Have you been feeling a bit down lately? Maybe you no longer find your interests very interesting. Does the world feel a little too large of late? What's up with your sleeping patterns? Are you watching that 50s B-movie marathon because trying to fall asleep is fruitless? Maybe you've started majoring in the hibernation cause you're sleeping right through, like, everything. Are you calling in sick to work cause it's just too tough to leave the house at times?
These are some of the signs of depression and look, you have to get a handle on this thing. It's not an overnight process, so stop kicking yourself while your down cause you're not shaking it off right away.
Now, you're not really going to want to hear most of this advice about how to get over depression, since being depressed tends to close down the "open to helpful advice" portion of the brain, but here it is.
No, don't go jumping on the prescription medication train, first off. That can have a bunch of side effects that are similar to some of the effects that you're already experiencing. It's not that prescriptions are the devil, but those are better served after other steps have been taken and just aren't making all the changes you need to make for proper depression treatment.
Nutrition is a good place to begin when it comes to shedding that layer of depression. What you eat does effect how your brain behaves. It does. Eating a bunch of junk will make you feel like crap.
So you have a start on what to do about depression. Eat better foods. If you can get into finding out how your body reacts to certain foods, then you can make sure that you're not eating something that you may have an allergy to. Food allergies can effect you in the strangest ways, including mentally.
I know you don't want to hear this, but exercise can be really helpful in kicking the depression to the curb. Yes, it's hard to motivate yourself to do it. You may want to get that friend, who's still speaking to you, to make you get your butt off of the couch. When those endorphins kick in, you'll begin to feel more up. You can begin with baby steps. A stroll down the block or around the park can do wonders.
You may want to look into alternative medicine that has been shown to help improve moods. How to get over depression is a journey of many steps. You may have a slight chemical imbalance. There are supplements that have worked for many people who wanted to cure depression. Most people find that these herbal supplements tend to have little to no side effects, other than the desired one of seeing events in a more positive light and feeling fine about life again.
How's Your Sex Drive?
Yes, the pharmaceutical companies talk about giving similar results. The drug side effects tend to out weigh those benefits for some people. I mean, if you've chosen a path of celibacy, then the lack of sex drive is probably the one symptom of depression that you don't mind. Increased sex drive is a side effect that many prescription medications that are supposed to help with depression can have. Great for most but some people could view this as negative, like I previously mentioned.
Some people do experience a sex drive that goes into overdrive and if there are reasons that this is good for you, then maybe the prescriptions are part of your answer. Just remember that some of these medications can cause negative thoughts in people. Before you were just dragging around. Now you're ready to fly with no wings. That's not a success. Still even with the chemical help to nymphomania types, the mental balance that can be claimed through the use of pharmaceuticals or herbals can be just as helpful as it is for the nunnery types.
A good support system of friends, family and maybe even a counselor is wise. You need people around who will understand (or try to) and not be overly critical. Feeling understood can go a long way toward helping you feel like connecting with people again. You've probably been doing your best hermit in a cave impersonation, but you do need to come out into the light a bit at a time. Maybe start with inviting people into the cave. Hanging out by yourself is fine at times, but you aren't even enjoying your own company right now, are you?
Also, try to focus on helping others instead of dwelling inward. If you see a need that you can meet, you should do so. Being a selflessness person can be a great way to shift your focus and start to see life in a new light. You should also surround yourself with positive media. Media that makes you laugh. Laughter does a body good. Seriously, it does.
Good music can soothe that morose dude up in the front of your mind. He needs to stay in the corner and he only needs to be there when something's really going down. Get your dance on. It can help. It also doubles as an exercise, but tends to be way more fun.
What to do about depression?
That isn't a small question, but hopefully you now have some non-drug treatments that you can take to get out of that funk and back into a fulfilling and meaningful life.
Don't expect the sky to open up and send a sprinkle of happy on you to transform your mood. You are going to have to be an active participant in your mental health. You don't have to continue to spiral downward.
If it does inspire you to write some music, make some art or in another way enrich lives, that's a positive side effect. It's likely that you may not finish the piece until you feel better, though.
Look out for yourself. Remember to love you. It's going to be okay.
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