Discuss the value of getting yourself some good antidepressants. When you find ones that work for you, stick to them. If they don’t work after at least three months, change them. Keep searching until you find the antidepressant that is right for you. [3] X Research source (Although it also acceptable if you decide that anti-depressants are not for you. There is no pressure).
When you feel the sadness begin to take over, do your hobby or exercise.
Watch funny movies or online videos. There are plenty of comedies for you to indulge in. Read cartoons or funny books. Find a book of jokes and read them out loud. Make a Pinterest board of things that crack you up. Revisit it when you feel really low. Read blogs that make you laugh.
Do not turn this into a habit. A once-in-a-while wallow is one thing; an everyday diet of sad movies, depressing music and a bleak environment will simply up the ante, allowing depression to become your reason for being. Do not allow it to win by feeding it the very things that stoke its existence.
Scared about dating? Don’t be and think of your health. A good romance can really make a difference. Please do not use love as a step to curing depression, because the other person may end up feeling used. Give back all the support you can to them, so they appreciate you for it despite knowing the truth.
Stay away from negative people as much as possible. You might even cut ties with the worst offenders, to give yourself permanent breathing space. If you have no choice but to still interact with a negative person, reduce the interaction to a bare minimum. For example, if it’s your boss, do what you are there to do, be polite and professional and refuse any socializing events in which you must mingle with this person; surround yourself by supportive coworkers and know the workplace harassment rules inside out. Or, if it’s a family member, make it clear that you will not partake in the previous arguments or destructive competitiveness; simply do not engage and just be polite and aloof, and only attend the occasions where this person is when you really have to. If nasty things are said about you, pretend you haven’t heard them and let them slide off you; remind yourself that such comments are the dying, feeble attempts of a toxic person seeking to keep you enmeshed in their drama. [18] X Research source Use positive self-talk to help boost your self-esteem even more. [19] X Expert Source Philip Glickman, PsyDLicensed Clinical Psychologist Expert Interview. 19 August 2021.
Remember that while many people may use the online sphere to share a prescription for how people (such as yourself) should be behaving/living/voting/believing, etc. , much of the commentary is no more than opinion and when it is angry opinion, it’s an ill-informed reflection of what such commentators feel is missing in their own lives. Do not take it to heart!
Answer emails at a set time each day. Do not stray beyond this time; let people know that if it’s urgent, they need to phone you. Your emails should not dictate your life. Withdraw immediately from forums that get heated. Do not get drawn into any messy or nasty online discussions. Nothing is gained by such flare-ups; come back when things have calmed down (including you). Stop reading the news. The world won’t fall apart because you’ve stopped reading nasty stories. Be more nuanced and choosy about the news items that you do read; stay informed on specific topics, such as business news or humanitarian efforts, by getting Google alerts or particular news feeds without dipping into any of the sensationalist stories aimed at making people feeling worse. Remind yourself that you do not have a duty to read sensationalism (and remember GIGO––garbage in, garbage out); there are plenty of positive ways to keep constructively engaged with the wider world. If something causes you to feel negative, stop looking at it, stop using it, stop interacting with it. Period.
