There is no health without mental health.
Depression rates have increased over the past decade, and about one in five Americans will be suffering from major depression at some stage in their lives.
While there is no easy cure or one-size-fits-all to conquer depression, the following strategies will help you handle depression so that you do not experience it.
Pay attention to rumination. The word "ruminate" derives from the Latin sense of chewing cud, a method in which cattle grind up, swallow, then regurgitate and rechew their feed less than appetizing. "Ruminators examine a situation at length in the human realm (think" emotional vomiting.). Because their pessimistic outlook hinders their problem-solving potential, many ruminators remain in a depressed rut.
1. Beware of rumination. The word "ruminate"
derives from the Latin meaning for chewing cud, a less than appetizing
process in which cattle grind up, swallow, then regurgitate and rechew
their feed. In the human realm, ruminators analyze an issue at length
(think “emotional vomiting.”). Many ruminators remain in a depressive
rut because their negative outlook hinders their problem-solving
ability.
Action plan:
- Remind yourself that rumination does not increase psychological insight.
- Take small actions toward problem-solving.
- Reframe negative perceptions of events and high expectations of others.
- Let go of unhealthy or unattainable goals and develop multiple sources of social supports.
2.Focus on what you’re doing right. As rough as your life is right now, you haven’t fallen off the edge, and this is not just by chance. Key is to remember that humans are remarkably resilient and capable. Because depression can cloud your judgment, it can be tempting to overemphasize the negative aspects of situations, while discounting the positives.
Action plan:
Write down three things at the end of the day that you've done well. No need to overthink this, and no act is too tiny to take the high road. For instance, "He forgot to cite a source when my coworker emailed the budget proposal." I spent two minutes studying the response instead of getting angry, and added the data myself.
3.Stop the desire in the past to live. Time spent trying to relive, rewrite and reconstruct the past is like buying a one-way ticket to the dark depths of despair. As much a threat to emotional well-being as any is this subtle behavioral habit. Self-loathing or accusing others will not get you to feel better on the right side, any more than pretending that the solution is contained at the bottom of a Jack Daniels bottle. If you don't change your thinking pattern, you can't make life different.
Action plan:
Commit yourself to a new way of thinking and you will commit yourself to a new way of being. If a lot of your mental real estate is taken up by living in the past, this article will help you rewire your thinking process. Past regrets serve one reason and that is to deprive you of your willingness in the present to do things differently.
4.Where it belongs, abandon the future. Much as living in the past leads to depression, anxiety leads to uncertainty or apprehension about the future. Regular stress and anger are largely attributed to constant feelings of confusion caused by confusion. Chronic worries tend to catastrophize, and every headache is a brain tumor before you know it, and every romantic rejection is evidence that you are destined for a life of loneliness.
Action plan:
Have faith in confusion and in creation. A healthy way to practice is each and every day by maintaining a state of mindfulness. When you learn to consciously shift your attention to what is happening here and now, you can maximize your reserves of mental resources so that you can spend more time on fun activities.
5.Integrate structure into each day. A lack of scheduled activities and routines that are inconsistent can increase feelings of helplessness and loss of control over your life's direction. It will help you recover your sense of control and reduce the feeling that you are only a passive participant in life by adding a plan to your day.
Action plan:
Based on your productivity and moods, the following guide will help you build structure and decide whether your time is well-spent. Make five columns on your paper or in a text document:
==> The time of day:
Early morning (up to 10 am, waking time)
(10am-12pm) Late morning
(12pm-3pm) Early afternoon
Late afternoon (3:00-5:00pm)
Evening (from 5 pm to 8 pm)
Night (from 8 pm to bedtime)
==> What you're going to do (finish the night before)
==> What you did, in reality (if different from your plans)
==> How you feel about what you were doing (rate your mood on a 1-10 scale)
==> Situations and feelings that could have influenced the mood negatively. Fill it out at day's end.
==> Customize and revise accordingly.
6.Note, in this country, there are very few victims. You are accountable for your decisions as an adult, considering your upbringing and life experiences. Although your perspective and your ability to trust others may have been conditioned by trauma and tragedy, nothing good comes out of seeing yourself as a victim (even if you were).
Action plan:
Take your life 's duty. Turn the knob from victim to survivor and bask in strength and confidence feelings. Instead of taking vengeance on those who have wronged you, seek forgiveness. Refuse to wallow in self-pity and concentrate on giving others warmth. There is always someone out there fighting a war bigger than yours, after all. At the first sign of struggle, the victim gives up while the survivor puts one foot in front of the other and keeps going.
7.Find your Network of Social Support. Humans are linked by cable. "The author of the book Loneliness, Chicago psychologist John Cacioppo, writes that" None of us is immune to feelings of alienation, more than we are immune to feelings of hunger or physical pain.
Action plan:
In short, reach out: call a member of your friend or family and get together for coffee, or go for a stroll, or meet up in a park. Even small measures make a difference, such as volunteering and smiling at strangers. Open up your life in the long run.