Coping with depression on a daily basis...

So as you know I'll be posting on a Monday and a Friday about depression. Friday, I intend to keep for my own story, how I've got through the week, how I am coping etc.. Monday, however, I would like to keep it quite light hearted, sharing stories/tips, posting quotes and just try to keep it nice, as you don't wanna start your week on a downer. 

This week, after doing some research online, I'd like to do a little run down of 5 things to help lighten the load when you are feeling depressed. More often than not, it is something you don't want to tell people and struggle through on your own, but as the saying goes, 'a problem shared is a problem halved.' So here are my 5 tips on coping with your depression daily - 

1. Share Your Issues/Thoughts/Feelings - Keeping our thoughts/feelings to ourselves will make you feel like you are not a burden on anyone's shoulders, but infact, you are making the load on your own shoulders increasingly heavy to carry. Tell close friends or family members about how you are feeling, share with them how your mind is working, they want to help you through difficult times and not allowing them in won't help you in the long run. If, like me, you are sometimes too embarrassed to tell people who are close to you problems, write to a depression blog, message a Facebook page your thoughts, just let the steam out somehow. Facebook pages are often good as the people who like them are in a similar situation to you or have dealt with the situation. You will receive some nice words of support that can carry you through, even on the darkest days!!

2.  Try Something (Anything) - Just as it says on the tin! Depressive, negative thoughts can consume you every minute of every day when doing nothing. Try pulling yourself away from your mind, even if it is just an hour and do something. I appreciate that sometimes concentration levels are low and you may not feel social, so try something alone. Something simple such as baking a cake, it takes under an hour, keeps your mind busy and there's always room for a tasty cake!! ;) Have a dog? Go for an hours walk somewhere where you can enjoy the outdoors, even if you don't want company, the exercise will do you good and your dog will love it too, simple games of fetch, throwing a ball (even when you have to collect it) or taking your dog for a swim can help clear the mind. If you are feeling more social, how about meeting a friend for lunch, or even cooking for a friend at home? Both of these can be good for various reasons, if you go out, you can get dressed up, spend a couple of hours in a cafe, just idle chatting can really cheer you up. Cooking for someone can too, spending an afternoon preparing food, picking wine, getting dressed and dining with someone (again, having idle conversation) can turn a frown upside down.

3. Release Yourself of Negative People - I chose this one from personal experience, so this may not be the case for everyone. Negative people spur negative thoughts which will only drag you down. Sure, you want to be the friend to helps everyone out, be their shoulder to cry on, even when you have your own issues. Well STOP! Your main focus should be getting your life back on track, not piling on the worries. Take sometime to look over the people you have in your life, keep the positive people, who lift you up in times of sadness, who nip in for that 30 min coffee or who ring you up and say fancy lunch? Get rid of those who are constantly moaning on Facebook, those friends who call you up for a good moan and those who are bitchy/gossipy (chances are, if they are slagging someone off to you, they are slagging you off to someone.) I say this as I have halted all the negative people around me, and feel miles better for it. I'm having time to heal myself, before healing others.

4. Keep A Diary/Journal - I learned this from my CB Therapist. Each day, before bed, write down how you feel the day has gone, any thoughts that are still on your mind, worries, feelings...Anything really. It's about taking what's clouding above and writing it out down below. I also find planning your next day in the form of a list is helpful, it keeps your mind from worrying about what the next day has in store, when you can see it all in front of you. A little added extra on this...When you write down any negative thoughts, worries or things that are making you sad, try scrunching the paper in a ball and throwing it in the bin, rip the paper in half or scribble everything out really fast. I find that this can help just get rid of some stresses before bed.

5. Keep Positive - I know this can be the hardest of them all and with people around you saying "don't worry" "stay strong" it is easier said than done. Just remember that you are not alone in what you are going through, there are hundreds of thousands of people who are in a similar situation to you and there are even more in a worse situation. Write down all the things that make you feel good about yourself, take time to try and do the things you enjoy and surround yourself with the people/things you love. Got an uplifting song? Play it first thing in the morning! Got a favourite cuddly toy? Give it a big squeeze whenever you feel negative! Have a favourite quote? Put it on a post-it note on the fridge, keep it on a notice board in your room or write it down in plain view so that everytime you see it, it gives you that little bit of a boost.

I fully understand that these may not work for everyone, but these things combined help me get through each day knowing that someday I will get better, it may not seem it sometimes and my god are somedays a struggle, but I always have the right things around to pull me through each and everyday so that I'm still here for the next :D

A.R. Wilson x