“I was only in my mid-twenties and yet I felt like I was having a mid-life crisis.” Feeling the same? Check out these self-care tips that could help ease your depression.
We’ve all been there. Working so hard and moving so quickly towards the next goal that we forget to look after ourselves. Our lives and the people in it take priority over our own health and, suddenly, we’re struck down. For some, this might mean getting over a period of chronic stress, for others this could mean a temporary or life-long battle with depression.
Whether it’s burnout, anxiety, depression or something else, all are equally as debilitating. What’s worse is that we suddenly find that we have to learn how to practice self-care, an area the majority of us are lacking in. We’re constantly being taught that we need to get to the next goal, to be humble, to be polite and kind. But we’re never taught that we need to remember ourselves among the whirlwind.
Dia shares with us her own experience of depression and the realisation that she too needed to practice more self-care. From there, she took it upon herself to learn everything she could about her diagnoses and what eases it.
* Please note: That neither I or Dia are experts on depression or any other mental illness. These are just the steps Dia took to help herself, and what works for her may not work for you.
The Self-Care routine that helped my depression.
By Dia M Susngi.
I didn’t really know what depression was until recently, nor did I care much for a self-care routine. When I was first diagnosed it was like a light had been switched on. The nightmares that I’d been having night after night, the mood swings; It all suddenly made sense! Now that I’m more aware of the issue it makes things significantly easier to manage. I’m able to understand more about who I am and what it is that helps lessen my depression.
“I’m not sure when the depression started to take things away from me.”
When I was a teenager it fell into a deep depression without even realising it. I was sad most of the time and suffered from terrible mood swings. My parents thought it was simply part of growing up and that was just like any other teenager. That was until a few years ago when the depression hit me hard.
I was only in my mid-twenties and yet I felt like I was having a mid-life crisis. In hindsight it’s apparently normal to experience some sort of existential crisis around the age of twenty-five, but yet I felt entirely alone! So, I took pills which helped for a short while but not indefinitely. What I needed was to start looking after myself properly and to stop walking through life on survival mode!
Here are some of the self-care remedies that I hope can help you as well.
Journaling.
Journaling was one of the first steps I turned to in order to relieve the pain and hurt that I’d been feeling for far too long. All the thoughts and feelings that I’d bottled up for years were poured into my journal, and I felt a great sense of relief!
I had felt a great deal of anger and resentment for years. Like the others in my family, I was a people pleaser, always putting others before myself. The depression was clearly telling me that enough was enough! Of course, I couldn’t say all the things I wanted to their faces. So, instead, it went into my journal and would later be burnt (lest someone get their hands on it).
Make peace with yourself.
Once I realised the root cause of my depression I took things into my own hands. Alongside journaling my feelings I had to begin the process of making peace with myself. Not an easy feat at all! I not only needed to make peace with my physical self, but also my thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
From there I began to analyze my feelings and worked on forgiving those who hurt me. It’s not easy, and it took me years of practice, but once you’ve got a clear mind and a vision to make it work everything falls into places.
Meditation and breathing.
Focusing on our breathing is one of the best things we can do. By simply taking time to breathe correctly, you’re giving yourself an opportunity to calm down and heal.
I also began to meditate often. I’d find a quiet place where I wouldn’t be disturbed and worked on organising and understanding my thoughts and emotions.
Talking to a friend.
If you have just one trusted friend who will stand by you no matter what, then talk to them if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Sharing how I felt with my best friend really helped bring me up when I was feeling particularly low. My best friend knew me so well that I didn’t have to make her understand, she just got it!
The best part is that she didn’t, nor does she now, judge me. She just listens to everything going on inside my head, and sometimes that’s all you need.
Get out, get active!
It’s one of the most common ‘remedies‘ suggested for depression but it’s also extremely accurate. Staying in the house all day can make us feel trapped which only heightens feelings of anxiety and depression. It’s therefore good to get out for a walk, even just a small one, during the day or early evening. When I began walking through the park or my neighborhood it really lifted my heart.
If you don’t particularly want to go outside, you can try some light exercise in the house. Exercising, even slightly, helps raise the dopamine levels in our brains which are responsible for many important functions including our mood.
YOU are No.1 priority.
We live in a social community where we are bound to social norms! Do this and do that, and what not!
It’s time to make yourself a priority because what you feel matters! You are important and it’s okay to not give a damn about what people think about you! It’s okay to be who you are.
Speak to your doctor if you need to.
Finally, don’t hesitate to speak to your doctor if needs be. It may be that you need pills to stabilise a chemical imbalance. If you feel like you need to talk go see a therapist, or ask for a referral from your doctor.
Taking good care of yourself is the first step to healing but it might not be the only thing you need. You may need intensive therapy, a variety of pills or group work. And that’s okay!
Above all else: Stay beautiful!
56 Comments
These are all great coping strategies that you can implement to help decrease the challenges of depression. It’s absolutely wonderful that you’ve been able to identify what works for you!
It’s nice to take care of your emotional stability as well as physical, with a routine to follow!
There is the routine to take care of the body or the skin because there shouldn’t be one to take care of our mind and emotions. I love your blog post for this!
Thank you so much for reading! I will pass on your kind words to Dia.
I totally get this! I have dealt with anxiety for a long time and it was self-care that helped the most. I’ve always been one to please everyone else first and then if there was time…I would care for myself. Of course we all know there is never enough time so I suffered. Now I understand what I am going through and I know when I need some time for me.
