Depression sucks the energy right out of you, making it tough to function. Overcoming depression is possible, but it is hard work. This article will provide you with some very helpful advice on coping with depression successfully. You have to want to change to beat your depression, but if you keep at it, you will succeed.
Battle against negative thoughts. When you have a negative thought about yourself, think about whether or not you would apply that statement to another. If the answer is no, you’re probably being overly hard on yourself. Rather than taking these statements at face value, look at them in a more positive way in order to come up with a solution to address the problem.
Be sure to exercise every day. Research indicates that 30 minutes of daily exercise have greater success in treating depression. Exercise can actually be more effective than prescription meds. Park your car far away from the store, take the stairs instead of an elevator, are some things you can do each day to get a bit of exercise.
Meditation can bring you relief and give you peace of mind and a new perspective. There are many positive effects of medication that have been studied, the most important being mood elevation and the lowering of blood pressure.
Avail yourself to support wherever you happen to find it. It’s really helpful to find others who have successfully beaten depression so that you can get advice and knowledge that you can use for your own struggles.
Always remember, you are in charge of your thoughts. This can help beat depression. Do not even say the word depressed. Using a word with such negative connotations can affect your thinking and, thus, your moods. Instead, use “low mood” or a similar phrase that doesn’t hold so much negative power, and this will help your outlook become more positive.
Try your best to have a big group of friends and don’t just have a single one who you tell your problems to. Having depression can cause a strain on one friendship. If you chat with many people, no single relationship will be strained.
Put the words “depression” and “depressed” away and fill your vocabulary with words that make you happy and focus on them. Labeling yourself with a vocabulary that specifies depression will exacerbate the stigma attached to them. Instead, when you are feeling down, think of it as a low mood. It is much easier to think about raising your mood level than it is to think of it as battling “depression”, even though it is exactly what you are doing.
You can make a huge dent in lifting your depression by following the advice given in this article. Make sure if you make changes in your life you do so slowly so that you can see what is really helping you and what really didn’t make much of a difference.