Feeling Depressed? 11 Simple Tips to Chase the Blues

 

Just getting out of bed can seem impossible when you’re feeling depressed. But simple steps, plus treatment, will help. Check out these 11 doctor-recommended tips to get you out of the dumps…




Some days, events go south: The grocery bag rips at the bottom. The cute guy doesn’t call you back. You’re PMSing. These down days usually disappear when the sun rises the next morning.

But when relentless stress, anxiety and disappointment pile up, spirits can take a nose dive – and stay there.

True depression, affecting almost 15 million Americans, is much more serious than the monthly bout of PMS. It drains your life and affects the way you sleep, eat and feel about yourself, family and pleasure.

Women get diagnosed with depression two times more often than men, according to the Mayo Clinic. Why?

For one thing, our hormones do a fluctuating rumba, especially during childbearing years. Then there’s the burden of so many responsibilities. You’re Mom, help mate, model worker, cleaning lady and errand runner. No wonder you’re down!

You can’t will depression away, but you don't have to suffer, says Dennis Lin, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. Medical and psychological treatment can help you get better.

While you’re on recovery road, you can take extra steps to boost your mood. Read on to get 11 doctor-recommended tips to help you when you're feeling depressed:

The Do’s
 
1. Do a body check. Some diseases, disorders – even drugs – can make you blue.

“Make sure you have no other medical problem, like a low level of thyroid hormones,” Lin says.

Depression is also linked with Parkinson’s disease, dementia, multiple sclerosis, heart disease and some infections. The stress of having a disease, like cancer, can trigger it too.

So can medications, such as steroids and those prescribed for high blood pressure.

2. Eat a steak.“Nibbling high-quality protein – an ounce or two of meat, fish, poultry, eggs – every 2-3 hours can help stabilize blood sugar and keep your moods more even,” says San Francisco-area clinical psychologist Shoshana Bennett, Ph.D. (also known as Dr. Shosh), an expert on prenatal and postpartum mood and anxiety disorders, and author of Pregnant on Prozac (Globe Pequot Press). 

To double your happy quotient, focus on turkey, chicken, whole grains and black beans. They contain tryptophan, which converts to serotonin, one of the brain’s key feel-good chemicals.

3. Exercise your options. Workouts boost moods, increasing brain chemicals such as norepinephrine and others just like antidepressants do.

“Exercise improves the balance of neurotransmitters in the brain,” Lin says.

It also stimulates the vagus nerve in the brain stem, which improves the way the brain’s emotional center works by increasing our stress tolerance, often a partner to depression.

Plus, workouts breed success and are great for curing depression.

“Even brief or basic light exercise every day can make you feel like you’re accomplishing something,” says Katherine Muller, a clinical psychologist at the Center for Integrative Psychotherapy in Allentown, Pa.

But start small: A 2-mile walk might feel overwhelming when you’re blue. Just walk around the house during a TV commercial. You can work up to more as you feel better.

4. Stop flying solo.“Being isolated can make someone prone to depression,” Bennett says.

 

“When you’re alone, it’s easy to think that everyone is fine except you, and that leads to hopelessness," Bennet says.

It also makes you wonder if you’ll be feeling depressed forever.

So reach out to family or friends. If they’re not available, push yourself to go places where people hang out.

You don’t have to find your future best friend: Just being among people where you can share a laugh or two will help cure your depression.

“Go to clubs [that center] on things you’re interested in,” Lin advises. “Do volunteer work in a hospital or library. Take a class.”

5. Be narcissistic.Depression makes the brain listless, so you have to stimulate it.

Therapists urge patients to push themselves to get pleasure by resuming activities they used to enjoy: Go to a movie, meet a friend for lunch or get a pedicure.

Women, in particular, “aren’t as good as men at finding down time to do pleasurable activities,” Muller says. “Men say, ‘I need a break.’ Women charge themselves with doing many tasks.”

When was the last time you had a massage or even window-shopped?

 

Having just one event – even a little one – to look forward to each day can lift your spirits.

6. Go fish. "Omega-3 fatty acids help the brain be more receptive to [mood-boosting] serotonin,” Bennett says.

In fact, a 2002 National Institutes of Health study found that women with high levels of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid, one of three omega-3 fatty acids) who ate a diet rich in fish – also high in omega-3s – had lower rates of postpartum depression than women who didn’t eat lots of fish and had low DHA levels.

