Depression - and What You Can Do About It Right Now

Disclaimer – I am not a medical professional. If you are caught in Major Depression, seek professional assistance.

We have all had times in our lives when we feel a little down, or sad or unhappy for some reason. These episodes tend to be situational and temporary in nature. After a time, the sadness passes and we are back to normal.

Depression is not like that. Depression takes us to a place of very dark feelings, and sometimes lasts for years if untreated. One description of Depression is:

'Depression (major depressive disorder) is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Fortunately, it is also treatable. Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed.’ Source

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In fact there are several types of depression, some situationally based, others biochemically / hormonally based. For a description of the types of depression click Here For Depression that is biochemically / hormonally based, a medical professional can help.

Situational Depression

This post is about situationally based depression. What I mean by situational depression is depression that is non-organic in origin. For example, for most of your life things went well, you had ‘normal’ moods, a well-functioning life, normal relationships and a productive work life.

Then, something very traumatic or shocking occurs in your life. It could be the death of a loved one, a divorce, loss of a good friendship, loss of a job, a serious accident or a serious health crisis. The reasons are many and vary person to person. For an account of an event that precipitated depression for me, Read Here

Unfortunately, situational depression, normally short-termed, can with the addition of injury, alcohol or drugs, end up being a longer termed depression lasting years. In many cases this can result in disruption of body and brain biochemistry, changing a situational depression into a more serious one requiring medical intervention.

My Case

I won’t go into much detail here, as this post is not about me, but about how to alleviate depression.

In the aftermath of an accident that left me with serious injuries, and unable to work for a long time, I found myself in a situation without a job, without a relationship, drinking and smoking heavily, and feeling very isolated. And going broke fast. In turn, I was getting depressed.

During the worst of my depression, I felt almost physically, mentally and emotionally paralyzed, or numb as some might say.

I had been a life-long sports and exercise buff, having done mountain / rock climbing, skiing, hiking, biking and swimming etc. If it involved physical activity I was interested. I was very focused on good health.

Then, due to injuries, I had to stop all that for about 2 years. The ironic thing is, that when my physical injuries finally healed, I didn’t have the will to start activity again. Depression had seeped into my life.

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After a lifetime of being fastidious about health and hygiene, I found myself sitting around a messy, uncleaned house, un-showered, drinking heavily. Doing the laundry felt like attempting to climb Mount Everest. Thoughts of suicide entered my mind.

Through trial and error, and much self-reflection, I was able to climb out of that dark place back up to a better place.

What follows are tips for doing the same, based on my experiences.

Some Suggestions for Helping Yourself if You Feel Situationally Depressed

One Step at a Time

Finally, through my alcohol-induced haze, I realized that I had to do something – anything, to get out of this state.

Yet, as I looked at myself in the mirror, and surveyed the messy unkempt interior of my house, I felt overwhelmed. When I tried to think of cleaning up both myself and the house, I was overcome with a feeling of being unable to breathe properly.

In my previous pre-accident career, I had traveled the world and supervised hundreds of people. Now, shaving seemed too labor intensive. Then I remembered back to my hiking and climbing days, those times when my legs were burning and the feeling to quit was strong.

Looking to the mountain top resulted in an ‘oh my God! Still that more to go?’ feeling. So I looked directly in front of myself, and focused on one step, then another, then another. I didn’t think about the thousands of remaining steps, only the next one.

So I looked around the house. I looked at the piled stack of dirty dishes. I said to myself, “okay, all I have to do is wash these dishes, then I will stop”. And that is what I did. I washed the dishes, then sat down.

Then a feeling came over me that I hadn’t felt in a long time. A feeling that I had committed to doing something, no matter how small, and followed through. A feeling of accomplishment. A tiny feeling of happiness entered my life.

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The next day I cleaned my bedroom. The next day the washroom. After a few days the house was cleaner than it had been in a long time. And I was feeling better about myself and my life.

I applied the same to myself. Within a short time, no more scraggly 5-day shadow, no more unwashed clothes.

The lesson here- start small, no matter how small. If having a shower is the best you can do, then go have a shower. Or take out the garbage. Pick any small limited goal and do it. And congratulate yourself for doing it.

Simplify to Purify

Suffice to say here that I took an inventory of everything I owned. I sorted the essential from the optional. I kept the essential, I gave away or sold the optional. I wrote a previous post on how to simplify your life. Please read it. Here

Let the Sunshine In

I mean this both figuratively and literally. When one is depressed, withdrawal from the world usually follows. In my case, this meant that my drapes / curtains were closed a lot of the time. I didn’t want anyone looking in at the state of my house and my life.

After I cleaned up the house and myself, the curtains were always open in the daytime. I wanted (and needed) as much blue sky and sunlight as I could get. I started going for walks, letting the sun hit my skin.

Sunlight has amazing positive effects on mood. You have probably experienced this yourself, when after a prolonged period of grey, rainy days, the sun finally comes out, and a feeling of warmth and optimism comes over you. “Here comes the sun”, as The Beatles sang.

Sunlight is also critical for certain body chemistry like the production of vitamin D, crucial for our health. And evidence shows the sunlight, is an effective way to relieve SAD (seasonal affective disorder, a form of depression). Reference

Sunlight has positive benefits both when it enters through your eyes (not looking directly at the sun of course!), and when it touches your skin.

