Coping with depression
[Part 1]
Let’s face it. Whether we acknowledge it or not, we all go through dark days where we lose the sense of purpose and meaning in life. It could be triggerred by something as small as an argument with your spouse or friends or a disagreement at work. And I’m not even talking about something huge here that totally disrupts your lifestyle or condition of your loved one. But even trivial, regular, seemingly small stuff can leave you feeling totally demotivated and dull quite often. In fact, depression can show its ugly face often without a legit reason.
To worsen things, our minds are programmed to overthink and overreact in an attempt to find a quick fix or a permanent solution; drowning us further in depression. What you really need on days like these is to quiet your mind and to just be.
First of all, acknowledge and accept it as a passing phase
It took me years to observe the recurrying pattern of my depression and come to terms with the fact that I’m not the only one who feels down in certain situations or seasons — depending on what triggers it for us individually. Over the years, I’ve learnt to accept it like the PMS, instead of wasting time sulking over it. So avoid getting under a blanket when it raises its ugly head again and remember the most important lesson from the last time you dealt with it: It will keep coming back to check on you but it’s not here to stay forever. So face it, not fear it.
Don’t try to overthink or overanalyse it
Different things trigger depression for different people. Sometimes the cause is rooted deep in your past. Strangely for me, birthdays and celebrations are few of the things that trigger depression, due to events, expectations and disapointments in my childhood. No amount of analysing and overanalysing has helped me guard against the trap of depression during a certain months or people. In fact, strategising to deal with relevant situations and people in a certain way only causes more trauma. Your mind is not at its best or healthy, positive self so its best not to overload it further.
Don’t blame anything, anyone or yourself for it
The world looks gloomy and you feel lonely and left out, mostly because you choose not to socialise or reach out. Funnily, you expect people to be intuitive that you need a break, in turn drawing further dissapointment when your random half hearted pings don’t fetch a proper response. Understand that most of it is in your head, so blaming people, the world, the government, the maid, the spouse, the friends won’t really help. Most importantly, guard yourself from blaming your own self for it and getting further mindfucked. Trust me, diverting mind will help you get through it faster.
[end of Part 1]