Bennett recommends taking only fish oil capsules with DHA and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid, also an omega-3 fatty acid) and following the dosage advice on the package. He also likes energy-boosting B-vitamins (available in a good multivitamin), calming calcium (1,200 milligrams) and magnesium (500 mg) for those with depression.

But first get your doctor’s OK before starting any supplements.

The Don’ts

 
1. Avoid “Debbie Downer.”Commiserating with friends may help you feel less alone and put things in perspective, but too much could worsen depression and anxiety.

At least, that’s what happened to adolescent girls in a 2007 University of Missouri study. Scientists speculated that frequently discussing their anxieties seem more important than they were.

 

Besides, worrying may make you feel even worse about so-called life failures.

Plus, talking about a problem ad nauseam may stress out your friends.

“Then the quality of the friendship decreases,” says Richard Shadick, Ph.D., director of the Counseling Center at Pace University in New York City.

2. Take a chill pill.It may feel like the worst of times, but try not to see everything through a dark lens, advises Kate Muller: “More balanced thinking leads to better moods.”

Muller asks her clients to assess a globally dark statement, such as “My life is terrible.”

Then, they have to describe exactly what’s terrible and decide if they are over- or understating their case.

More often, their lives aren’t as dire as they think.

“They’ve probably had good moments,” Muller says.

The process, called cognitive restructuring, is part of cognitive behavior therapy, a method that helps patients examine negative thoughts and behaviors and allows them to think realistically.

“We try to come up with a new statement that replaces the negative one, such as 'It has been tough before, but I’ve gotten through it.’” Muller says.

 

“That’s much more hopeful," Muller says.

3. Back away from the martini.“Alcohol and marijuana are depressants,” Shadick says. “They slow down the body physically and mentally.”

Although experts say two drinks a day won’t hurt most women, Lin advises those at risk for depression not to drink regularly. A maximum of a couple of drinks a week is best, he says.

According to a study at the Seattle Children’s Research Institute, women who were depressed at age 27 were more than three times as likely to abuse alcohol at age 30 than those who weren’t depressed.

Plus, alcohol brings on other problems, like weight gain, which can ruin your self-esteem.

Same goes for that daily latte.

Caffeine’s a downer when you’re blue too, says Bennett.

“It increases jitteriness and anxiety,” she says. “And if someone’s worried, it makes her extra worried.”

4. Cut the sweet stuff.A double-chocolate cheesecake might seem like the best depression medication, and it may give you an energy lift when you're feeling depressed. But it’s not worth the crash that follows, says Bennett.

“If you find yourself craving sweets, it indicates low serotonin,” Bennett says. “Your carbs, whenever possible, should be complex.”

 

That means fruits, vegetables and whole grains. These are all carbohydrate-rich fiber, which slows digestion so energy levels stay even, not up and down.

5. Don’t skimp on the zzz’s. “If you don’t get enough sleep – 7-9 hours a night for adults – you're setting yourself up to be depressed,” Lin says. “It disturbs the chemical balance in the brain.”

Of course, poor sleep is a hallmark of depression. According to a 2009 study at Goldsmith’s College in London, people who had sleep problems as children were more likely to be depressed later in life.

To undo the sleepless curse, try these tips:

• Go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Your body’s clock likes routine.
  
• Don’t drink coffee after 10 a.m. – its effects linger for as long as 12 hours.
  
• Don’t lay awake thinking and worrying either. If you can’t sleep, get up, do something boring and then try sleeping again.

 

Could You Be Depressed?Depression affects 20 million people in any given year and is a serious enough disorder to compromise one's ability to function normally day to day. Find out if you're just blue or if you might be clinically depressed.

 

10 Tips to Avoid Becoming Depressed

Is it possible to avoid depression? What is the secret of cultivating happiness and avoiding periods of unhappiness? To a large extent, we determine our own frame of mind; we shouldn’t feel that we are a helpless victim to depression. Depression is something that we can avoid by cultivating the opposite – happiness.

Here are some tips for avoiding depression

1. Offer goodwill to Others.
If we seek to make others miserable how can we expect to be happy ourselves? If we offer goodwill to other people this creates a powerful positive energy. Focusing on other people’s good qualities can definitely help improve our own state of mind. There is a principle that what we give out, we get back. Therefore, by offering positive energy to, at some time, we will also be the recipient.

