Cope with depression

What can you do?

Depression is a mental disorder where professional treatment can help. If you suspect you are depressed, you can try the tips below or seek help from a doctor or psychologist.

9 tips to get started yourself when you experience depressive symptoms:

1. Talk about it with friends, family or your doctor
   Try to keep talking about your feelings. With your partner, for example, your friends or family. Do you find that difficult? Then see your family doctor. Often the family doctor has a psychologist on staff to talk to from time to time. It not only relieves to talk about your depression, for your loved ones it also helps to understand you and your depressive symptoms better. After all, depression can also be tough on a partner or loved one.
2. Bring structure
   Establish a rhythm, go to bed around the same time every day and set an alarm clock. Try not to stay in bed too long but get out when the alarm has gone off. Be careful not to forget or skip meals and also try to have your meals at fixed times. Schedule (social) activities such as walking or doing something in the household. Give yourself something to hold on to by keeping a rhythm.
3. Eat healthy and drink enough
   Make sure you continue to take good care of yourself. Healthy eating is part of that. It is essential for your body that you get enough nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Your body consumes quite a bit when you’re depressed, and there’s a reason that links depression to vitamin and mineral deficiencies. In doubt about whether you are getting enough? Then ask your doctor if you can get a blood test.
4. Keep moving and exercise
   It sounds like an open door, but it’s really important that you keep moving. You don’t have to work out really hard, as long as you keep moving. Try to take a daily walk, preferably in the woods or somewhere else in nature. As soon as you move and exercise your body produces hormones that make you feel happy: endorphins. If you take a half-hour walk every day, you will already notice the difference it makes in your mood.
5. Reduce or stop alcohol and drug consumption
   Consuming alcohol or drugs can have a negative effect on your depression. It sedates briefly but soon affects your stress hormones and actually intensifies gloomy and listless feelings. Sure, a few glasses of wine make you feel calm and rosy and so nicely numb those nasty and gloomy thoughts. But as soon as the alcohol is gone from your body, this feeling rears its ugly head again. The same goes for drugs. This includes sleeping pills and tranquilizers. You also run the risk of falling into a vicious cycle.
6. Do things you like
   The important thing is to do what normally makes you happy – even if only a little bit. Whether it is useful or not is secondary. Most importantly, do activities that make you feel good. For example making music, painting or doing something else creative with your hands, gardening, cycling, playing sports or carpenter a nesting box for the hedgehog in your garden. And don’t start with something impossible right away. Start with small goals so it’s not a disappointment if something doesn’t work out or you don’t stick with it.
7. Write down at least 3 positive things every day
   When you suffer from depression it is very difficult to think of positive things, yet there are always 3 things you can think of. Examples of positive things can be: I got out of bed this morning, I took a shower, I saw the sun shining, I read something from a book, I talked to a friend, etc.
8. Undertake social activities
   Make every effort to get out of the house, have your friends drag you out the door if necessary. Or invite them to your house. Social activities are good distractions and help take your mind off things for a while. Try to have social contact at least once a day. A chat with the neighbor, mailman or cashier at the supermarket already helps. You don’t always have to talk about your depression. Think of these activities as distractions, too!
9. Check out self-help options
   There are several online self-help programs for people with depression. The idea behind them is that you learn to improve, and appreciate, your quality of life again. You can also buy several books that are full of tips but also recognizable stories and situations to help you on your way. By actively dealing with your depression you take back control over your life. However, it does require the necessary dose of motivation. Ask a friend to support you if that’s what you need.