When you’re stuck in the middle of a depression, it’s easy to feel like it will never end. The world seems stacked against you and nothing’s going well. You hole up and become immersed in a pattern of negative thoughts that takes you even deeper into the depression.
Millions of people suffer from depression. The severity of depressive episodes varies, but even minor cases of depression can be debilitating. Depression is such a complex condition because it affects people in so many different ways. It’s also very hard to tell when an episode is coming. Depression often exhibits symptoms that push you away from what will help you feel better. Your mind tells you that no one likes you, so you shy away from asking for support from friends and family. It tells you that you’re a bad person, not good at anything, and many other negative thoughts, so you have a hard time building any sort of confidence.
If you’re like so many other people in the world who suffer from depression, you want to get better and overcome depression, but you don’t know how. Doing it solo is so much harder than getting help and establishing coping mechanisms that work. Here are some ways you can feel better from depression.
Recognize Harmful Thought Patterns
You have to be able to pinpoint negative thoughts that lead to depression. Only then can you understand what your brain is doing before depression overcomes you. When you’re not in the depths of depression, spend some time analyzing what typically sends you into an episode or gets you down. Is it hanging around the same people? Is it stress from work? Is it the way you feel about your body?
When you know what triggers depression, then you can actively work to avoid triggers. You can build up defenses around your body and mind to keep you strong. You’ll know to ask for support sooner or to distract your mind from going down a certain mental path.
Don’t Dwell on Criticism
People who struggle with depression often take criticism much too harshly. Even some light feedback at work transforms into an indictment on you as a person. You’ve got to avoid obsessing over criticism. This includes criticism from others as well as yourself. Don’t play social interactions over and over in your head. Distract yourself when you find yourself dictating what happened at work that day or some mistake you made in the distant past.
Depressed people mistake healthy criticism for negative thoughts that destroy confidence. Don’t do that to yourself. You have to take control of your thoughts and protect your brain’s well-being by eliminating overly negative thoughts.
Stay Active
Active people are usually less likely to feel depressed. It’s because they always have something to look forward to. And no, we’re not talking about always hanging out with friends or having some party to go to. Simply structure your day so that you don’t have too much downtime. Join gyms, start a hobby, learn a new language, take walks. Focus on personal improvement and you’ll see how far you can go and how much you can achieve. It’s a terrific way to build confidence in yourself that will last and fight off the next time depressing thoughts come knocking.
Eliminate Negativity
Depressed people tend to put themselves too easily into situations that make them depressed. They hang around the wrong people, stay with horrible bosses or jobs for far too long, and limit themselves in other ways. Your external environment has a massive impact on what’s going on inside your brain. You need to be proactive in creating the kind of life you want.
Start by taking notice of negative influences in your life or things that cause you stress. Don’t do anything drastic, but instead identify one thing at a time that you can eliminate from your life. There may be some things, like a family or a job, that are more difficult to eliminate. In those cases, you need to set ground rules for yourself and place limits on how much time you’ll spend around anything that affects your mood in ways you don’t enjoy.
The Peptide Semax and Depression
Semax is a peptide that was originally developed and used in Russia to treat acute cerebral hypoxia. However, in extensive research done on Semax, it has been found to have many other benefits. For example, in clinical tests done on mice, Semax was found to increase BDNF levels, regulating the settling of depression in the brain. Semax also stimulated neurogenesis in depressed brains of mice and resulted in more manageable side effects than traditional SSRI treatments.
Change Your Setting
If you’re feeling depressed, you need to change your setting to shock your brain out of negative patterns. Put on a funny movie or start listening to some upbeat music. Take on a home improvement project. Do anything where you feel like you’re progressing and using your time well. It’s a simple way of building confidence that will trigger a positive reward response and move you further away from depression.
Fighting off depression takes work. You’re not alone. There are a lot of resources you can turn to in your fight against depression. Get the help you need and develop a system that identifies depression early and controls the thoughts in your brain. You’ll start to develop better defenses and safeguard your emotional state.