Posted May 1st, 2008 by Jane
- Get out now and walk fifteen minutes. It will get your feet moving and help you feel you are at least able to do something.
- Go immediately and be with someone who loves you. It will give you the feeling that you are wanted.
- Religious? Say a prayer. Ask God to help you get through this.
- Think of a situation, a place where you were very happy. Visualize yourself in that situation once more.
- Power of suggestion can do wonders. Say to yourself, “I think I can get better. I have to take it step by step. I will work my way out of this.”
- Go out and buy a plant, or some flowers. Having something living in your house makes you feel more alive.
- If possible, get outside in the sunshine. If it’s not possible, turn on some bright lights. Sunshine and bright light are known to make people happier.
This entry was posted on Thursday, May 1st, 2008 at 12:43 pm and is filed under De-stress yourself, Living with illness, Staying happy. You can follow responses to this entry through the Comments RSS Feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your site.
Adam Pieniazek responds:
Posted: May 15th, 2008 at 2:26 pm →
Good list but #2 and #3 could be dangerous to a depressed person. For #2, they may have trouble realizing who actually loves them and get discouraged they can’t immediately think of someone (in fact, this could be a reason for the depression). With #3, prayer might help but it could also make matters much worse if they feel no one is responding to their prayers and make the person feel even more alone.
I think going outside is the best advice you can give (as long as it’s nice out). A nice, bright shiny day almost instantly improves anyone’s mood. Exercise outside especially allows people to work off their frustration and increases the person’s adrenaline giving them a positive can-do attitude.
Jane responds:
Posted: May 18th, 2008 at 1:07 pm →
There’s always a moment where I hesitate when giving advice as sometimes it’s not always suitable for every reader.
You’re right in that some may actually feel worse when they follow some of these guidelines. But I do know from experience that they help most people, most of the time.
Depression is a very serious matter, and I do recommend that anyone that feels depressed try to find a good therapist or psychiatrist. And of course avoid any doctor that reaches for the pill jar as the first action. Psychoactive drugs have a very useful place in treating mood disorders, but so does modifying your lifestyle and simply finding more joy in your life!