2. Learn to Detach from Thoughts
Thoughts play a very significant role in determining our state of mind. If we pursue negative thoughts then we give them greater power and influence over our state of being. However, it is possible to decide which thoughts to allow and which to reject. We have to learn to be vigilant and prevent negative thoughts from taking hold. As soon as we become aware of negative thoughts we should let go of them. We can imagine that we are throwing them out of our mind into a cosmic dustbin.

3. Keep Busy.
If we struggle to detach from negative thoughts we should just throw ourselves into other activities. When we get involved in other activities that we enjoy it takes us out of ourselves. Activity forces us to do something constructive, and does not allow us to dwell on our depressed state of mind.

4. Avoid Feelings of guilt.
If we have made a mistake, harbouring feelings of guilt will not help alleviate the situation. In particular, we are seeking to avoid feelings of guilty for minor events of no significance. Often we have done nothing wrong, but, others seek to make us feel guilty for their bad fortune. Instead of feeling guilty we should seek to concentrate on doing the right thing.

5. Live a Balanced Life.
In life we need to make room for different aspects. If we focus all our time and energy on work then we will have no time for relaxation and cultivating other aspects of our life. If we pursue an unbalanced life unhappiness is more likely to occur.


6. Don’t Base your Happiness solely on other people.
If we expect to gain happiness from another person, at some time, we are bound to be disappointed. If bad relationships end, we should see it as an opportunity to move on. It is no use dwelling on what might have been. It is also a mistake to feel that we can change somebody to match our preferences. If we seek to change a person fundamentally we will just feel frustrated when we fail.

7. Share Problems
Good friendships can offer tremendous help. Especially, if we can have 1 or 2 friends who are able and willing to listen to our problems. Our friends will not be able to solve our problems. However, simply having someone to talk to and share difficulties is a tremendous help in being able to work through our own problems.

8. Cultivate Happiness.
To avoid depression we have to focus on the alternative which is happiness. The problem is that when we are depressed, the idea of happiness seems a million miles away. But, sometimes if we can force a smile or try to be insincerely happy, we can trick the mind and force happiness to descend; and after a while we start to achieve real happiness.

"Happiness
Will follow you
If your heart remains
Undisturbed by trifles."

9. Have Low Expectations.
Depression often occurs because our desires remain unfulfilled. The more desires we have, the more likely we are to be disappointed. After disappointment comes a sense of frustration and depression. If we minimise our desires then we will not be prone to disappointment. This does not mean we cannot strive for excellence and achieve things. We definitely should strive to achieve various accomplishments. However, we should try to have an attitude of detachment to the outcome. Nor should we expect people to behave in a certain way.

10. Don’t Dwell On the Negative.
This is the key to avoiding depression. If we focus always on negative things this will eventually filter through into our state of mind. Negativity can be, miserable people, depressing situations and our own negative thoughts. If we want to cultivate happiness, we should seek to avoid depressing situations and depressing people.

What to Do When Someone You Love Is Depressed

While putting together this site, I've approached it from the point of view of a recovering depressed person. As a result, I've overlooked some very important people who are suffering right along with us--our friends, family, and loved ones. This was brought to my attention not only by reader feedback, but also by my own experiences. As I've begun to get my depression under control, I've attempted to extend a hand to others. I've been met with reactions ranging from hope to resignation to hostility. When I've come upon individuals who aren't yet ready to come to terms with their illness, I've been forced to walk away. This has disturbed me greatly. If it's so painful and frustrating to not be able to help a nameless, faceless stranger, how must it feel to live day-to-day with someone who's depressed? We depressives  can be downright frustrating. We see everything in absolute terms, no gray areas. We set high standards for ourselves and when they aren't met, we can't accept it. We lash out at our loved ones. We're too wrapped up in our own pain to nurture our loved ones. We may have additional problems like OCD, ADD, or BPD. We may cut ourselves, eat too much, or use drugs and alcohol to take away the pain. We beat ourselves up endlessly because we think we think we're ugly, unlovable, lazy, and worthless. I'm writing this as someone who's been on both sides of the fence and can now appreciate the pain of both the depressed and the people who seek to help the depressed. If you care about someone who's depressed, here are some suggestions for what you can do to help them.

