Depressed: Here are ways you can Self-heal from Depression

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Depression! A feeling that people go through nowadays. I can tell you that it's a not-so-funny feeling, coming from someone that has gone through it repeatedly and has also seen people go through it.

There are times you feel depression running through you but you just don't want to talk about it with anyone. 

You probably have this fear of being judged or being misunderstood or the fear of people using your situation against you.

Some people prefer not to talk to anyone about their depressed state.

But then, how do you get the help you need when you prefer to keep your situation to yourself?

It is amazing to know that you can self-heal from depression without having to talk to anyone about it if you wish not to.

For a clearer understanding, I would explain what depression is and how to know you are depressed.

Depression is a mood disorder characterized by a persistent feeling of dejection or disinterest in normal activities.

In clearer terms, it is when you're feeling low self-worth and feeling guilty and not able to enjoy life.

This mood disorder has caused a lot of people to self-harm, some even commit suicide. But this is not the right thing to do to be free from depression.

How to know you are depressed

We have categories of people that are battling depression but have no idea, some would even think they are being attacked by the people from their village.

You are depressed when you feel these symptoms:

1. You no longer have an interest in things you use to enjoy: It is as if you no longer care about past hobbies, pastimes, social activities, or even hanging out with family or friends. You have lost all feelings of joy and pleasure.

2. Loss of appetite and weight changes: 

You experience severe loss of appetite. You experience weight changes that are more than 5% of your body weight.

3. Getting angry and irritated easily: Apart from the pre-menstrual symptom that women go through before seeing their period, if you get angry and irritated so easily there is a chance that you are experiencing depression.

Getting easily angered and irritated may cause restlessness, agitation, or can even cause violence. You have a low tolerance for situations and can get upset under pressure.

4. Self-hatred and guilt: You become hard on yourself and these harsh criticisms are based on perceived faults and mistakes. You feel you are unworthy or guilty.

5. Having trouble concentrating on anything: You have a problem with concentration. You may even struggle to remember things, make decisions, or give your full focus on things.

6. Suicidal thoughts or behaviors: You have the feeling of hopelessness or being trapped. You start acting recklessly and start talking or thinking about killing yourself. You even conclude that nobody loves you or cares about you.

7. Excessive intake of alcohol and drugs: 

There's a probability that you might feel like alcohol is your best friend if you're the type that indulge in it

You begin to take excess alcohol or drugs to cope with feelings of loneliness, sadness, hopelessness, helplessness, and other symptoms you may be feeling due to being depressed.

Ways to self-heal from depression

• One key to self-healing from depression is being open and accepting what you are going through. You can't self-heal if you do not do this first. You also need to be loving towards yourself and what you're dealing with.

• Suppressing the emotions you are feeling may seem like a good way to heal from depression. But this approach is ultimately unhealthy and could make it worse. It's better to allow yourself to feel all the emotions.

If you want to write it all down, do so. If you want to pray about it do so. But make sure that you don't hold onto it.

• Most times, you fuel depression by focusing on what went wrong instead of what went right. Try your best to keep your focus on the good, focusing on the good would help lift your mood gradually.

• Using logic as a weapon, address each thought individually. Learn to recognize and replace the negative, irrational voice in your head as it arises.

If you can properly control your thoughts you would see how you gradually set yourself free from depression.

• Feeling down and depressed can be difficult to resist most times. You can try to go back to doing something you enjoy, you could take a nap and energize or you could register to learn an instrument, go for a concert or a show.

• The temptation to isolate yourself and withdraw from your family and friends can make depression worse, but creating time to meet up with your loved ones can combat them. Even if you can't meet them in person, video or text chat and voice call can still help.

It's important to also stay away from people that are negative and stick to the positive ones who would help boost your mood.

• Your mental health can be improved more by volunteering and providing help to someone, an organization, or something else. You may receive help from friends, but helping others would be more beneficial to you.

It would help distract you from those negative thoughts and emotions.

• Including meditation in your daily life can be beneficial to your mental health. Most people use meditation to clear their minds and also reduce stress and anxiety which increase depression symptoms.

Going to a calm and peaceful place can help decrease stress and improve your general wellbeing.

• Choosing the right foods will make a big difference in your mental and physical health. A well-balanced diet full of nutrients and lower in saturated fat can boost your health.

• Lastly, when you are pressed with too many tasks, you might feel stressed, have a depressive outlook, and lack sleep. If you are experiencing these symptoms, you may want to consider decreasing your task and taking regular breaks.

If after following all these self-healing depression remedies and you still have those feelings of depression, it is advisable to summon up the courage to talk to someone you trust or register for therapy.

Depression is not something to be played with or taken likely. It can do a lot of harm if not identified and dealt with.

In the comment section, let us know the ways you've handled depression on your own and how it worked for you.