Depression Advice: 10 Tips to Boost your MoodAuthor / Source: Dr. Kathy Nickerson Category: Depression |
Are you finding yourself a bit blue now that the holiday season is over? If so, you’re not alone. The holidays are typically full of to-do lists, must-sees and other important tasks. Not only can this be extremely stressful, it can also bring a sense of loss and uncertainty once the hustle and bustle is over. However, by following these tips, you can lessen the anxiety and depression that come with the new year. You may even find yourself feeling better than you have in a long time!
1. Get moving.It’s a proven fact that increasing your activity level will lift your mood – sometimes as much as taking an antidepressant. Take frequent walks throughout the day and keep yourself busy. Plan events to look forward to, join a local group, or start playing a team sport. This can be hard to do – especially if you’re used to being less active. But before you say, “I don’t feel like doing that”, imagine that every step you take is a step that will lead you closer to feeling better.
2. Gather up the troops.Many of us slip into depression because we feel lonely and isolated, even though we may not be. The answer is simple: reach out to friends and family. Strengthen your support system by making a few calls to friends, writing a letter or email to a family member, or setting a coffee date with a friendly colleague. Do as much as you can with others and you’ll find that surrounding yourself with people will boost your mood rapidly.
3. Let go of perfectionist thinking.No one is perfect. I repeat: no one is perfect! No matter how perfect someone’s life may seem, I guarantee you, they are not perfect. This means that you don’t need to be perfect either! If you’re feeling down because you didn’t do something as well as someone else or you’re not looking as great as someone else, stop comparing yourself to others, embrace the things that you do really well, and recognize that no one is perfect. Your best effort is good enough and no one expects more than your best effort.
4. A thought is just a thought.You control your thoughts, they don’t control you. A thought is just a thought until you decide it has value and meaning. For example, you may encounter a red light while driving and think, “The light just turned red.” This, of course, is a very neutral thought, but you might find yourself spiraling into negative interpretations if you’re already feeling down. “Another red light? This always happens to me! I am going to be late again, and the other parents will think I am irresponsible.” When you find yourself magnifying every thought, stop and reign yourself in. Limit your interpretations to what you know for sure, and search for evidence to support your beliefs.
5. Base your beliefs on evidence.When we’re not feeling great, we have a tendency to discount all of the positive things we see or hear about ourselves and believe only the negative things. Doing this only worsens your mood. With every negative thought that pops up, try questioning yourself to find evidence to support or refute that thought. For example, if you find yourself thinking, “I’m unattractive”, stop and ask yourself, “What evidence do I have that I’m unattractive?” Chances are that you’re being overly hard on yourself and overlooking some of the positive things people may have said. Keep looking for the good – “Joe from the market complemented me on my blouse – he didn’t have to say that, so maybe it’s true.” The good of the day is often stuck in the middle of a lot of other random events, it’s up to you to keep track of the positive remarks you hear throughout the day.
6. Talk nicely to yourself.The value of positive thinking is immense. But as our mood slips, so does our ability to think positively. So talk to yourself the way you would talk to a good friend – pay yourself compliments, be kind, approach new information in a neutral way. Fight against the part of your brain that is telling you negative things. When you think things like “I am not good enough, I can’t do anything right, I am a failure,” fight against these ideas by telling yourself, “No, that’s not true, I did create a beautiful holiday for my family/I just closed a significant deal/I made a friend feel better, so it can’t be true that I am not good enough.” For every negative thought you come up with, come up with at least one positive idea to refute you negative thought.
7. Act in ways that make you feel good about yourself.It’s easy to neglect daily tasks when we’re feeling down. You may not always feel like walking the dog, doing the laundry, or playing with the kids, but how do you feel when you choose NOT to do these things? If you feel worse for not doing the things on your task list, then change your behavior. Even if you don’t feel like doing something at the time, keep reminding yourself that you’ll feel worse if you don’t do what you need to do. It may seem overwhelming to try to do everything, and if you’re feeling this way, set weekly goals for yourself: this week I will do at least 3 things on my task list every day. Each week, increase your goal until you are feeling better.
8. Do something pleasurable – just for 10 minutes.When our mood is really low, we can’t imagine anything being pleasurable. We end up talking ourselves out of doing anything enjoyable. This becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy: nothing sounds enjoyable, therefore I won’t do anything, and pretty soon, nothing is pleasurable. Break this cycle by doing something pleasurable for just 10 minutes. By committing to do it for only 10 minutes, you will avoid overwhelming yourself. Upon conclusion, ask yourself if the pleasant activity was better, worse, or as enjoyable as you imagined. I am betting you’ll find that the activity was slightly more enjoyable that you might have thought.
9. If you want things to be different, do something differently.This concept turns out to be one of the most powerful ideas in psychotherapy: if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll always have what you’ve currently got. Therefore, if you want to improve your mood and feel better, you must change your behavior. Actively work to change your thoughts from negative to positive, challenge yourself to behave in new ways that make you feel better, and change your routine. Making these changes will yield very significant changes in your mood.
10. Contact a licensed therapist.Depression is extremely common and several studies approximate that 10% of the population is clinically depressed at any one time. Yet only 20% of persons with depression will seek appropriate care from a therapist. A licensed therapist with experience treating depression can help you to rapidly increase your mood, alleviate your symptoms, and help you get back on your feet. While some individuals are able to work through depression on their own, if you find your mood darkening and feel your symptoms worsening, please reach out to a therapist who will give you new skills and techniques to take control of your depression.
Although not easy, incorporating these strategies into your everyday routine will reduce anxiety and restore your mood. By making a series of small changes each day, you’ll find that you’ve made a big difference in your thoughts and behavior in no time. You deserve to be happy and taking care of yourself is one of the best gifts you can give yourself and your family.
Dr. Kathy Nickerson is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in helping couples reconnect and repair their relationships. Dr. Kathy is a featured expert on FeelBetterNetwork.com and you can connect with her in the “Ask An Expert” forum every Tuesday.
Article Reference: http://www.drkathynickerson.com/depression.htm
