Depression makes daily tasks seem like a mountain. Necessities like eating food and bathing exhaust you, and you might be easily overwhelmed. And taking antidepressants doesn’t make the problem go away either. Instead, you may experience side effects and associated weight gain, lowering your self-esteem further.
However, the journey to becoming a stronger you doesn’t end there. There are lots you can do to help yourself. All you have to do is start by taking small steps. Below is a list of self-care tips and regulation techniques to incorporate into your daily life.
Get proper sleep
Keeping up a regular sleep cycle is necessary, and quality sleep is essential to maintain cognitive and bodily functions. Sleeping too much and too little has consequences on health and makes you feel unrested the next day. It might be challenging to make yourself sleep on time at first, but perseverance has its rewards. People are easily demotivated when their lifestyle is disorganized, so think of maintaining a proper sleep schedule as an achievement.
Get ketamine therapy
Ketamine is an anesthetic drug used to relieve pain. The FDA has now approved ketamine to treat depression. Many adults don’t improve from regular antidepressant pills, or they suffer from side effects and wish to switch to a better alternative. Ketamine therapy has many benefits over antidepressants.
Ketamine is faster and lasts longer, and there’s no weight gain and fewer side effects. A professional always administers ketamine at a clinic, so there’s no risk of dependency, whereas you have to take antidepressant pills yourself. Rest assured, if you’re worried about how much does ketamine therapy cost because you’ll get numerous options to self-pay, use health insurance, or finance yourself with an Advance Care Card.
Fix your diet
Mental wellbeing and physical health go hand-in-hand, so you need to strengthen your body alongside your mind. Avoid junk food and soda to reduce processed sugar and carbs in your diet. Doing so fluctuates blood sugar less and regulates your energy levels.
Eat more greens, fish, and nuts for vitamins and nutrients because they aid brain activity and other bodily functions and processes. Keep away from stimulants like caffeine and depressants like alcohol. Consuming too much caffeine will mess up your sleep schedule, making you irritable and prone to mood swings, while alcohol significantly damages the liver and impairs thinking. If you believe you need stimulants for energy to get by, you should adjust your meal plan to eat a meal every five hours.
Work out regularly
Depression saps out most of your energy, not giving you a chance to do low-effort activities. Exercising releases endorphins that reduce feelings of pain and increases feelings of happiness. Chemically, endorphins act like pain medicine and sedatives, and regularly producing this hormone lowers stress levels, improves sleep quality, and raises self-esteem.
Studies have proven that working out lowers blood pressure, reduces fat, and increases energy levels. Even better, if you exercise outdoors or go for a run, you’ll get ample vitamin D from the sun. If you struggle with motivation, join a group. Social support is imperative to keep yourself motivated and empower yourself to do things.
Indulge in hobbies
So far, we’ve discussed proactive things that enable you to fight depressive episodes. But being too proactive can be exhausting and lead to burnout. So, take out time to indulge in your hobbies frequently. If you’re an avid reader, do your reading outside for a change. Experiment with new recipes while listening to your favorite music. Research shows listening to music by yourself and in crowd settings lifts your mood and energy.
Spending time in nature is healthy for everyone, so pick up gardening. Gardening increases the attention span and improves mood and feelings of satisfaction. You can start small and get some low-maintenance indoor plants. That way, you can take care of plants and not get overwhelmed.
Do yoga and meditation
Depression brings stress and anxiety with it. Lucky for you, meditation helps combat their long-term effects. To relax and uplift your mood, you can practice up regulation and down regulation techniques and spend a few minutes doing yoga and deep breathing every day. There are many therapeutic activities for you to try. Select a time slot and perform your chosen action every day. Buy an adult coloring book or do stretches and breathing exercises. Journaling, in particular, is known to de-stress and reform your thoughts on events and feelings.
Practice coping skills
Coping skills are meant to help you get through stressful situations. Practicing them every day trains your body and mind to resort to healthy coping actions and thoughts to ensure you can safely handle triggering situations and feel minimal dread. Find meaning in acts of service, whether helping someone get an item from a higher shelf or giving them directions.
Give affirmations to yourself. Remind yourself to say something positive about yourself when you finish a task. Counter yourself each time you get a negative thought. Avoid social media content that puts you down and switch to lighthearted, relaxing posts if you encounter a damaging post. Write a note to yourself every morning and night to encourage yourself and see what you’ve accomplished.
Clean your living space
Seeing clutter and messy space will further agitate you, so clean up to feel at ease. Depression may make it challenging to maintain your space and yourself. Assign a day to clean your room and throw out unnecessary items. If it’s too overwhelming, assign a particular day for your closet, bathroom, books, etc. Treat yourself to a nice, warm bath and change into fresh clothes once you’re done.
Socialize with your loved ones
Feelings of isolation can even come to those surrounded by people. However, it isn’t a matter of having a company or not. You could hang out with colleagues from work and feel even more emotionally exhausted than before. Focus on yourself and whose company you’d prefer. If spending time with family makes you happier, then do that. Videocall each other if physical distance makes meeting impossible. And if you like playing online games with friends, go for it!
Conclusion
The first step to bettering yourself is to fix yourself from within. Create a meal plan and cut out all junk food and stimulants. Adequate rest and healthy eating habits supply you with energy to complete your tasks and enjoy your hobbies. Spend time with people you love and set positive reminders to rebuke negative thoughts. Fighting depression takes courage and strength. Remember that the power to fight against depression lies in your hand, and you’re fully capable of overcoming the hurdles life throws your way.