Thank you so much for reading and commenting. It can be so hard when we realise that we NEED to look after ourselves first and foremost, but once we get there it’s a matter of keeping it up.
I was lucky enough to grow up the daughter of a licensed therapist, and I can attest that these are great tips! So many people out there struggle with anxiety and depression, and don’t know how to manage their feelings. Thank you for putting such a helpful article out there.
Thank you so much for reading. There are so, so many people struggling, myself included. Mental health needs to be taken more seriously.
These are some great tips and tricks to work into your daily routine to help cope with depression. as someone who really struggles with anxiety and depression i know that all of these have been helpful! Keep spreading the word on it to help people fight against depression and mental health issues!
Thank you so much of reading! I really appreciate you popping in. I will pass on your kind words to Dia. x
Talking to friends is always a good thing. Depression can be tough to deal with.
It certainly can. Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
You and Dia are very wise. Most of these are already on my list. But the one about making peace with yourself is such a hard one. I’m still working on it though! As always, such a thoughtful and honest post. Thank you!
Thank you so much for reading and for your thoughtful commenting. I really appreciate it and I will pop this onto Dia.
I wonder if i am considered depressed but in the past 2 weeks, my heart beats very fast and short of breath due to work! super stressful.Today though after reading your blog, i feel better. Hence, perhaps i am not as depressed as I thought.
You could be suffering from a bit of anxiety. HOWEVER, I am not a doctor, as mentioned. If this is a reoccurring thing I would highly suggest you see a GP or medical practitioner. I hope you find the answer you need.
I struggled with depressed as a teen. I would go out running with some great music, and it really helped. These are all good things to do.
Thank you so much for reading.
These are all great tips and honestly I always get the winter blues for sure living in the North East. These tips would for sure help me and I am going to work on my staying active as that is a mood booster for sure 🙂
Thank you so much for reading and commenting. I will pass on your kind comment to Dia.
These are all phenomenal tips. I am a firm believer in self-care and making sure that you take care of YOU first and foremost. Wonderful post Nyxie!
Thank you so much for reading. I will pass your wonderful comment onto Dia! YOU are definitely number one in YOUR life!
Great post. I struggle with Depression too. A lot of the tips you mentioned in this post i use.
Thank you so much for reading Amanda! Always a pleasure to have you appear in my comment box. I’m glad you found this post helpful and I will pass this onto Dia.
Another great post, thanks for the advice and steps to take when feeling depressed.
Thank you so much for reading Dia’s post. x
That’s truly wonderful you’ve found your own routine to cope with your depression. Hope your tips will occur to be helpful for the one’s who are still struggling with this problem. 🙂
Thank you so much for reading. I’m glad you enjoyed this and I also hope this post will help others.
Great post, a lot of these strategies helped me with my depression.
Thank you so much of reading. I’m glad you found these helpful in your own battle.
Such an inspiring round up. Get active and talking to person close to always help.
Thank you so much for reading and commenting 🙂
I had my own battle with depression and wished I had taken better care of my self in the last 20 years. Thank goodness for recovery!
Recovery is possible! I have to believe that! Thank you for your wonderful comment 🙂
I know some people who struggled with depressed and this post can really help them. These are all good things to do. – Paolo
Thank you so much of reading and commenting on Dia’s post. I’m glad it was helpful.
I am so pleased that you were able to find a routine that helped you. Thank you for sharing it with us, I will definitely be implementing parts of it into my daily routine!
Thank you so much for reading Dia’s wonderful post. I’m glad you found it helpful.
Talking to a friend helps me but when I was in a bad relationship and was really depressed I needed medication.
Thank you so much for reading and commenting on Dia’s guest post. Sometimes medication is just something we have to accept, but it won’t fix the other areas of your life. Be safe and look after yourself.
As always, another very educational post. I decided to walk to work every day, even small activity helps to feel better.
Thank you so much for reading. Dia did a great job on this post!
What a great article, I love your recommendations here. This can definitely help a lot of people. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much for reading.
To be totally honest I question whether or not I am depressed at times. I feel and recognize some of the symptoms and then try my best to correct it. This is helpful to me.
Thank you so much for reading. If you’re questioning it I would recommend a trip to your GP/Doctor. No harm in it. Just make sure they really hear you and don’t just dismiss you. I hope you find the answer you need.
I would love to practice mediation. There are some really cool apps now that facilitate mediation. Check out insight timer!
Thank you! I’ll make a point to check that out and pass on your recommendations to Dia!
Wise advice. Been learning many of these things myself through pain management.
Thank you so much for popping in and reading Dia’s post.
These are all strategies that I’ve used when trying to cope with bouts of depression, except for meditation. I guess it’s something that I really should try though.
Thank you so much for reading Kez!
Thanks for sharing these list of self care. I think it will help greatly in managing depression.
These are all going to help people who suffers from depression. It’s a pretty deadly condition isn’t it? We all need self care each and every time.
This is really insightful, a very good self care routine.. Am not suffering from depression but this is also good for someone going through stress. i Have been stressed out lately and am guessing its as a result of me burying my self in my work.. Maybe some of this routine is what i need, at least something to get my mind of work for a while.
It’s important to leave work at work. I, for one, find this very hard but necessary in order to maintain my mental health.
Thank you so much for reading and commenting.