Personal Tips for Coping with Depression

I have suffered with depression my entire life. Sometimes symptoms are easier to deal with than others. I've been on numerous medications that have never helped. So I have had to take my car into my own hands and develop my own ways to deal with the looming darkness.

All of these have helped and I hope that they can be of help to others as well.

Develop a routine.
Have a set list of things you do every single day, no matter how bad you feel. When you skip things like showering, you feel even worse and it just feeds the depression. Do 1 or 2 small things every day, then add another item. Remember to take baby steps until your routine is well established. And don't beat yourself up if you skip a day, just get back to it.

Cry, scream, or throw things if you need to.
Having an outside physical expression of the pain can be healing. Keeping emotions bottled up inside only deepens the hole of depression. There's no shame in needing to have a good cry or screaming at the top of your lungs, it helps by giving you a release. Just release what you need to.

Eliminate the negative people.
People who are condescending and critical are energy drainers. Who really wants to be around someone who is always making you feel worse? Avoid these people as much s you can. Normally, they don't understand what depression is or don't know how to be supportive. You want to have people around you who are understanding of your illness, and depression is an illness.

Laugh every day.
Laughter lifts the spirits and even has it's own health benefits. Find a funny website that appeals to you and visit it every day. Laugh out loud, laugh until tears stream down you face. It can do a lot to make you feel better, even if it's only for a few minutes. It will help you from falling deeper into depression.

Look your best every day.
I am guilty of staying in my sweats all day long. But when you make it a point to look your best, you feel better about yourself. You have a little more motivation, you move a little bit more.

Do something you enjoy every day.
Having a hobby gives you something to look forward to and gives you a sense of accomplishment when you finish a project. It also builds pride and a sense of purpose. I love to crochet, so I'm always crocheting. And it always feels so good to finish a project.

These may not all work for everyone, but they have worked for me. If nothing else, they help to keep you from getting into the rut of depression. To break the circle it can sometimes keep you in.