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Depression affects you and everyone else in your life. Your loved ones will also feel it. If you are depressed or a person close to you is suffering from depression, you are about to find out some great advice on what you can do. Keep reading for ways that you can try to turn things around.
Do not let your depression control your social life by keeping up with normal social outings and activities. If you are suffering from depression, you probably don't want to get out as much as you use to. Regardless, you should strive to do them anyway. Try to go about your everyday activities normally. Avoiding your normal activities and chores will only make you feel worse as your responsibilities pile up.
Do not let yourself get trapped in a negative circle. Continually replaying negative thoughts in your head can make depression even worse. Try to think positive thoughts, and get others that you are around to focus on positive things as well.
Eliminate any form of the word "depression" from your vocabulary. Although the word is real, as the condition is most certainly real, you can empower yourself by changing the way you view yourself. And that all starts by changing how you view depression. When you are upset, say "feeling down" instead. If you consider it "elevating your mood" rather than "battling depression", it will be easier to accomplish.
If you live in your own home, you should try to decorate it in a very upbeat, happy style. This can help you feel better just being in your own environment.
With depression there are many causes. Try to find the root cause of your depression. Once you know why you are feeling this way, you can handle difficult moments more easily, and set about working on the things that have brought you to this point.
If you're depressed, stay away from drugs and alcohol. When people are dealing with depression, drugs and alcohol are often seen as a way to better feelings, though this thought process is a fallacy. In addition to depression, you can end up with even more serious addictions.
If you have depression, it may be helpful to join an online support group. Because these online groups provide anonymity, you may be able to express yourself more freely and openly than you would when in the physical presence of others. A number of groups exist for this exact purpose.
Stay positive throughout the entire day. Thinking negatively is something depression sufferers do often. Depressed individuals often focus on the bad, while positive people are able to maximize the good thoughts and work on solutions to any problems. Staying positive can make people want to be around you more and reduce the chances of feeling lonely.
If you are depressed, you should make sure you are eating three good meals a day. Depression may cause a decrease in appetite or an increase in junk food consumptions, so eating good food is important. Your body literally can't function, and that includes your brain, if you don't give it the calories and nutrients it needs to survive. When you eat regularly you're giving yourself the energy you need.
Improve the quality of your meals. Unhealthy foods that have been through a great deal of processing slow down your body. Eating organic foods and other healthy foods will work better for your body. If you are feeling good inside, your mind will think positive thoughts, so keep making those smart choices.
Try to maintain positive thoughts. This is easy to say as opposed to do since our minds can easily default to the negative over the positive. Try jotting down the thoughts you have so you can put down what makes you feel bad into words. Sometimes you need to listen to negative thoughts so that later on they can go away.
Don't drink diet soda or other products with artificial sweeteners when you're battling depression. The sweetener interferes with your serotonin production, possibly leading to insomnia and headaches. As these two items can already be caused by depression, sweetener consumption should be avoided. Eliminate these sweeteners from your diet.
Being out of work can really cause a depressed feeling. The loss of income associated with losing your job can make you feel overwhelmed, particularly if you provide the main source of income. The decrease in pay will make paying your bills on time difficult, which will only add to your depression.
Eating regular, healthy meals is important if you are depressed. Breakfast is critical as a meal since it boosts your metabolism and wards off compensatory binge-eating further into the day. Incorporate cold-water fish into your diet and meal preparation. Cold-water fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to lessen the effects of depression. Eat fish like salmon, tuna and halibut.
Alcohol should be avoided by people who are suffering from depression. Alcohol acts as an additional depressant on your system, and has been proven to increase symptoms in those who already have depression. Drinking alcohol and using illicit drugs will increase the effects of depression.
Depression can affect a person in many different ways. It effects more than just the sufferer alone. Use what you learned here to help you with the struggle.