300 million people across the world suffer from depression, while many others have other mental health conditions including the likes of anxiety, addiction, or eating disorders.
Depression can make you feel extremely alone, cause a lack in energy, and even make you lose all motivation in life. Sufferers don’t always know they have a problem which can lead to it escalating significantly and becoming a real concern. Taking the first step to admit that you have a problem is the toughest, however. The sooner you can face up to the fact you have an illness, the sooner you can get on the road to recovery. Don’t suffer in silence – there are many ways you can cope with depression and live a fairly normal life.
Do Things You Enjoy
While depression can suck all the fun out of your lifestyle, it would be advised to spend as much time as possible doing the things you enjoy and that make you feel relaxed, especially when you’re in a dark place. You’ll be surprised at how much that small break out of your head can lift your mood, even for a short while.
Manage Your Health
Depression and health are closely linked; therefore, when you’re not feeling good physically, it’s unlikely you’ll have a positive mental state. There are many ways you can support your health and help keep your depression under control.
Aim For 8 Hours of Sleep
Depression is often associated with sleep problems, so if you’re not getting the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep per evening, you may feel worse the following day. Getting the sleep that you need will allow you to remain positive, focused, and productive. With this in mind, you need to learn healthy sleep patterns,
Reduce Stress
Stress is one of the leading causes of depression and if you already have mental health issues, it may worsen the symptoms. This is because when you’re tense, your body releases the hormone ‘cortisol’ which prepares your body for whatever it needs to attack. If you’re stressed for long periods, this can go on to have detrimental impacts on your mental health. Therefore, aim to keep stress levels to a minimum by exercising outdoors or practicing yoga and meditation.
Take CBD
Marijuana (or cannabis) is an age-old remedy to reduce the effects of depression. Researchers have discovered that it can lift mood and keep you calm, and it is also believed to have far fewer side effects than prescribed medications. CBD oil is typically vaped as this is the quickest method of getting it into the system; however, it would always be worth researching the key facts of CBD on sites like before resorting to this treatment.
Feature photo by Elijah Hiett
