How to Stop feeling Depressed and Lonely
During these challenging times of coronavirus, feelings of depression can increase. If you're suffering from depression and lockdown is lonely as you are not allowed to see your family, you just don't know how to shift the sad feeling. Below are some tips on how to stop feeling depressed and lonely. Start to take the first step to improve your life by taking back control. It's not going to be easy, but you can do it. By taking small but positive steps every day, you will soon recover and find yourself feeling healthier and happier.
Reach Out
It's not easy to maintain a healthy outlook and beat depression when you're alone and unable to go out due to the lockdown. People suffering from depression tend to isolate and withdraw, making it more difficult for them to reach out to their loved ones. Lockdown has made it worse for their depression, and the feeling of loneliness has been amplified.
However, reaching out and staying connected to your loved ones on the phone, video calls will make a lot of difference in your outlook and mood. Seek support from someone who makes you feel cared for and safe reaches out and ask for help. That person doesn't need to be able to solve your problem. He only needs to be someone who will listen compassionately and attentively without judging you.
Talking to this kind of person face to face can play a huge role in giving you positive things to do and think about. Texting, phone calls, and social media can help you stay in touch with other people, but they will never replace in-person quality time. Even if you don't feel like participating in social activities, you should push yourself to join a zoom quiz or a dance party.
Being around your loved ones will help relieve depression. You can also consider joining a support group. Being with other people going through the same situation can help reduce your loneliness or sense of isolation. These activities can help you stop feeling depressed and lonely.
Relax and stop feeling depressed
To stop depression, you need to do things that energize and relax you, such as setting limits on what you can do and doing fun activities every day. You will gradually feel more energetic and optimistic as you do fun activities. For example, you can walk somewhere new and explore that area or take up a new hobby. It's also important to support and protect your health. Depression usually involves sleep problems and affects your mood, so you should learn healthy sleep habits.
Make sure that you're getting at least seven hours of sleep at night. You should also learn how to manage stress. Stress worsens and prolongs feelings of depression. Figure out the things that trigger stress, such as money problems and work overload, and find a way to reduce the pressure. That way, you can regain control over your life.
Get Rid of Negative Thinking
Negative mind chatter or thoughts fuels depression. Having thoughts like "I hate myself," "I am feeling worthless," or "I hate my life" is a sign of depression. Other possible symptoms of depression include nervous breakdown, existential crisis, and mental and emotional breakdown. These unreasonable, negative attitudes are not realistic, but they can be challenging to give up.
The best way to deal with this problem is to identify the kinds of thoughts triggering your depression and replacing them with a more balanced perspective. Challenge negative thoughts with questions like where's the proof that this particular thought is true. Those negative thoughts will eventually crumble and can be replaced with positive ones.
When to Seek Professional Help
Perhaps you have made positive changes to your lifestyle and taken self-help steps, but how do you stop feeling depressed. If that's the case, you should seek professional help immediately. Getting additional support is not a sign of weakness. Remember, depression is not a lost cause. It can be treated. Talking therapies and positive memes can help you feel better.
There are also websites such as Depression Sanctuary that offer free services to people affected by depression. These websites provide the support, connection, and resources that you need to stop feeling depressed. NHS, UK's most significant health website and Mind UK are some of the charities that are great at self-help methods; look them up.
Get in touch if you are struggling and would like some support. Email hello@andreaasmith.com
Let me leave you with a final thought - the more you grow yourself, the more your confidence in yourself increases, and you will become mentally Resilient. The more you start to believe in your ability to survive, the more resilient you become. Get in touch to work on yourself to build resilience.
