Things That Might Help if You’re Feeling Depressed

Things That Might Help if You’re Feeling Depressed

Feeling down is something that we all deal with in our lives but sometimes these feelings don’t go away and become depression instead. If you’re feeling depressed there are a few things that you can try to help yourself cope and to help yourself get better and back to your happier self.

Below are a few things that might help if you’re feeling depressed:

• Physical Activity

There’s plenty of scientific evidence that shows that exercising is good for your mood. So, if you’re not already exercising, make it part of your daily routine. Start with just a little bit each day, like a short walk, and gradually increase how much you’re doing.

• A Healthy Diet

When people feel depressed, their diet usually does one of two things. Some people don’t feel like eating much at all and the depressed person will become underweight and unhealthy and sometimes the opposite is the case — the depressed person will turn to food for comfort and eat too much of often unhealthy foods which will lead to weight gain and the side effects of obesity.

Try to nourish your body (and mind) with healthy foods that will give you energy and help your mood. If you’re already on antidepressants, these can also affect your appetite.

To improve your diet, try to establish healthy eating habits like drinking plenty of water, having fruit or vegetables with each meals and cooking from scratch as much as possible. Keep healthy snacks available at home so that you don’t reach for the biscuits and crisps every time you feel peckish.

If you drink alcohol, try to stick within the daily recommendations as alcohol can easily become an unhealthy way to cope with your emotions short-term but will most likely make you feel more depressed in the long run.

• Friends & Family

Socialising is an important part of life and spending time with your loved ones will help your mood improve too. Stay in touch and see them when you can or send messages or talk on the phone. Enjoy the good times together and nourish your relationships. Your friends and family will also be there to talk to if you’re feeling down and need some support.

• Professional Help

If the strategies above do not help and you’re not feeling any better after a few weeks, please seek professional help. See your GP or refer yourself to therapy. You can even get counselling on the phone and online these days which is brilliant, especially during the current lockdown situation. Head over to BetterHelp to read more about this option.

Collaborative Article.