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Volunteer at your local library. Help adults and children discover the joy of reading. Volunteer at a center for senior citizens, youth, or the homeless, and see what a difference you can make.
Volunteer in your community by helping clean up your local park. Just spending time in nature can help improve your mood. Improve your sleeping habits. Improving your sleeping habits can be a drastic improvement for your mental health. Here are some things that you can do: Start going to bed and waking up at the same time every day and night. This will make you feel more well rested and will make it easier for you to fall asleep and wake up.
Spring out of bed and drink a glass of water right away instead of hitting snooze five times before you roll out of bed. Develop an effective pre-sleep routine. Wind down in the hour before bed by shutting off your television, putting away your phone or tablet, avoiding loud noises, and reading in bed.
Limit or eliminate caffeine from your diet, especially after noon. Caffeine will make it harder for you to fall asleep. Avoid taking naps that are longer than half an hour, unless you need them — they will only make you feel groggy and more tired. Exercising for just thirty minutes a day will have a dramatic impact on your physical and mental health. Exercising can give you more energy and make you feel more motivated throughout the day. Even taking a walk for just 20 minutes a day can help you get some exercise while you reflect.
Find a gym or workout friend. This will make the experience more enjoyable. Set a goal when you work out. Maybe you can have a goal of training for a 5K, or learning how to do a tricky yoga pose. Eating a healthy, balanced diet can also help you beat depression. Even if you're losing your appetite, you need to be determined to eat three meals a day. You don't need to try to lose weight or be incredibly healthy-conscious when you're dealing with your depression, but eating healthier food regularly will improve your mental and physical state.
Eating three meals a day will give you the energy you need to stay positive and focused. Add more fruits and vegetables into your diet. Substitute them for sugary snacks or unhealthy junk food. Make sure to eat a balance of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fish and lean protein every day.
Let yourself splurge occasionally. You will feel better if you give in to your cravings sometimes. Being a more positive thinker will help you look at your life and world in a way that fills you with hope instead of despair. To think more positively, you should learn how to recognize your negative thoughts and to fight them with stronger positive thoughts whenever you can. For a jump start on positive thinking, find at least five things to be grateful for and happy about every single day. Every day, write down three or more things, and every week, read about the things you love.
This will show you the upside in life and will help you to focus on the positive over negative. If you act more positively, you will think more positively. Make a point of talking about the positive things in your life and spending time doing things that make you feel good. If you spend more time praising the things that make you smile and less time thinking about the things that upset you or that you don't like, you will think more positive thoughts.
Even telling yourself, "Today will be a great day! You can't mess it up! Always remember to smile, it can make you happier, even if you aren't happy. Neglecting personal hygiene is a common side effect of depression. Shower daily and brush your teeth and hair. Work on looking presentable when you face the world, no matter how awful you feel. This will improve your confidence and self-worth.
Relationships can help us pull ourselves out of the deepest throes of depression. SL Sudarshan Lakhane Dec 19, A process of pruning your thoughts and sharpening your focus to concentrate on getting through each task you set for yourself. But this is just the depression talking. Seek a referral to one immediately, before even starting medication.
If you think that being overweight is a cause of your depression, then setting a goal to improve this aspect of your appearance will improve your mood and outlook. I overcame major depression a year ago but I still get upset and offended easily, I also cry often when I feel offended but I don't want want to tell my parents I'm 13 or take the meds because I don't sleep when I take them. Recovery has a lot of ups and downs, and it sounds like you've hit a pretty hard down.
Different medications work differently, and it sounds like you could use one with more tolerable side effects. Explain to your parents that the meds don't let you sleep, and ask for a doctor appointment so you can try a new type of meds. They can see you struggling; they just might not know what to do. Write down your current symptoms and your side effects, show the doctor, and ask for their advice.
Not Helpful 16 Helpful Loss of self confidence can be a sign among many that you may have depression. Talk to your parents or other family members about your feelings so that you can get the support and help you may need. Not Helpful 14 Helpful Get outside and walk for at least half an hour each day.
Play with children more often. Spend more time with loved ones and friends. Focus on doing something you love, whether it's a hobby, work or volunteering. Allow yourself to express your feelings, even the sad and negative ones because sometimes letting them out sets them free and allows you to feel better again.
Don't compare your life's experience to others; in that way, you are less inclined to feel that you're missing out on anything. Not Helpful 18 Helpful Go to bed early. Shut off all electronic devices. Take naps when you can. Join a gym, or take regular walks in the park or take up a sport you love. Explore classical music or learn to play a musical instrument.
