5 ways to overcome depressive thoughts

When putting together your routine, think about taking the following into consideration:

–    Aim to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night

–    Set an activity goal for each day. This could be anything from household chores to doing something that makes you feel good about yourself

–    Get fresh air

–    Take a break from high-stress situations. This could mean taking time out to ‘re-calibrate’ or asking for support.  

–    Eat three healthy meals every day

–  Schedule social events and try to go even when you don’t feel like it.

In addition to improving your overall physical health and stamina, exercise is a natural endorphin producer meaning it is the best and easiest way to give your mood a natural positive boost. By setting aside 20-30 minutes a day to go for a brisk walk, jog around the park or even cycle, you’re able to reduce your stress levels and increase your energy. If you can plan with others then this will give an added boost to your mood.

Intrusive negative thoughts can often be difficult for many people suffering from depression as it involves perceptions of yourself, life events or the world around you in general. Dwelling on negative thoughts significantly increases our feelings of depression, which is why it’s important to retrain your thinking habits. Take the following points into consideration to ensure you challenge negative thoughts on a daily basis:

–    Avoid over-generalising. Just because you’ve had a bad experience once, it doesn’t mean you’re doomed to terrible situations for the rest of your life. Take small steps to get yourself in a place where you can take the good with the bad and look at situations objectively.

–    Labelling. It may have been a teacher, a parent or even just yourself who gave you a negative label that has stuck ever since. Judging yourself or others harshly based on one mistake that was made or event at a particular point in life does nothing to help healthy opinions of yourself or others. Whenever you find yourself using a negative label, seeing yourself in absolute terms, try thinking about time when the oppositive was try.  Remembering the feeling of your happiest memory or a time you excelled at something will help to see more balanced opinions about yourself.

–    Dismissing positive events – Depression always tends to make sufferers focus on negative events or situations. By dismissing positive experiences or convincing yourself you don’t deserve to be happy will only cause your depression to take a downward spiral. Instead, try celebrating your small wins or achievements. This could be simple things such as getting out of bed the moment your alarm goes off and not several hours later, or bigger achievements such as, doing some exercise, keeping plans to meet with friends or doing something in work when you did not feel like doing.

When in the depths of depression, it can often feel like a monumental task to maintain even the closest of relationships. Withdrawing from friends and family is a common sign of depression so if you’re able to recognise these signs within yourself at an early stage, try to reintegrate yourself into your social groups, or even take up a new hobby. Reach out and make plans.

If you get to the point where you feel like your ‘low mood’ has gone on for significantly longer than you had hoped, then it might be time to start thinking about seeking professional help to aid these coping strategies. CBT is a talking therapy and a great way to help you deal with negative feelings and helps you create positive thinking patterns to influence positive behaviours.

Being able to identify when you’re feeling overwhelmed early is the ultimate first step to overcoming depression.

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