5 Ways I Personally Manage My Depression
There are so many news articles, health websites and blog posts out there offering advice for those suffering with depression, and that’s great! In my experience though, I often find this advice to be generic and lacking in personal experience.
So, as a change, I thought I’d share with you the things I do personally to manage my depression on a daily basis. I hope that these are helpful for you in your journey to better mental health, but it should be noted that it’s okay not to be okay.
No time to read now? Pin it for later!
5 ways I personally manage my depression.
Go outside.
I find if I’ve been indoors for too long I start to go a bit mad, and my mental health goes down hill. Even if it’s for ten minutes, just to pop to the shops or walk around the block, I need to get out of the house. I usually manage to make it out at least five days a week and it does make all the difference.
It’s hard to explain the actual effect it has on me, but it does give me sense of accomplishment, which is very important to me. I also have to imagine that the brief exercise releases all those good hormones that help make you happy. I won’t bore you with the science side today, all you need to know is it makes me feel better. Even just getting dressed to go outside makes me feel better, which leads me onto my next point.
Get dressed.
You don’t even need to have a shower or clean your teeth if you don’t feel like it (if you do go outside, who’s gonna know?). But please try and get out of your pyjamas, trust me.
I find that once I’m wearing my ‘daytime clothes’ I am more likely to be motivated to get things done. I’m wearing clothes so I can make my lunch, or do the hoovering, or take out the rubbish, whatever it is I need. I am more compelled to complete my daily tasks once I’ve got my clothes on, but even when I don’t I still feel some satisfaction in the fact I got dressed.
So I do urge you to just get dressed!
Start off small.
I can’t start my day if I know I have something big or important to get done. I get frozen in my anxiety and am much more likely to stay in bed as a result. So I always try to start small and work my way up to the big stuff.
Even though we are told to stay away from social media, and it may not be the best way to start your day, I always start by having a coffee and scrolling through Facebook for a bit because it gives my brain just enough to wake up. I wouldn’t recommend it for everyone, but there may be something similar that has the same effect, such as reading or doing a puzzle.
I also often start with blogging, before I’ve even put my clothes on. Writing is one of the things I’ve found to make me feel productive, which increases my mood, so I try to do as much as possible throughout the day. It takes very little energy, which is important for me, and this equips me to then go on and tackle the bigger stuff. For me this normally means house work, the thing I struggle with the most. You will have your own ‘big stuff’. Whatever it is its entirely possible to get it done if you just build your way there slowly. You can do it, I believe in you.
Be productive.
On the back of that, my absolute best days are those when I’ve been really productive and feel as though I’ve ticked a lot off my to-do list. With my M.E this can be extremely difficult, because a productive day today can mean needing a rest day tomorrow. So I have to spread it all out.
This is where my hobbies come in. It can be hard to identify your hobbies when you have depression because you lose the sense of pleasure that you had before. Therefore if you do have something you enjoy doing its super important to hold on to it. For me that is writing and blogging, reading, knitting and crochet. None of these hobbies take up a massive amount of energy, and while they do make me tired in their own ways they don’t have a negative effect on my energy levels the next day.
I count my hobbies towards my productivity. If I have done more than just watching TV in a day then it’s been a productive day. And don’t forget to count the small things you do, like making a meal, having a shower, or washing up, everything you do counts!
Rest, but avoid napping.
Easier said than done really, and I won’t blame you for taking the occasional nap – I certainly do. I need a lot of rest throughout the week to keep me going, particularly when I’m having what I call a ‘down day’.
There is NOTHING wrong with having a rest day. As I said, it’s okay not to feel okay. No day is going to be perfect, and you are still going to have bad days, and that’s okay too. The only thing I would advise is to avoid sleeping during the day. When you have a rest day your body isn’t using up a lot of energy, which can make sleeping at night quite difficult – and it’s likely you’re already experiencing sleep disruption. I usually try and move to the sofa, as I’m less likely to fall asleep there, and watch films that I enjoy to keep myself awake. I’m not using any extra energy, I’m still comfy and feeling comforted, but I am out of bed and I am awake.
These are just some of the ways I make day to day life more manageable for myself. The things on this list aren’t for everyone, and I won’t be offended if you read this and think they’ll never work. But living with depression is hard, and if some of these things make it easier for you then great!
Do you have your own personal ways of coping with depression? If so feel free to comment below!
Like this one? Feel free to check out more posts like this one here.
If you think you are struggling with depression and would like some more information, I’d advise visiting mind.org – they have a lot of information on the signs and symptoms, and how to get help.
Share this:
9 Comments
Miriam Berry
What a thoughtful post Philippa. Really sensible, down to earth step-by-step advice. Keep writing. 😃
Lauren
Brilliant! Totally agree! Thank u, well done and keep going 💕
budgetbelles80
It is best to take small steps especially if you are really struggling with depression. I also agree with the napping advice because sometimes when I nap during the day, I struggle going to sleep at night.
PhilippaClaire
Thank you for your comment! I am the same, you can guarantee if I’ve had a nap during the day I will have a very bad nights sleep that night. Then it feeds into the next day! It’s a cycle we need to try and avoid 🙂
Dave Futch
so much fantastic information on here, : D.
Philippa Claire Freelance
I’m glad you think so and I hope it helps!
Pingback:
Patty
I do everything you do except writing plus take 2 different meds for my depression. I have a cat that gives me great comfort. I work part time in a job I love ( mandatory ) but I still fall asleep in the afternoon making sleep at night difficult.
Philippa Claire
Sometimes you do just need to sleep in the afternoon – I still do even though my advice is not to. But when you’re that tired you just have to!
Pets are great 🙂 I’m glad you have some lovely cats that keep you company. I want a dog of my own for that very reason.