8 Tips To Ease Depression (Plus, the Joys of Daydreaming)
After over a decade spent living in a state of what felt like perpetual anxiety, with trigger-happy panic attacks and relentless depression, I am thrilled to say I rarely get anxious anymore.
What does still piss me off is depression. This motherfucker rears its ugly head more than I care for. It is something I have come to accept. Something I know I have to deal with on occasion. Something that's not altogether surprising. And something, thankfully, I have an arsenal to fight back against.
And while I'm not going to indulge you my life, I will share just a few things I do when I'm feeling blue to help you that don't cost a penny.
Please Note: Above all, I recommend getting help from a professional. If you can't afford it, there are volunteers all over the world ready to pick up the phone and meet you with compassion and an empathetic ear to help you through this shit. And you can get through it.
Often an outside perspective and a non-judgmental compassionate ear can turn your entire world around.
With that being said, here are 8 tips to help ease depression:
1. Change your environment.
We are products of our environment. It can be a temporary shift or a permanent one, but changing your environment is powerful. The paradox of depression is that we tend to establish a "what the fucks the point" mindset and do nothing, when it's the doing that alleviates it.
While it might seem incredibly overwhelming at the time, changing your environment can spark something within you, providing you with the motivation or inspiration you need to change your world completely.
2. Look inwards. Not outwards.
Often, much of what we do, the success of it is attached to a specific outcome. And more often than not, that outcome is out of our control. So the game becomes risky and uncertain. It can also become about seeking validation.
A very dangerous game. And a game we must play—the game of risk and uncertainty that is. Not the game of validation.
If you don't take risks, you likely fail by default — the worst kind of failure and one that is far more crippling because there is no growth or lessons to be learned.
So, above all, when it comes to any endeavour — creative or other — the most important place to first seek validation from is yourself…
Are you happy or proud of whatever you did? Did you do your best with the resources you had under specific circumstances?
If so, take a bow. Because all that really matters is how it makes you feel. Remember that before you allow the opinion of others to pollute your mind.
3. Exercise / Movement.
Whatever it may be, just get yourself outdoors. And don't punish yourself by forcing yourself to do shit you don't enjoy.
If I'm in a mood, I want to be alone. That's the fastest way I've found for me to process. Exercise will always speed it up. Doesn't have to be rigorous. I'll walk the beach for an hour with the dog and some music and feel a million times better for it.
Pro tip: If you've never been to a yoga class, do yourself a favour and make a point of going.
4. Write it down.
Writing often drives me nuts because it is something I put out to the world and is possibly not the best use of my time. It's a love/hate. You rarely get back the effort you put in.
It often sucks me into the validation trap because my love language is words of affirmation... FML!
(If you don't know what I'm talking about, take the test here.)
It was this epiphany that offered me much freedom last week, prompting me to write these words to you now.
Depression, anxiety, and stress are confusing. It's almost impossible to gain perspective without verbalising what's going on in your head—whether it be with a professional or through a pen and pad.
Research shows verbalizing your thoughts through writing can have a profound impact on your mental health.
So puke it out all out over a page. A beautiful mess that doesn't have to make sense to anyone but you.
This is one of the most powerful exercises anyone can do to gain perspective and clarity.
5. Accept it.
If you are going to put your ass on the line, take risks, and take a beating, then you're going to have to suck it up and accept the fact you will likely feel shit on occasion as a result.
That's ok. It's natural, and you need not make a bigger deal than what it is. Most people don't take these risks and spend a lifetime beating themselves up for it. And maybe putting you down in the process?
There are always lessons to be learned — especially when you stumble. Embrace them. You'll become more resilient as a result.
6. Focus on your strengths.
I know it might not feel like it, but you can find strength in your weakness. Personally, it keeps my finger on the pulse. I don't become complacent. And it's that firsthand experience that ensures I can relate to my clients on a level of deep understanding they're not used to, and in turn, get them results way faster than those who are far more qualified than me on paper.
7. Never give up.
It sounds cliché. And nothing pains me more than cheesy shit lacking depth that can be found on a bumper sticker.
Fuck it, though: Never give up.
We all take knocks in life. Refuse to stay down for anyone. There is a world of potential out there. Just because shit's not working out today, doesn't mean everything won't change tomorrow.
You have to entertain the thought that maybe, just maybe, things will work out in the future. You have to allow yourself to hope and dream. Speaking of which…
8. Don't forget to dream!
While it's important to sit with your pain, to practice mindfulness, meditation, and being present, to dive inwards and snoop around all the shit you so desperately want to avoid because it's too painful — sometimes you do need a break…
Not necessarily at the bottom of the bottle, but in the depths of your imagination and creativity.
Because sometimes, my dear friend, sometimes being present sucks! And sometimes, the best thing you can do to escape it is to daydream.
Daydreaming offers you more than a handful of benefits:
- Reduces stress
- Boosts creativity
- Improves performance and productivity
- Increases happiness levels
There's more. All scientifically backed. But that's enough for me.
So, next time you're trying to be present and you’re pissed off — give yourself some marching orders, stick on your headphones, and transport yourself to a parallel world where you — by the power of your own mind and thoughts — can create your world however you want it to be.
And when you're done, you can get to work on realising that dream.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to win me an Oscar.