Depression is one of the most common mental health disorders around the world. It impacts women more than men. With an increasing prevalence today, it is important for people to know how to break free from depression when feelings strike and how to get help for depressive disorders.
How to Break Free from Depression
There are several ways that you can break free from depression.
Be Kind to Yourself
Don’t try to compare yourself to other people when you are struggling with depression. You might know someone who appears to be very strong and has never struggled with depression or someone who has gone through much worse things than you comparatively but doesn’t have the same level of depression.
We all respond differently to depression, and we all have different levels of tolerance, so be patient with yourself.
Focus on Your Skills and Achievements
When you are struggling with depression, one of the ways you can break free from depression in that moment is to focus on things that you are good at or things that you have accomplished, no matter how small they might be.
- Are you good at cooking even if you haven’t done it in a while?
- Are you a successful gardener, or have you been in the past?
- Do you have patience?
- Are you compassionate with others?
- Are you good at organization?
- Did you manage to do more today than you did yesterday?
- Were you more open about your feelings today than in the past?
- Are there any things that you feel confident doing on a regular basis?
- What have you done today that you found easy?
When you are able to focus on small skills or achievements throughout your life it can help you gain better perspective especially when you are overwhelmed with feelings of hopelessness.
Reflect on Past Success
It’s always important to give yourself credit for things in the past that you have overcome. If you are struggling with mental health issues, you can learn to break free from depression at that moment by recognizing that you’ve overcome hard days or days with severe symptoms in the past, and you’ll be able to do it again.
Focus on Skills
When you are struggling with depression, one way you can break free is to focus on building new skills. When you build new skills, particularly things that are ever so slightly outside of your comfort zone, you can improve your confidence, and that can give you the tolerance for distress or negative emotions.
These skills don’t have to be huge things like learning a new language or learning a musical instrument. They can be simple things like trying a new sport, learning to cook, or standing up to your boss.
Don’t Dwell
We all have triggers that can make depression, fear, anxiety, or hopelessness worse. If, for example, you feel depressed looking at social media because you are comparing yourself to a younger sister or brother who you feel might be doing better in life, compulsively refreshing or looking at their social media updates won’t make you feel any better. In fact, it will make you feel worse.
If your depression is particularly profound one day, try to avoid your worst-case scenarios or ruminating and use techniques to shift your focus immediately, whether that is:
- A walk outside
- Listening to music
- Meditating
- Yoga
- Exercise
- Calling a friend
- Reading a book
- Watching a favorite TV show
Practice Self-Care
Similarly, you need to learn how to prioritize yourself with a self-care routine. A self-care routine can also include the items listed above but extend to healthy eating, regular exercise, and good sleep hygiene.
Getting Help for Depression
Whereas people can experience depressive episodes from things like life changes, extreme stress, or other events if you use these skills and more but you can’t seem to break free from depression, it might indicate a legitimate depressive disorder.
Those with depressive disorders should consider professional treatment from a qualified treatment center.
At Multi-Concept Recovery, we can offer several levels of care for depression, particularly co-occurring depression alongside substance abuse. We specialize in programs with opportunities to utilize holistic programs, evidence-based therapies, and several of the self-care techniques listed above.
With professional treatment, you can start medication for your initial symptoms and undergo medication management to monitor the progress of those medications. You can also participate in individual and group therapy to learn more about the causes of your depression and triggers for your individual symptoms.
If you are ready to get help for a depressive disorder, contact our team today to learn more about our programs.
