DEPRESSION PROOF LIFESTYLE
- September 9, 2021
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DEPRESSION PROOF LIFESTYLE
Depression as we know it is a mental health disorder. A day in the life of a person can only be described based on one’s emotional state on that day. So, a day that is characterized by loss of interest in any thing is a bad one. In other words, to live a happier and more productive life, we need to cultivate a depression proof lifestyle. Studies show the following five tools can help you get out of depression without medication or better still it can keep you out of depression.
- GET INTO A ROUTINE
When you wake up in the morning, get into a routine that tells your brain you have woken up and started the day. Some people wake up go to the breakfast table to have breakfast then take a shower. Some people wake up and make the bed first which signals to the brain that they are awake and have finished the first task of the day. Whatever routine suits you, get into it. Letting your day go by just like that is recipe for disaster. And that will not help you in any way If you are in depression or just feeling down. Start your day with a simple nice routine that you are comfortable with, or that your brain is used to.
- SET LITTLE DAILY ACHIEVABLE GOALS
Set a goal to do something in the day, for example a short walk outside, shopping or cooking a healthy meal. Set little achievable goals and do not start with those things that look so difficult to do for you. Start with something that is simple and will make you feel that you have achieved something. The advantage of starting with much easy tasks it that, after the task is done, you feel nice, and you set another goal for the next day, the day after next day and it continues. In the beginning, it might not feel like it is changing anything because your brain is still stuck on depression mode if you are depressed. But then, as you continue to achieve little goals, you will start feeling nice about yourself and start feeling you are getting better, and you will gradually start getting out of the woods.
- EAT HEALTHY AND EXERCISE
It is important that you know what is healthy for you in your house. Do good to yourself by running away from snacking on sweets and other kind of unhealthy foods. Do anything you can to eat healthy and eat enough. Just planning and making yourself healthy meals could be one of the small goals you make that make you feel better about yourself. Regarding exercise, there are so many types of exercises, nowadays. You can go to the gym, take a walk in the woods, nature or around your neighborhood. On the other hand, you can find YouTube walking exercises for 20 minutes or 45 minutes if you do not want to go out. Just set goals to exercise, three times a week is enough. As you exercise your body produce chemicals that help you get back to normal if you are in depression. If you are not in depression, it is very difficult to get depressed when you have this kind of routine. I would recommend that you make this your lifestyle.
- MAKE SURE YOU GET ENOUGH SLEEP
Nowadays, there abound so many ways of knowing whether you are sleeping enough. Set a goal on how much is enough sleep for you. This can be 8 hours, 7 hours, or 6 hours. In recent times, there are smart watches you can afford to support you, and all you need to do is just wear it when going to sleep. What I like about smart a watch is that it keeps track of how many hours you sleep each day, and it can show you your sleeping pattern in a week. This is important because sometimes we get into a habit of not sleeping enough and we have no idea, we because we have no record of it. Sometimes when in depression you sleep too much or some people when in depression sleep too little. If you can track the way you sleep, it will go a long way to knowing what your problem is and how to manage it.
- CHALLENGE NEGATIVE THOUGHTS
For details on how to challenge negative thoughts please read my last week’s blog which was specifically on how to challenge negative thoughts. This is another tool that should be a lifestyle because negative thoughts can very easily go unnoticed in our minds. Challenging negative thoughts have been proven to be one of the tools that can help you come out of depression. https://www.dorothyattema.com/how-to-challenge-negative-thoughts/
References
SC Litin, S Nanda; Mayo Clinic Family Health Book. 2018 – Mayo Clinic
Patricia Harteneck, PhD. 7 Ways to Deal with Negative Thoughts: Learn how to tap into the positive and manage the negative. The Seleni Institute. September 29, 2015, | Reviewed by Lybi Ma
Bryan Bushman, PhD. 7 Ways to Overcome Depression Without Medication. Intermountain Healthcare. May 15, 2017
Dorothy Attema. How To Challenge Negative Thoughts? September 2021. https://www.dorothyattema.com/how-to-challenge-negative-thoughts/
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