Here are the 7 effective actions to react to depression

Getting rid of depression on your own is not impossible, but you have to take the right steps. As I have already explained in the article “The lies that depression tells us”, depression is a skilled manipulator: it makes us see things from a perspective that does not correspond to reality.

Depression hurts both body and mind

Depression heavily interferes with the overall health of those who suffer from it, who sees the vital functions most connected with well-being and psycho-physical health altered. We lose confidence in ourselves and in the future, everything appears gray and the slightest difficulty manages to knock us out.

Yet depression, like many other discomforts, can also be deciphered as a signal to induce us to change some crucial aspects of our existence. Aspects that have involved and shaped the emotional sphere but which are no longer functional to our psychophysical well-being.

The story of Maria… to make the concept better

Maria leads a happy life with Paul. After 10 years of living together, he decides to leave her because he is no longer in love with her. At first Maria is angry, desperate; she does not accept the separation. For the first time, Maria will look for explanations, she will do everything to get her Paolo back from her: she does not want to give up that beautiful and authentic feeling. On an unconscious level there is a NON-ACCEPTANCE of reality. In practice, for the unconscious Paul is still present in the life of Mary.

Time, however, begins to give new shades to his pain; after so much anger and despair, new emotions take over. Maria feels alone, exhausted, overwhelmed, disheartened towards herself and life … .. in short, the classic symptoms of her depression. And this is precisely the evolution! Maria, even if unconsciously, took an important step: she became aware that that love no longer exists. Maria has finally worked through the loss of that love. And from here, strange to say, Mary’s ascent towards her life will begin.

Maria was a very depressed woman but now she isn’t anymore. She is now serene, she has a deep wound that she carries with her but she has become a stronger woman. She has identified her discomfort and dealt with her pain.

There are many stories like Maria’s; there are those who have managed to fight depression on their own and those who have preferred to go to a specialist. (And let’s be clear, turning to a specialist is not a sign of weakness but of courage, given the prejudices about psychotherapy)

Depression connects us with our unconscious

It may seem far-fetched but depression can be the first step towards change. Being able to see the problem with different eyes already means changing, since this implies a different way of relating to the situation.

Depression comes to visit us, contrary to what is usually thought, precisely to move us away from the existential prison into which we have forced our field of action. Sadness forces us to stop and look inside to hang up the thread that binds us to our uniqueness.

As I have already mentioned, it is not easy to get out of depression but with the right approach, it can itself be the weapon to fight it…. Does depression make you feel that you are not worth… ..you think it is true? For sure you will be proud of many things, you just have to dig inside yourself objectively

• Depression tends to make you feel like a failure … are you really? You will certainly have done interesting and valid things; maybe you have a short memory.
• Depression leads you to no longer want to socialize …. is that what you want? Perhaps you have forgotten how you enjoyed being with friends or doing those leisure activities that relaxed you so much
• Depression wants you to believe that you are alone … are you really alone? Maybe your loved ones or best friends are around you to support you. Open your eyes wide.
• Depression wants you to believe that love hurts … you really don’t want to fall in love again? Your partner made you suffer but he didn’t make you immune to love

How to help those with depression

Accepting that depression is a disease like many others, even if with invisible symptoms and in some cases difficult to understand, therefore represents the first real help for those who suffer from it and the only one that will legitimize them as a suffering person and not weak or from bad temper.

How to react to depression

What can we do once depression has taken hold of us? Don’t resist, don’t look for easy and deceptive chemical solutions (psychiatric drugs), and let the pain do its job.

Depression sweeps away the mental inhibitions that condition our life: we “take advantage” of this malaise to free ourselves once and for all from the opinions of others, from useless judgments, from superficial attachments, from projects and ambitions that do not belong to us. And start living again.

1. In the meantime, today exists

Seize the day, don’t stray from the flow of life. Reset those who hurt you and take back the reins of your destiny. Life is too precious to waste; tick tock, tick tock… time goes by and we only have one life. So, get up and take action. By increasing activity levels and participating in pleasant experiences, depressive symptoms can be reduced.

2. Fill your time

Make a list of activities or things you should complete and a list of activities that you found enjoyable; be sure to write down as many activities as possible, including those that are only marginally enjoyable. For example: walking, cooking, reading a book, taking the dog for a walk, cycling, watching a fiction….

3. Remove negative thoughts

Getting rid of negative thoughts is not as easy as it may seem. This is in fact an area where people often need psychological assistance. Either way, we can do something to reduce negative thinking.

Focus your mind solely on pleasant images and events. Can you remember an event or situation that made you happy? All you have to do is savor those same sensations again: the sparkling eyes, the sense of power, a surge of energy. Imprint those precise moments several times a day; little by little, you will train your unconscious to proactivity.

Depression indicates that there is anger in you somewhere in a negative state. Depression is the negative state of anger; the term itself is eloquent: it says that there is something compressed, this is the meaning of depressed. You are squeezing something inside of you and, when anger is too repressed, it becomes sadness: sadness is a negative way of being angry. (Osho)

4. Exercise

It’s true, depression makes you feel tired, fatigued, useless… and getting out of it takes a lot of effort. Physical activity could be the effort we are talking about: physical exercise increases – at the same time – psychophysical well-being.

Long-term beneficial effects can also be seen in people with depression. There is no need to participate in marathons to exercise … just walk or even better go to the gym to do group activities: contact with other people can be very helpful

5. Take care of your body

Do not neglect personal hygiene and even less body care. Eating healthy and regularizing sleep-wake hours are two pillars of the mental health of every individual.

6. Make your every thought logical

When you want to get out of depression, a lot of the work is mental. Try to change direction of your negative thoughts. For each negative thought try to develop an alternative thought.

If you just can’t embrace alternative-positive thinking, rely on logic. Logic can be a valid treatment for depression. “I am the most useless person on the planet”. For real? What is the evidence to support this thesis? “Everything is useless”. Wow. Have you really tried everything?

7. Don’t hesitate to get help from a professional

Getting out of depression can be tough, but with the help of a specialist it becomes easier. Thanks to a psychotherapeutic path you will be able to understand the thought patterns and habits that originate your malaise you will also have the opportunity to express your moral pain in words without feeling judged. The simple fact of benefiting from benevolent and neutral listening (outside the family circle or with friends) is already beneficial.

ARE YOU READY TO CLOSE WITH THE PAST?

When negative thoughts are triggered, you inevitably still try to connect with the past, as if before starting over you have to fix what happened. No, the past is past, it cannot be fixed, it must be closed! When it closes with the past, the unconscious is projected to the present; dysfunctional thoughts no longer have a way to exist.

And without you realizing it, a mechanism is triggered that leads you to see reality from a different perspective, the true one. You will begin to be amazed by the things of every day and to take pleasure in all that new life offers you.

Gradually a new will to live will emerge in you and you will learn to say no to all those situations that do not allow you to advance. Ready to dive into the present? Believe it, and give yourself a chance to enjoy life. You deserve it!

Curated by Ana Maria Sepe, psychologist and founder of the magazine Psicoasvisor
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