Self-care for depression: 5 tips to help you

Intro

Depression affects millions of people worldwide. It is a mental health disorder that can drain you of energy and take all the pleasure out of living life. It’s estimated that 1 in 10 men globally suffer from depression. And most of us don’t talk about our mental health problems or seek help for them. While medication and therapy can be effective in treating depression, self-care is also essential when battling the black dog. Self-care for depression can take many forms, and there are loads of different tips you can try.

In this blog post, we’re going to talk about 5 self-care for depression tips. The self-care tips spoken about are all tips that I found beneficial when I was at my lowest with depression. There are loads of different techniques you can try but from my experience, these were the most effective. I’ve found them so beneficial that I still do them to this day. The key is to not overload yourself. Always take one small step at a time and build from there. So, bear that in mind when reading through this and giving these tips a go.

Self-care for depression: 5 tips

1. Have a routine

When we’re struggling with depression, life can feel meaningless and pointless. This is because depression lies to us. Creating a routine for yourself can give your days purpose when you feel you don’t have one. It also allows our mind to focus on healthy habits that help us, rather than focusing on all the shit that’s going wrong. You can start by creating a morning routine as simple as:

1. Getting out of bed at the same time every day.
2. Making your bed.
3. Brushing your teeth and getting ready for the day.
4. Having a nutritious breakfast.

You can start by using this simple morning routine and build from there. Beginning to incorporate other activities that benefit you, when you’re ready. Or if you feel this is too much right now, focus on just one step. When you’re comfortable with that step, add in another and keep building from there. You’ve got this!

2. Exercise

Depression can make exercise feel like an impossible task and for good reason too. Depression fucking hates exercise because exercise helps you feel amazing. When we exercise endorphins get released around our body which boosts our mood and helps us to feel happier. After exercise, we also get a real sense of achievement. Which is so beneficial to our mental health. Especially when we’re trying to climb out of a black hole.

Please don’t get turned off by the word exercise. I’m not telling you to run a 5k if you haven’t exercised for a while. Like all these steps, we start small and build from there. If you’re not exercising at all, take this as your sign to start walking more each day. Even doing simple exercises like stretching, is enough to boost your mood. Basically, exercise is depression’s nemesis. The more you can do it, the easier you’ll find it to manage your depression.

3. Talk about it

Probably the most effective tip on this list, but the hardest to do. When you’re battling depression, you can feel like you must do so in your own mind without help from others. However, this what depression wants you to think so it can stay in control of you. When you start to talk about it, almost instantly you feel a huge weight lifted from your shoulders. Also, you take a fucking huge leap on your recovery journey. Depression is an illness that can be treated, and talking is one of the most effective ways to manage it.

If you’re finding talking about your depression too hard right now, then please do this. You can even do it in notes on your phone. Write down exactly how you’re feeling and don’t stop until you’ve got it all out. It doesn’t matter if it makes sense or not, just write! When you get thoughts out of your head and onto paper it offers you better clarity on the situation and can make it easier to take the next step…

4. Practice gratitude

Depression drains our hope and allows us to believe we have nothing to enjoy in life. But, when we begin to practice gratitude, it can shift a negative train of thought into a more positive one. This can give us some happiness and appreciate what we do have. Practicing gratitude doesn’t mean you have to whack a diary and create a huge list. Not unless you want to. We can practice it by saying to ourselves what we’re grateful for each day. Like waking up in the morning and being grateful for the new day. The more we practice gratitude, the easier it becomes to shift our attention to life’s pleasures and gifts. Rather than focusing on all the negative aspects of life.

If you’re sitting here thinking you have nothing to be grateful for, then just look at the device you’re reading this from. Or think about the warm bed you woke up in. Or the water you have access to, or the food that’s readily available when you’re hungry. Depression clouds our thoughts and allows us to forget all the little things in life that we can appreciate. Take a few minutes now to sit back and think about what you can be grateful for.

5. Care for your hygiene

Depression can turn simple tasks like brushing your teeth, into draining and overwhelming chores that you start to avoid. However, when you take the time to care for your hygiene by doing things like brushing your teeth or having a shower. It can really boost your mood and help you to feel a lot better about yourself.

If you’re really struggling to properly care for your hygiene, you can take small steps and make it as easy for yourself as possible and build from there. Here are some examples you can start with:

1. If you’re not brushing your teeth start by using mouthwash every day
2. If you haven’t got the energy to shower, use baby wipes or a flannel to clean yourself
3. If you’re not up for getting properly dressed, just make sure you change your socks and underwear every day

For more tips and tricks on personal hygiene with depression, check out this blog.

Tips to help you on your self-care for depression journey

Remember, depression makes it seem like doing things to help yourself is impossible. But they’re not and you can do this. Here are some tips you can use to help you on your self-help journey:

1. Focus on one step at a time – Like I’ve said throughout this blog, start small and build from there. When you’re starting to implement self-care into your life, do so by focusing on one step at a time. When you’re comfortable with that step you can add something else
2. Do not overload yourself – Self-care is so beneficial when struggling with depression that you do not want to turn it into an overwhelming task. If the step you’re about to take is daunting, then don’t do it. Either simplify the step further or choose a step that isn’t overwhelming
3. Be patient – When you start using self-help tips, please be patient. Sometimes the results can take a little while to show. But hang on in there and just know you’re doing great. These small improvements compound to huge results over time
4. Remember you’ve fucking got this – There are going to be good and bad days, especially when you’re battling depression. I’m here to remind you that you’ve fucking got this and you’re going to kick depression’s ass!

Conclusion

I hope you’ve gained some valuable knowledge from this blog that you can use to help manage your depression. I’ve spoken about 5 different self-help techniques I used when I was stuck in my black hole. But I did not do them all at the same time. I focused on one thing and when I was comfortable doing that, I added more. If you’re going to use the advice given in this blog, then please do the same as me. Take one small step at a time and do not overload yourself. Remember, the only way is up!

If you think you’re suffering from depression and haven’t yet spoken to anyone, please reach out and speak to your doctor or a family member. Things can and will get better. Talking about it can really boost the recovery journey. You can also check out our blog on depression symptoms, to give you a better idea of what’s going on.