“One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn’t pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself.” – Lucille Ball
Depression can sneak up on you any time of the year, but I found myself particularly vulnerable around the holidays. Don’t get me wrong, I love the time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, but I have always felt out of place during this family-oriented timeframe.
Perhaps it was my longing for a close-knit family with holiday traditions that left me particularly disappointed. Sometimes I desire to liken a groundhog, reappearing well after the holiday season.
Though frigid temperatures in the Midwest coupled with a holiday dread offered me a perfect excuse to hibernate, this is the last thing I needed if to battle my depression.
The most challenging aspect of depression is that you lack motivation. Yet in order to get out of a depressive state you must be motivated. So how can you be motivated to get out of depression when the most distinguishing quality of depression is lack of motivation?
Luckily, I rose out of my depression, and effectively learned to manage it, by doing three crucial things:
Activity is the key in dealing with depression.
Become more socially active is important, but you must be very careful with whom you socialize with. You must find happy people to socialize with. You will thrive off of their positive energy. You must be open to that positivity and allow yourself to be an absorber and observer. You must absorb their positive energy; it will make you feel better. You must also observe their lifestyle –see the activities they engage in and how they are leading productive lives.
Become more physically active. Exercise is great, but this is not to what I am referring. You must become active by getting out of the house. If it’s going to the mall to window shop, going to a museum, visiting with friends, going to the library, something that you enjoy or want to explore. The trick is just to get moving. This can be done just by promising yourself that once a week you will get out of the house and do something pleasurable. This is a tenable goal because it is not overwhelming.
Become more mentally active. Stimulating the mind is extremely important. This can be done by reading, watching an interesting documentary, and of course, writing. I find that when I am learning something new or expanding my knowledge horizons, it is incredibly empowering. Your reading can start with simply researching depression. You can begin writing about your goals in the future.
I have found that the best way to overcome depression is to engage in activities that will slowly build your confidence. Make small commitments to yourself, such as going to see a matinee movie or going to the bookstore to browse the magazine section. Once you’ve completed this task, congratulate yourself. The completion of this small success will encourage you to complete the next small goal, eventually creating a snowball effect out of depression.
But also be patient. Depression is a blessed learning experience. You will have to do things that you don’t feel like doing. You will have to make your body and mind do things that they don’t want to do. You will have days when you feel like you have taken two steps forward, and the next day have taken a step backwards. Just be patient and kind with yourself because not only is this a natural part of the process, it is necessary.
“You cannot escape the results of your thoughts…. Whatever your present environment may be, you will fall, remain or rise with your thoughts, your vision, your ideal. You will become as small as your controlling desire, as great as your dominant aspiration.” – Janet Lane Allen