1. Educate yourself. There are countless sites on the Internet where you can learn about depression, it's symptoms, and treatment. My Depression FAQ is an excellent starting place to find answers to many common questions about depression. Learn about informed consent and the legal aspects of treatment in your state. Read up on disability law as it applies to the mentally ill.

2. Put yourself in their shoes. Learn what depression feels like, the misconceptions about mental illness that they must deal with, and get the facts about what depression really is.

3. Take care of yourself. Feelings of depression are contagious. Periodically take some time to step back from the situation and recharge your batteries.

4. It's okay to feel upset, angry, frustrated. These feelings are a valid response to a very trying situation. Join a support group, talk with a close friend, or see a . The important thing is vent your frustrations rather than allowing them to build up inside.

5. Be there for them. Give them a shoulder to cry on or just listen while they spill out their hearts to you. Be patient with them. Let them know that you care. Share the things you've learned while researching depression. Let them know it's not their fault, that they're not weak or worthless.

6. Remember that the depressed person's behavior isn't indicative of the "real" person. The depressed person has impaired social skills. They may be withdrawn and shy or sullen and angry. When the depressed person lashes out in anger, it's because they're actually angry with themselves and the way they feel. You just happen to be there. When your spouse or significant other doesn't feel like having sex, don't take it personally. Loss of sex drive is a classic symptom of depression, as well as the medications used to treat it. It doesn't mean they don't love you.

7. Depressed people aren't lazy. They're ill. Everyday activities like cleaning house, paying bills, or feeding the dog may seem overwhelming to them. You may have to take up the slack for them for awhile. Just like if they had the flu, they simply don't feel up to it.

8. Medications and therapy are crucial to their recovery. Help keep them on track with treatment. Help to ease their fears about treatment by letting them know that they're not crazy.

9. Offer hope in whatever form they will accept it. This could be their faith in God, their love of their children, or anything else that makes them want to go on living. Find what works best for them and remind them of it whenever they're not sure they can hang on any longer. If they're suicidal, you may need to seek immediate help. There are some very valuable suicide resources on the Internet that will help you to help your loved cope with suicidal feelings as well.

10. Love them unconditionally and let me know it's their illness you're frustrated with, not them.

10 All Natural Ways to Stop Feeling Depressed

• Life is a drag.
• What’s the point of anything?
• I’ll never be happy.

Do any of these gloomy thoughts sound familiar? It’s likely they do. The occasional case of the blues is perfectly normal, but that doesn’t make dealing with it any easier. If you allow them to, negative thoughts can fester and lead to serious depression. That’s why it’s important to take action early to bust yourself out of a slump.

While these suggestions won’t eliminate your problems, they can help you break a negative thought pattern and stop feeling depressed. If you think you might have a serious mental health problem, don’t hesitate to see a medical professional.

1. Understand the emotional cycle – Life is an emotional roller coaster. Some days you feel like nothing can stop you. Other days you feel utterly hopeless. Most of the time you’re somewhere in between. Understanding the pattern of positive and negative emotions will help you put your feelings in perspective. Next time you feel down, just remember that it’s a natural emotion that will inevitably pass. Knowing that a feeling of depression is only temporary makes it less dreadful.

2. Spend time with positive people – Nothing affects the way you think and feel more than the people you interact with. Thoughts (both positive and negative) are contagious. If you are surrounded by negative people, it’s only natural that you’ll start to think and feel the same way. To improve your outlook on life, spend time with positive people. Search them out and try to understand the way they see the world. Chances are their happiness will rub off.

3. Reflect on past success – In the wake of a colossal failure, it’s easy to forget everything you’ve ever done right. Take a few minutes to remember your past accomplishments and build yourself up. What made you successful before? What are your strengths? Frequently, this exercise will build self confidence, help you figure out what went wrong, and generate ideas for success in the future.

4. Focus on gratitude – It’s human nature to measure ourselves against those ahead of us on the social ladder. Studies have shown that people care more about being richer than their friends than actually making more money. When you consider everything good in your life and compare it to the problems of less fortunate people, the issue that’s making you depressed won’t seem as serious.

