Overview
If you are experiencing the symptoms of depression that lasts for two to three weeks, and also unable the enjoy the things like before, these are considered as the depressive episodes and if the above symptoms last for more than three weeks, then it is considered as the major depressive disorder (MDD). When you are undergoing the incidents of mental health conditions, you will try to change your thoughts and also you try not to act according to those thoughts during your depression phase. There are many types of depression like persistent depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, seasonal affective disorder, psychotic depression, and postpartum depression.
It is not possible for you to ease the indicators of depression if the symptoms last for two to three weeks. But there is a possibility of you are going to experience these symptoms for a year.
In the United States of America, nearly sixteen million adults are experiencing depressive episodes in their life since 2015 based on the report given by the anxiety and depression association of America.
In this article, you are going to learn the 12 strategies to fight with your depressive episodes.
What are the Indicators of Depression?
Unable to focus on the things, changes in your sleeping habits, unable the handle the pressure, restlessness, not being talkative, having minimal energy, loss of interest in your hobbies that you have enjoyed previously, always getting thoughts of committing suicide, or making attempts to commit suicide, thinks that you are alone and you will not get help from anyone, and physical pains that don’t have the reason are the indicators of a depressive episode.
In order to diagnose this mental health condition, the above symptoms must last for a period of two to three weeks.
What can you do to manage the depressive episodes?
If you think your symptoms of depression are getting severe, taking the necessary steps and following your doctor’s instructions is the first step towards your recovery. There are many tips that you can do to ease the symptoms of depression even though you are suffering from those depressive episodes for a long time. Many people get benefited and improved their mood by following the below twelve tips.
Keep an eye on your symptoms
Get to know about the indicators of depression, and how they are attacking you and which time will help you aware of those symptoms. Getting to know about your symptoms completely will help you to ease the symptoms of depression. Keeping track of your mood will assist you to spot the signs of depression at an initial stage. It will also keep you far away from getting the maniac episodes of depression.
It would be better if you note your depressive episodes in a dairy, it will also help you track the changes in your behavior. Most importantly, your doctor will easily identify your problem if you note these changes in a diary and show it to your physician. Also, rate your mood on a scale of good to worst, it will help you to find out what triggers your depression and what made you behave like that. In the process of doing this, you will get to know whether you are suffering from mild depression or severe depression, better consult a doctor if you are suffering from the symptoms of severe depression.
Be Relaxed
You can treat your depression problem on your own if you are able to stay focused and maintain a good composure while you are attacked by the depressive episodes. You can stay calm by keeping in mind that this problem will not last forever and the symptoms you are experiencing right now will go away. Because acting accordingly to those symptoms will increase your pressure and you will experience more symptoms if you don’t stay calm and take the proper action.
People who are experiencing these depressive occurrences in their life should keep in mind one thing and that is they can overcome these symptoms and these feelings easily. Instead of the focus on your problem, concentrate on your strengths and your strength will help you to ease the symptoms of depression.
There are many techniques that you can do to fight your problem. These include
- Breathing exercises
- Doing meditation once in a day
- Mindfulness
Accept the fact that you are suffering from depression
If you have doubts regarding whether you are suffering from depression or not, it’s better to accept it if you are experiencing the symptoms of depression for two to three weeks. Also, gather all the information about depression. Because sometimes knowing about your mental health condition will help you to crack the problem.
Distance yourself from mental health conditions
When you are diagnosed with depression and experiencing the symptoms of depression try not to focus on the problem, instead, you can focus on your strengths and that will keep you away from getting depression and also remember all the aspects of your life.
Take care of yourself
Self-assessing is the best way to take care of your problem. It is important for you to take good care of your body because your body is the only thing that will be with you forever. Taking care of yourself means finding some time to relax, clearing the unnecessary thoughts in your mind, going to the gym with the motive of taking care of your body and spending with your loved one and the members with your family all come under the category of self-care.
Any action that you can do result in giving you peace and happiness is considered as the self-care activities.
Take a Deep breath and calm your muscles
Deep breathing techniques are an excellent way to reduce the levels of anxiety and make your body to take the situations in a soothing manner. If you do the breathing exercises on a daily basis, it will result in getting physical and psychological benefits.
The best part of these techniques is you can do these deep breathing exercises anywhere and at any time. You can do it in your car, or at your workplace or at your home. There are many applications available in the play store which will guide you to do it in a proper manner.
Don’t hesitate to face negative thoughts
The best way to deal with your depressive episodes is taking therapies such as Psychotherapy, Interpersonal Therapy, Psycho dynamic therapy, Dialectal Behavior therapy, and Cognitive-Behavioral therapy. CBT is the best one among all the therapies. Because this therapy helps you to reduce your problem by working on your thoughts which are influencing your mood.
Train your brain to stay calm and enjoy things
Always have time to appreciate what you have at present. Treat yourself gratefully and be mindful all the time. Feel each and everything that is happening around you. For instance, if you are playing cricket, and won the match enjoy that feeling completely, enjoying the taste of the food, celebrating your achievements whether it is big or small.
Doing all these will make you feel happy and allows you to explore nature completely. It will also make you feel worth living.
Don’t make changes to your Sleeping Habits
Stick to your sleeping schedule, and don’t try to change it. Because not having a night of proper sleep can contribute to several mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. The one who is suffering from these conditions will unable to follow their bedtime routine.
In order to fight your problem, try to go to sleep at the same time and wake up at the same time, don’t break this habit even on your weekends. Do a hot bath before going to sleep and also avoid using mobile phones while you are going to sleep and also don’t keep your mobile phone near to your head while sleeping.
Workout Daily
In order to deal with depression, you have to hit the gym regularly. After an intense workout, your body will release feel-good chemicals such as endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. It has been observed that exercise has a positive impact on depression and also helps people to improve their mood and ease the symptoms of depression.
Stay away from Liquor
Alcohol will make you submissive and the depressive episodes combined with alcohol is extremely dangerous and harmful. One should stop drinking alcohol if they are suffering from depression. There are chances of your liquor can interact with some of your medications and make your condition worse.
Make a Note of your Positives
During the phase of your depression, keep a tab on your positives, instead of focusing on the negatives. In order to note down the positives, maintain a journal and write the positive things happened on that day. Because, it will help you to focus more on the positives, instead of the negatives.
What are the Possible triggers of depressive episodes?
There are many causes of these mental health conditions. A traumatic incident such as a car accident or sexual assault, sudden changes in daily routines, certain medications, disrupted sleep, unable to handle the pressure at work, underlying health conditions, bad habits such as drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes, using illegal drugs such as marijuana, hashish, heroin, opium, cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, gamma-hydroxybutyrate, ketamine, Salvia Divinorum, anabolic steroids, inhalants, and daily abused by someone are the possible triggers of depression.
Conclusion
Identifying the triggers that are causing you to have depressive episodes will help you to prevent that mental health condition at an early stage. Never hesitate to say yes if anyone offering you help during your depression phase. Try to seek help from family, friends, doctors, therapists, and joining a support group will help you to prevent the problem.
References
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279285/
- https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.032408.153621
Sirisha B