We can all experience bouts of depression, especially after huge shifts in our lives. This can be after a lose of a loved one or job or as we work through difficult transitions in life such as a new career. Some people who struggle with depression can experience it more intensely on those darker and colder days of winter, this is called SAD (seasonal affective disorder). Many can experience depression with very little understand of where it steams from which can leave a person feeling confused and isolated. Living with depression can feel very lonely and challenging on the best of days. Over the years I have found some tools that have helped me when I have been stuck in a rut.
1. Setting up a support team. This can be family and friends, or medical professionals such as doctors and psychologists. Make sure you have a group of people that can be there for you as you move through these times of depression. Reach out anytime to those around you to remind you of the light when pushing through those rather dark days.
2. Validation is such a huge part of dealing with depression. Recognizing that it is O.K. to feel stuck and unmotivated from time to time. Duality in all it’s struggle is very much apart of this human experience, so finding a way to flow with it instead of fighting against it. Practice love and compassion for yourself and your personal healing journey.
3. Push yourself to get out of the house. It’s okay to sit with your emotions, to feel and process but make sure not to get sucked into the emotion itself. Moving that stale and stagnate energy out of the body by meeting up with uplifting friends can help to create motivation, clarity and create space for a more positive outlook.
4. Find activities that you enjoy. Create meaning in everyday life can help to shift the energy to feeling a sense of personal purpose. Having a focus, and reasonable goals can help to bring passion and a feeling of accomplishment into your life.
5. Try something new. New adventures can give you something to look forward to and can encourage new passion to grow. This once again brings a deeper meaning into everyday life.
5. Utilize those self care practices. Take care of yourself by doing the things that serve you such as yoga, reading, going for a walk and getting into nature any chance you get, eating right and sleeping. These are basic essential needs that are often forgotten, especially when we need it the most.
6. Practice positive self talk. When experiencing depression negative self talk can take over. Writing supportive notes on you mirror or in your room can be a great little reminder to stay focused on the good in yourself and all the things around you.
7. Hold on to those beautiful moments and build off of that foundation. Take time to enjoy the beauty of the sunsets, the sand between your toes and the heat of the sun against your skin. These moment experienced mindfully and fully can create a light in your life. Come back to those moments in times of struggle as a way to reconnect to that feeling of happiness and joy.
8. Always remember no state of being lasts forever. As the sun rises to end the long evening, so are the cycles in life.
For more information on all things to support depression check out this video. https://youtu.be/-Pwa00aWZDA