Things I've Done to Ease Depression

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V.V.

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I always see those posts that say some whack phrase like "Going for a run will cure your depression!" But I don't think that that's true. Going for a run won't cure your depression, however; going for a run can help it and help you. And the same goes for a lot of things. 

I'm not a therapist or anything professional, so I'm just collecting my own experiences in dealing with depression. And to start off, I will offer you a quick list:

  1. Take a shower
  2. Clean your room
  3. Eat healthy
  4. Walk/Run
  5. Put on some lotion
  6. Drink a cup of tea (optional)
Okay, obviously these things won't cure depression in an instant. In fact, they probably won't cure depression over time. But do you see what these things have in common? They all have to do with taking care of yourself! And in my experience, these things were super difficult to accomplish. Sounds silly, right? Is it actually possible to be so depressed that you can't even take a shower? YES-- and I've been through it. Same thing with almost every other basic hygiene task. One more thing that I want to add is that these things take time. Personally for me, it took almost a year and half to finally have motivation to do these things on an appropriate[size=medium] schedule. So don't beat yourself up if it takes a week and a half to clean your room.[/size]

Music


[size=medium]Listening to music always helped me out. I always listened to music that fit my mood like sad music. Although, it may sound like a bad idea that could egg you on. But I found it validating to listen to music that knew how I felt...even if it was kinda violent. My mood and music changed with me the more I did this. I went from sad and depressing music to lonely music to pop music to lo-fi then to witch house and now I'm just open to listening to any possible genre out there now that my mood isn't so heavy anymore.[/size]

Art

I know that I'm not the best artist, but it helped to try to visualize how I felt and make it look meaningful. But also, looking at art helps, too. I used to visit the internet archive all the time and look at all the vintage photos while imaging how it must've felt like to be born in a past time. "What type of person would I have been?" "Would I be facing the same problems I am now?" these questions then turned into "What about my life now?" "What would the people I know now be like if I weren't here?" Anyway, art doesn't involve just paintings and photographs. You define it.

Reading

I was originally gonna title this "Books" but reading comes in all sorts of formats. Weather you like comics (or manga), magazines, traditional books or simply browsing through a forum. Reading has helped me expand my imagination. I love reading about skin care tips and routines because I have terrible skin! Reading about other people's experiences with different skin types and routines gave me something to think about and look forward to. You're all ready on this forum reading through threads, so congrats!

Videos

Netflix? Hulu? Youtube? KissAnime? Is KissAnime even a thing anymore? There were some times where I was just about ready to give up, then I gave myself time to think about a show that I would love to watch. For me, Avatar: The Last Airbender really helped through the most suicidal times in my life. I don't know why, but watching that first episode and then another after another gave me a spark of hope. It took me from the real world and immersed me into an entirely different universe and when I was pushed back into reality I brought back a joy that would fuel me for a while.

Sense Your Senses

You could do this while you're on a walk, sitting under a tree, or lying down on your bed. Notice your breathing and exhale through your mouth. Feel your breath travel in and out. Also, what do you hear? Do you hear distant chatter or maybe it's so quiet that you can hear yourself breathing. Do you smell anything bad or good? Locate the biggest object you can see. How far is from you? How many steps would it take to get to that object? Take time to notice yourself and your surroundings.

~~~~~~~

Anyway, these are just things that have helped me (actually, I'm still using these to help myself while also attending therapy) and I hope you could maybe find something useful here. These aren't here to CURE any problems you have with depression, but they're just suggestions that could possibly help you through it all! 
 
Thank you for this VV! It’s always helpful to find tips that have worked for other people! And I know how you feel about Avatar: The Last Airbender! It’s a fantastic show that teaches hope and to find positivity in the smallest things!
 
This is a very thoughtful post-- and some great suggestions.  I never really understood what depression was until a couple of years ago, when Stephen Fry did a thing about it for the BBC.  It sounds awful.
 

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