I LOVE the writer Andrew Solomon. To be fair, you will find I say that about a lot of people. Ren, for instance. I LOVE Ren. And Maggie Smith.
Solomon is a brilliant, witty, insightful, and freaking prolific author, and one of his books that I adore is The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression.
Perhaps my favorite quote of his, though many are in the running, is from a phenomenal TED Talk, linked below: “The opposite of depression is not happiness, but vitality.”
Depression is an illness that is deeply effected by your environment. And these days the world can be extremely depressing. AND, realistically, we know that even harder times may be coming.
The only way we are going to get through is with inner fortitude. And love. And faith -- religious faith or faith in ourselves and those we love.
Here are 5 quick tips:
Get enough sleep. Sleeplessness is a fairly normal reaction to depression, which is ironic because sleeping too much is, as well. How do you get enough sleep then? TIP: Sound. Listen to environmental sounds such as ocean waves, gentle rainfall or thunderstorms. Listen to classical music, or instrumental music in general. Listen to "binaural beats" - music theoretically designed to put you in a different brain state for deep relaxation or sleep.
Make a concerted effort to make eye contact and smile and nod to people you pass wherever you go. It's a simple, quick thing to do and it really can make you AND the person you connect with feel great, if only for a moment. Those moments add up.
Set a time limit on your news consumption. We must stay engaged to create the world we crave. But we also need to keep a clear head, not influenced by outside voices. So allow yourself to watch or listen to news for just an hour or two each day.
Socialize. Have regular breakfast or lunch dates with friends. Hang out in the park or on your front stoop. Go to the library. Attend an event, such as a lecture or concert, parade or local sporting event. As tempting as it is to isolate in times of stress, it's not great for your mental health. Being around human energy is actually good for human beings. Who knew?
Always be kind. One way to exorcise the demons of sadness and anger is to be kind. Avoid snapping at people out of frustration, and -- as difficult as it is -- arguing angrily with people you don't agree with. The stakes are high, but it's most important that you get through this emotionally and mentally intact. It's the only way we persevere, make the crucial changes we must make in our direct environment, AND manage to live in the world we currently have.
I love you. Hang in there!
See, I have some brain damage that causes me to get confused a lot, and coincidentally this blog's platform changed to one I'm not as familiar with at the same time that I decided to make some changes. So from early this year to today I've been unable to cope with trying to get the blog updated, and the url was pointing to nothing for several months.
I THINK the problems are resolved, and I intend to update with new tips for Coping With Depression every day or so.
You don't have to stop yourself from feeling sad sometimes. Sad is good. A full range of emotions is healthy. Bereft, melancholy, miserable, grief-stricken – these are all important feelings. Feel them.
Depression is not sadness, it's misery unrelated to your situation, or often a lack of feeling, altogether.
If you feel you're sad all the time, or over a long period of time, or if feeling down is interfering with living your life (going to work or school, grocery shopping, paying your bills) – that's when it's time to seek help.
Try not to take everything personally.
When friends, family or co-workers cancel plans with you, you could get upset and take it personally. The truth is things often have nothing to do with you.
People get sick, or need family or alone time, or have to work. Whatever. People have their own full lives and – sorry – you probably aren't the focus of them a lot of the time.
Or they may be suffering from depression, as well, and sometimes need to flake out whether they really want to or not.
You're probably quick to assume that the positive stuff isn't about you. Best to figure the negative stuff isn't about you, either.
Did you take your pills?
It's so easy to forget medication, especially as depression saps your will to do anything, your ability to care about self-care, and your memory.
Daily alarms on your phone, sorting your pills into daily units and putting the pillboxes on your bathroom counter, post-its on the bathroom mirror, phone apps...
Find a way to stay consistent. It's key to monitoring and maximizing the effectiveness of meds.