5. Change of scenery – One of the best ways to change the way you feel is to change your environment. When you get in a slump, you start to associate your problems with everything around you. It can get to the point where your environment is a constant reminder of your problems. This can be a dangerous cycle. The solution is to change things. Change doesn’t have to be radical. Cleaning up, adding more lights, or including pleasant decorations can completely change the mood of a room.

6. Break your routine - Going through the same routine, day after day, can be monotonous and depressing. It often leads to getting caught in a rut. To get out of it you need to temporarily change your routine. If you can, take a day off from work. Do something you don’t normally have time for or something you’ve never tried. In the long run, taking a day off every now and then to get out of slump will make you happier and more productive.

7. Interact with animals and nature – It’s funny when you consider how humans put so much importance on their own tiny problems. Animals don’t think this way. A little bird doesn’t mope around because it isn’t an eagle or because another bird beat it to a tasty seed. Animals live in the present moment and they show love unconditionally. Observing and interacting with them will help you get over your problems.

8. Get moving – As Johnny Cash famously suggested, “Get a rhythm, when you get the blues.” Moving to a beat makes everyone feel better. The same is true for movement in general. Hitting the gym or going for a walk will help you shed the lethargy that comes with feeling depressed. The more enthusiastic your moments, the better you will start to feel.

9. Think about the big picture – As Carl Sagan made evident with the Pale Blue Dot, we’re insignificant creatures living in a vast universe on a tiny planet. In the long run, everything we do will probably be forgotten. Some might find this depressing, but it shouldn’t be. It means that all our problems are illusory. In a million years no one will remember what you did or didn’t do. What matters is the present moment and enjoying every second of life that we’re blessed with.

10. Do something to help yourself – Above all, the best way to stop feeling depressed is to take action. What is your biggest problem? How can you alleviate it? Once you decide to stop moping and start moving forward you won’t have time to feel depressed. Action will occupy your mind and give you something to look forward to. Once you get some results, you’ll build momentum and positive thinking will keep getting easier.

 

If you are depressed, you are having a normal reaction. It is really impossible to be happy while living this way.

However, you probably don’t feel depressed because you logically understand the global insanity of your environment. You believe that the reason of your depression is something else that belongs to your personal life.

You are in fact indifferent to what happens in the world. You only want to live well, while ignoring all the horrors that keep happening in your environment. Besides this fact, everything that is bad is camouflaged by indifference, hypocrisy, and greed. Material pleasures make you forget the suffering of those who live in the streets.

However, if you want to be happy you must eliminate what is bad. You cannot immediately eliminate all the horrors surrounding you, but you can do something to improve your environment, while helping yourself.

You are in fact indifferent to what happens in the world. You only want to live well, while ignoring all the horrors that keep happening in your environment. Besides this fact, everything that is bad is camouflaged by indifference, hypocrisy, and greed. Material pleasures make you forget the suffering of those who live in the streets.
However, if you want to be happy you must eliminate what is bad. You cannot immediately eliminate all the horrors surrounding you, but you can do something to improve your environment, while helping yourself.
Or do you believe that you can be happy while ignoring everything you should be afraid of?
You are depressed because your human intelligence understands what your animal ignorance cannot perceive. You’ll only find happiness in life when everyone will be happy.
The erroneous conceptions you are used to, prevent you from understanding your own absurdity. Nobody knows what is sound mental health and balance on Earth.
You are depressed because you also have personal reasons. You feel an unbearable pain in your heart. Your past was very sad. You have many wounds, fears, and traumas.
If you want to find happiness in life you must get help through psychotherapy. I teach you how to translate the meaning of your own dreams, so that you may find free psychotherapy in the dream messages. If you have no time or no inclination to study the dream language, I can immediately translate your dreams for you and provide you with psychotherapy so that you don't have to do the work yourself. You’ll only have to follow the guidance you receive in your dreams.
After transforming your personality and finding ways to transform your world, your life will be completely different from what it is today. You won’t be a passive observer of global absurdity. You won't be a puppet of your wild nature.
Dream therapy provides you with a depression treatment that opens new horizons before your eyes. You stop getting adapted to your sad life conditions. You transform what you dislike. You discover your own hidden power.
You are very intelligent, but all your intelligence goes wasted because it belongs to your wild conscience. Through dream therapy you’ll transform your wild conscience into human content, and become a genius. You have such potential. Your brain power has no limits. Thus, you will find many ways to improve your life and save your world from self-destruction.