Schedule a "fun hour" every day to get you away from all school work. Not Helpful 15 Helpful I have very poor family relationships and my best friends have all passed away. My boyfriend left me. I am very isolated in my feelings and no one wants to listen. Sorry for your trauma and loss. You are more than isolated in your feelings though, you are isolated socially and it is so important to get some people to help you. If you can, do go for therapy for as long as you feel you.
If no one wants to listen to you, you can always blog. Search some topics on google and you will find so many topics being written about by bloggers. They feel like they have found company in readers. Try finding happiness while meditating, using self-care and volunteering, as you prefer. Pick a time when you can really sit down and talk to one another without rushing.
Start by telling your parents you have something important to tell them and that you need help with it. Describe how you have been feeling and say "I think I might have depression," then talk about ways you can get through it together. Talk to a professional counselor or therapist, surround yourself with positive, supportive people and recognize that overcoming depression is a process that takes time and will challenge you each day. Make commitments to make small changes every day to improve over time.
Can depression also be a lack of emotions? For instance, I don't really feel happy about much, but I also don't feel fear or sadness or anger. Numbness, along with other symptoms, can but not always mean depression. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 5. Don't be hard on yourself.
Be open and honest and not confrontational or angry. If you are concerned you might be a danger to yourself or others, talk to friends or a crisis counseling line. You might pop this question to one of them, and get as much input from different sources as you feel you need.
Not Helpful 9 Helpful I failed the board exams and I am surrounded by people who are still studying and people who passed, my family is calling me a failure. I don't know where to go from here, what can I do? Accepting failure is the first step, you understand that you failed but try it again, until you are able to achieve your goal is the best way to overcome, you need to flow with the things that are happening to you, just learn from it and be better the next time.
Don't give up -- immediately enroll in the year again, get a tutor and hit the books to improve yourself. Realize that your family is afraid for your future and is using a bad tactic to try to help you -- seen in this light, you might realize they still love you but have fear as well. Not Helpful 22 Helpful Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Already answered Not a question Bad question Other. Article Info Featured Article Categories: Featured Articles Depression In other languages: Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read , times.
Did this article help you? Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. FI Falguni Islam Sep 19, Majority of the symptoms are matched with my own. I have tried to discuss my problem with my friends and family but no one took me seriously.
Depression drains your energy, hope, and drive, making it difficult to take the steps that will help you to feel better. But while overcoming depression isn't quick or. Depression & Suicide · Bipolar Disorder & Suicide · Schizophrenia & Suicide · PTSD & Suicide · Postpartum Depression & Suicide · Domestic Violence & Suicide.
Nowadays, I keep on thinking about suicide and there are so many questions in my mind for which I need someone to listen to me and understand what I am going through. MS Mila Smith Aug 13, I was just looking around at the different topics and I found this article and the response by the therapist to be phenomenal. Kudos to you for giving such valuable information in "layman". DJ David Jimoh Aug 7, I really feel better and happy whenever I help someone out, it also improves my feeling of self worth. A Anonymous Aug 4, Now I am thinking about joining a gym to come out of depression and stop taking sleeping pills.
How much exercise do you need? Just walking a few times a week can help. There is no magic diet that fixes depression. It's a good idea to watch what you eat, though. If depression tends to make you overeat, getting in control of your eating will help you feel better. Although nothing is definitive, Cook says there's evidence that foods with omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon and tuna and folic acid such as spinach and avocado could help ease depression.
Depression can make it hard to get enough shut- eye , and too little sleep can make depression worse. What can you do? Start by making some changes to your lifestyle. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day.
Try not to nap. Take all the distractions out of your bedroom -- no computer and no TV. In time, you may find your sleep improves. Staying involved and having daily responsibilities can help you maintain a lifestyle that can help counter depression. They ground you and give you a sense of accomplishment. If that seems like too much, consider volunteer work. In your fight against depression, a lot of the work is mental -- changing how you think. When you're depressed, you leap to the worst possible conclusions. The next time you're feeling terrible about yourself, use logic as a natural depression treatment.
You might feel like no one likes you, but is there real evidence for that? You might feel like the most worthless person on the planet, but is that really likely? It takes practice, but in time you can beat back those negative thoughts before they get out of control. Check with your doctor before using supplements. Those include fish oil , folic acid, and SAMe.
But more research needs to be done before we'll know for sure. Push yourself to do something different. Go to a museum. Pick up a used book and read it on a park bench.