Depression is a horrible condition to be burdened with. You feel alone, that nobody understands you, you want to “end it all” or at least feel that way. Sometimes you don’t want to eat, or you eat too much and you can’t sleep or sleep too much. Depression leaves you with having no energy and you wouldn’t feel happy, even if you won a million dollars.
I refer to this feeling as “the dark”. Being in “the dark” is a horrible feeling. It can creep up on you or hit you like a ton of bricks. There may be a cause or no reason at all for it to overtake you.
I have struggled with depression all my life. I have witnessed the destruction it can cause in family members and friends if not treated. My own father struggled with untreated depression which resulted in his suicide. From these experiences, I have discovered ways to battle it that have worked for me and hope that what works for me, can help others in the same situation.
Depression is not something to be taken lightly. If you are able to seek medical attention, I highly recommend it. There are free clinics and counseling services available in most areas, take advantage of whats available to you. But if your in a position such as myself, where you have no medical coverage, counseling isn’t working, have tried medication with no positive results and are unable to afford costly doctors bills, you do the best you can to cope on your own.
Often with having “the dark”, you experience feelings of unimportance. You feel that you don’t matter, that your not needed and the world would be “better off” without you. These feelings are just what comes with that package of depression. Remember these are just feelings, not fact. I encourage you to read about depression and the feelings associated, so that you know what your feeling is common.
Don’t let “the dark” win. It is robbing you of your will to live, robbing you of your enjoyment of everything. Don’t let ‘the dark’ succeed in its doing. You have the right to live a happy life, regardless of what turmoil you are experiencing. There is positive in everything, you sometimes just have to look for it. Whether its a lesson learned or an opening of new doors that your mind is too foggy to see right now. You need to take steps to feel good, relax and take care of yourself, so you can see the good in the bad times you are experiencing or are feeling.
To start, it is important when trying to remove yourself of “the dark”, that you stay away from negative people. Remove all the negative people from your life as possible. Negative people don’t want to see you get better, they want to see you fall. If you have no choice but to be around them and you hear their negativity, fight back mentally with the positive. Remember they want to see you fall. Stay strong. Hurtful words, condescending talk and criticisms will have to be mentally overlooked. Don’t let others words or actions take you down, or you are letting them win. Take control of your own thoughts about yourself and how you react to others negative actions. This takes practice and is difficult to learn. After you master it, the pain from their negative words and actions will no longer have an effect on you. Rise above their negativity. Once they see that they no longer can control you with their hurtful ways, they will eventually cease their bitter behavior.
At home, you need to open the curtains and if nice out, open your windows letting fresh air in. Be sure to clean your living space. Clutter will bring feelings of anxiety. Light incense or spray fabric refreshers to bring a crisp clean scent to your living space to relax you. Remove anything that brings negative thoughts or memories. Avoid music and TV programs that bring you down. Stick to comedies and upbeat music. Most of all, don’t spend too much time alone. Invite friends or family over to your house.
In addition to cleansing your living space, its vital that you take care of your physical health. Your body is your temple. Take care of yourself. You get out what you put in. Avoid alcohol and drugs, all they do is mask symptoms only to leave you feeling worse than you were in the first place and placing you at greater risk of suicide. Try doing a detox body cleanse. There are plenty of products out on the market to cleanse your system. Eat a healthy diet and take vitamins, by doing so you will feel better by receiving much needed energy and giving your body the nutrients needed to stay healthy. Niacin also known as vitamin B, has often been used for the treatment of depression and has been known to show positive results. From my personal experience after one week of taking 1,500 mg gradually going up to 3,000 mg a day of Niacin, to my surprise I honestly noticed a significant difference.
Along with a healthy diet, drink plenty of water and be sure to get enough sleep. Being deprived of sleep will only make your condition worse. Your body heals itself while you sleep, so it only makes sense to get enough. You can over do it as well. Eight hours is a sufficient amount of sleep to feel fully rested.
Being depressed we often neglect our appearance because in the midst of “the dark”, you really don’t care anymore. Take a long hot shower or bath. Try something new, like a new haircut or hairstyle. Dress up even if you aren’t going out anywhere. You’ll feel more like doing something in jeans and a t-shirt instead of old sweat pants.
Spiritually help yourself by praying if your religious or practicing meditation. Sit in a quiet room free of distractions, clear your thoughts and focus on deep breathing. Try introducing calming music like new age music or nature sounds. Focus on the positive in your life and do this daily.
Force yourself, though it may take a while, to get out in public often. Go outside for a walk. Join a friend for coffee. Don’t stay locked indoors. The more you can get out, the better it is for you. If you have a dog or children, take them to a park. Go for a drive or work in the yard.
Keep busy is another way to fight “the dark”. Yes, I know you may feel like doing nothing, but its mind over matter. You control your thoughts, stop thinking you can’t do anything and conquer the feelings of worthlessness and failure. If you have a family, remember the children need and depend on you. A job or close family members, they depend on you. Society depends on you to participate. God depends on you to use the gifts and talents he’s given you. Fight your personal demon’s that haunt you and show them you can have control.
If you dwell on past mistakes, remember tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it. Everyone deserves a second chance. Nothing is forever, but giving in and ending your life is.
Once you do these things, you will find yourself feeling uplifted. Continue to do them even if you find yourself feeling better. No, not everybody understands what your going through, but there are some people who do. You are not alone. Things will get better. With a little patience and determination, you can and will make it through “the dark”.