However, if you plan on stripping down for a sun bath, best to do it before about 10:30 am or after about 3:30 pm. This is to avoid the strongest UV rays. (The times quoted vary with what latitude you live at, and what season it is. Use common sense to avoid burns and sun damage).

In my own experience, I found that exposure to sunlight elevated my mood and gave me an energetic, optimistic feeling. Getting a dose of sunshine gave me the mood and energy to complete other tasks.

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If you live in the northern hemisphere, it can be difficult to get much sunlight during the winter. If you find that long, dark winters leave you feeling down, consider getting a sun lamp or light box. You can read about that Here

Start to Reconnect With People

Just as people with depression tend to withdraw from the outside physical world, they also tend to withdraw from other people. This leads to isolation, which serves only to deepen depression.

Humans are social creatures. We evolved in tribes and we need our ‘tribe’. We all need, to a greater or lesser extent, to be with family and friends, and work colleagues.

In my particular case, my accident ended my career. By the time I healed, a market crash had eliminated most of my profession. I had no work, no work colleagues. My family was 1000s of miles away. My love relationship ended. These lost connections were a major reason I became depressed.

After I cleaned up myself, my house, and got some sunlight, I knew I had to reconnect with family, old friends and colleagues, and meet new people. I sent emails, made phone calls and visited people if possible. I’m not going to say this was easy. I had basically gone AWOL for 2 years.

But I was surprised at how kind these people I knew were. They took no offense at my previous lack of communication. I apologized for not being in touch for so long. I had felt very guilty about all this, and my attempt to reconnect lifted a big burden from my mind.

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To meet new people I joined public activities, volunteered, etc. It can start as easy as saying a simple “hello” or “thank you” to a shopkeeper or someone you see in the community, but don’t know.

Volunteering is both a great way to help others, and to meet new people. I did it, and I highly recommend it. You help yourself while helping others. A real win-win!

The lesson – Connection with other people is vital to our mental and emotional wellbeing. For a discussion on this topic click Here

Diet and Nutrition

We all know that ‘junk food’, excess sugar, trans-fats etc. are not good for our bodies. But our brains are a part of our body, and junk food just does not supply the brain and other vital organs with the quality nutrients needed. This can have a devastating negative affect on mental health.

My particular situation led to a diet of low quality foods from fast food joints and convenience stores. Disaster ensued.

Whereas before, as a bit of a health nut, I treated my body like a temple (as the saying goes), I now treated my body like my personal dump. Basically I was washing down trash food with as much beer as I could drink. My energy sank, as did my mood and ability to focus on anything for long.

As part of my life-cleanup, I stopped all junk food, and cooked fresh food at home. I reduced alcohol intake to just 2 drinks, once a week. I stopped smoking. My mood and health improved dramatically.

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But more than this, there was a feeling that once again, I was respecting my health and my body, and therefore myself as a person. The importance of this cannot be overstated.

In fact, studies show that a change from unhealthy to healthy food in itself, can relieve depression in up to 30% of depressed people studied. For a discussion on the effects of food on mental health click Here

Exercise

Last but certainly not least, we all need exercise. Exercise has played a very big part in my life. It goes hand in hand with all the other suggestions I have made – cleaning up your life, fresh air and sunshine, connection to people, and good healthy food.

We all know that exercise strengthens the body. For example, weight bearing exercise not only increases muscle mass, but also bone density.

Exercise releases feel-good endorphins into the blood stream. These endorphins connect to opiate receptors in the brain, reducing pain and giving a mild feeling of euphoria.

Exercise has strong positive effects in elevating mood and reducing, and even helping to eliminate, some forms of depression. For a discussion read Here

There are many positive effects from exercise. A stronger, leaner body. Increased feelings of health and wellbeing. A feeling of mastery over your body and the world around you.

In short, exercise makes you stronger – physically, mentally and emotionally. Its importance is hard to over stress.

Start small if you have never exercised, or not exercised in a long time. Walk around the block. Walk through a local park. Walk to work if possible. Ride a bicycle instead of driving when possible.

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You don’t need to join an expensive gym. You can doing everything at home or in public spaces. Start slow, build up. If one push up is all you can do, then do one push up. With persistence you will increase your capacity week by week.

Do whatever kind of exercise appeals to you, but do something. Walking, running, swimming, biking, dancing, weight-training, it doesn’t matter, just get moving.

Depending what your age and physical condition are, it might be wise to get a medical examination before you start any new intensive program, just in case.

To Sum Up

My personal suggestions to alleviate non-organic depression, based on experience are:

• Start small, one step at a time.
• Clean up yourself and your living area.
• Eliminate any unnecessary possessions, to clear up both your living area and your mind.
• Get some fresh air and sunlight into your life.
• Renew / repair old connections, make new connections. Volunteer your time and services to others.
• Eat a simpler, healthier diet. Eliminate poor-nutrition junk foods.
• If you are abusing any substances, contact counseling services or 12 step programs in your area.
• Start to exercise. Any exercise. Just start.

Conclusion

I want to stress again, these suggestions are based on my situation. They are what worked for me. I hope that some or all of them might work for some people.

Depression can be a debilitating condition, often destroying lives. If you are suffering from depression, and nothing you try yourself seems to work, search for resources to help you. You might be surprised at how many people and organizations are there to assist you.

Cheers, and good luck!