaches, cramps or having digestive problems (not improved with treatment)
This site is not meant to bore you or try to diagnose which you are suffering from, if you’d like further definitions of the above I suggest taking a look at this article.
Of course there are medications that your doctor can put you on and sometimes they are truly necessary, but for me, especially believing that I was suffering from Situational Depression, I really had no interest in medication. At the time I either didn’t care enough to even want to get out of it or I wanted natural ways to overcome depression. I’d heard horrible things about medication, so if you do decide to go that route, please do your homework first. Sometimes anti-depressants can do more harm than good depending on the type of depression you are suffering from.
Things To Do When You’re Depressed
If you want some natural ways to reduce depression I suggest the following:
– Exercise: It’s a proven fact that exercising releases hormones and chemicals including, endorphins, which make you feel exhilarated, and dopamine, the pleasure chemical. So if you feel down, don’t STAY DOWN. Get up, get out there and exercise. Even if it’s just walking, it will help you feel better!
– Find Support: If you have anyone in your life to turn to, great, do it. I didn’t – that added to my depression. But I found depression forums where I met people I could talk to, I reached out to strangers on other social networks and eventually found the support I needed in a few individuals who could marginally understand what I was going through, that helped. If you need to, go see a counselor. It can help to talk to someone about it – it won’t solve the problem, but it can help!
– Niacin: Using niacin for depression (Vitamin B3) has been proven to have amazing results. The amounts you may need vary depending on the person. Suggestions are that 3,000 mg might be enough – in the video below the man describes a seriously depressed woman who needed 11,500 mg to feel better! For safety concerns, here are the statistics he mentions “there is not one death from niacin per year on average, maybe 1 or 2 in the last 15-20 years, but not one death per year on average – how many people who are suicidally depressed are there that actually go and end their lives?”
– Music: Using songs to get out of depression is actually a great method! Sometimes we like to wallow and listening to sad songs can be helpful in letting the pain out. I know I spent hours searching YouTube for sad songs and a lot of them actually did help. But in that same regard, uptempo and inspirational songs can do wonders for the soul. All music can, really. You just have to find what works for you.
– Inspirational/Spiritual Books: For me I can’t speak highly enough of books written by Eckhart Tolle, I would say they quite literally saved my life. Read my review of The Power of Now.
Coping with loneliness or a stressful life can definitely add to one’s depression, it certainly was a huge factor for me. Partially emotional/relationship based (yes I was suffering from a broken heart), partially dealing with the effects of the down economy and struggling financially added to my depression on a daily basis. I thought the light would never come. Sometimes I was able to pull myself back out by just changing my attitude, sometimes I wasn’t.
Life certainly wasn’t handing me any favors. But it did make me stronger and you are stronger because you are going through what you are going through and you will make it out of it too!! The fact that you were able to get online and type in ‘how to get out of depression’ proves that – whether you agree with me or not. I don’t know if there is a way to cure or treat situational depression, time and my own will and doing things to cope was all I could do, but it was enough 🙂
I hope the information I’ve given you can help you pull yourself out of the dark hole you feel you’re in and that you too will start seeing the rays of sunshine seep in. It’s not always easy knowing what things to say to people who are depressed, especially for people who haven’t been there. But I have, even if our situations are different, I know how it feels to feel buried and alone. And even though I disagreed with everyone who constantly told me I wasn’t alone, I knew I was.
The thing is, I learned how to be okay with the fact that I am alone :). Mostly, I learned how to be content and at peace with whatever is or was and I learned how to surround myself with the people who inspired me, lifted me up, and truly cared, rather than those who tore me down. Surround yourself with things that make you happy, and you will start to feel that way, I guarantee it!
Please leave me a comment below and let me know how you are doing, your progress and which information here helped you the most!
Seize the Day!! You are beautiful, worth it and ALIVE!
Kat – NurturyingYourBody.com
As someone who has struggled with depression for most of my life, I found this post to be quite helpful. Your suggestions as to what to do when you are depressed are spot on, though hard to enact when one is in the throes of the beast. Still, they are always important to remember and try to use. Thank you.
Hi Ian, yes it can be very hard when you are in the thick of it, but it is better to have some tools to know what to do when you’re lost than just being lost. If you ever need to talk please don’t hesitate to come back here 🙂 Always here to help!