How to Avoid Falling into Depression

The outbreak of coronavirus is affecting our way of life. The loss of loved ones and finances exposes us to depression.

With what’s going on, people are finding themselves hopeless and helpless. All these lead to depression.

What’s Depression?

It’s a common mood disorder that alters our feelings and thoughts. It also affects how we handle our daily tasks like eating, sleeping, or working. The common symptoms include sadness, anxiety, guilt, and pessimism.

The Covid-19 pandemic isn’t making life better. We are all in trauma on whether we shall contract the virus or infect others. The situation is even worse for people already struggling with depression.

However, we cannot afford to give up. We have to fight against getting into depression or relapsing back to depression.

Here are the best strategies to protect your mental health and avoid depression.

1. Regular Exercise

Regular body workouts work magic in improving our health. For this, dedicate 15 to 30 minutes daily to walk, dance, jog, or bike.

If you don’t have the self-motivation, ask a friend to work out with you. Exercising works to improve our moods.

In addition to these physical workouts, one can try yoga exercises. Some poses improve your well-being thus reducing depression.

2. Build Strong Social Networks

Having an active social life is good for our mental health. According to research, adequate social support and interactions protect us against depression.

Make it a priority to connect with your family and friends despite how busy your life gets. Free time to attend some social events or find new hobbies that help you interact with new people.

3. Reduce Stress

Stress is the biggest threat to our mental health. The good thing is, stress is avoidable.

Take your time and learn how to avoid or cope with stress. You can do this by:

• Meditating
• Letting go of what you can’t control
• Avoiding over-commitment to people or material things.

4. Maintain Your Treatment Plan

People who experience a depressive episode are likely to relapse to the same condition. Maintaining your treatment plan is essential in avoiding a relapse.

The common treatment method involves the use of antidepressants. Unfortunately, this doesn’t work in treatment-resistant depression. For this, you need a TMS therapy treatment to manage your depression.

Following through the treatment to the end prevents you from relapsing to depression in the future.

5. Visualize Happy Memory

Do you know that failure is part of life? Therefore, don’t dwell too much on the instances you fail. Rather, use the experience to forge yourself ahead.

Unfortunately, most of us continually revisit painful memories. These may include a failed business or a romantic rejection. These events are likely to overshadow the success you’ve had in life.

Be kind to yourself. Whenever these memories cross your mind, close your eyes and visualize your happiest memories like graduation.

Conclusion

Depression alters how we think, feel and carry out our daily chores. The good thing, it is a treatable condition. Don’t suffer in silence, visit a doctor for a diagnosis and treatment.