How to quit being depressed
Every winter is the same story for some of us. Depression hit us harder, that’s a fact. And every little inconvenience increase the discomfort we can feel through this time. We get more sensitive and our tolerance is not the highest. That can be explained by the lack of sun exposure that affects the level of serotonin, melanin and even disrupts our body’s internal clock. Thus it is completely normal to not feel the best when the weather is bad. And we’re not even in Winter yet, we still have quite a time enduring those grey days.
So here are 6 ways to fight back the depression and not end up crying because someone ate the last chocolate bar (like I did last week)!
- Sleeping is OK, Oversleeping is not!
You probably feel like you didn’t sleep enough and you’re already tired as soon as you open your eyes. Sleeping a little more seems extremely tempting… Big mistake! Don’t go back to dreamland. It may be one of the red flags that you go through depression and you don’t even know it. You just feel a little tired and you think you need to rest a little more. But be honest with yourself, aren’t you feeling tired for a long time now, yet you didn’t add anything to your routine. This explainable fatigue shouldn’t be taken too lightly.
It’s better to take a little nap during the day if you can do it than sleeping longer. Oversleep leads to weight gain, deregulates your body’s sleep clock, and neurotransmitters’ balance which is a cause of depression. It’s a vicious circle.
2. Don’t stay home alone
You need social interaction to think of something else. Change your environment or just go visit a friend or family. Even if they can be annoying, they’ll make you feel alive. Having the exact same routine every day can be toxic. Have a walk, see new faces! Staying home more than 2 days in raw is not good at all. Worse if you live alone. Move your ass!
Talking about moving asses it gets us to the 3rd point:
3. Sports
I admit, for some of us we are already tired and the last thing we want to do is sweat over exercise. You should know that working out makes you release endorphins. Endorphin is a miraculous molecule that reduces your perception of pain and makes you feel happy. Isn’t it amazing?
Collective sports such as soccer, basketball, and badminton for example could be the perfect combination to ally working out while having fun and social interactions. Your body and your mind will thank you.
4. Food affecting your mood
This is the season to eat sweet food! Chocolate is well known to enhance our mood. In cacao, there’s tryptophan which is used by our body to produce serotonin. The same serotonin I talked to you about earlier. It regulates besides other things our mood. Something else a little crazy about chocolate is phenylethylamine. This body chemical is also known as the molecule of love and is naturally released in our body when we fall in love. An extra reason to eat chocolate without feeling guilty.
Salmon is rich in omega 3 fatty acids. It will boost your mood while making your skin and hair look better and healthier
Vitamin C and magnesium have been proven to be essential elements to have stable mental health. This winter, don’t skimp on citrus, spinach, parsley, nuts, and spices like curry or cumin.
5. Don’t listen to sad songs
You’re already feeling bad. Listening to sad songs will that really help you release your sadness? We know it’s just a good excuse for you to cry. Sad songs are only allowed as a crisis last resort remedy. If you read this, it means you’ve already accepted being depressed and you’re trying to feel better. So you’re not in the “sad song stage” anymore. Congratulation! You already are doing so much for yourself. You can be proud of yourself. Hang in there!
6. Stop over-planning things, make things easier for yourself
Worrying about the future or wanting to do too many things will make you feel bad and not see all the good things you already did. What a waste.
First, organize your priorities. You have to measure what is important and what is not. Then see what can wait and what can’t. This will help you know what you have to start with and the tasks you can delay.
Secondly, be lenient with yourself. Try your best and things don’t happen or you weren’t able to finish a task: it’s ok. You can’t control everything. Also, by going at your own pace you won’t rush your work and you’ll feel less stress. Don’t feel anxious about giving yourself breaks. Your brain can’t stay focus for too long. It was shown that our attention span is no longer than 20 minutes! No wonder if we can’t concentrate for 3 hours! It’s biologically impossible.
That’s why the answer is little breaks and not submerging yourself with an endless list of tasks.
Conclusion
You have now the 6 ways to quit being depressed. It doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy but you have a path you can follow. Be nice to yourself. Treat yourself like you’d treat your best friend. No one else but you can do it better. We keep learning about ourselves our whole life. Sometimes we get lost and it’s ok. You have now to fight for yourself, you owe it to you but also to people who love you. Good luck.
