5 Tips for Dealing with Depression

Depression can be difficult to cope with. Today, I would like to share with you my top five tips for dealing with depression.

1. Get the right amount of sleep.

This means getting enough sleep. It also means not letting yourself sleep too much. Staying in bed all day can have a really negative impact on your mood.

You’ll want to have some sort of evening routine to get your brain prepared for sleep. It doesn’t have to be a long routine. I will be talking more about evening routines in a coming post.

Avoiding depression naps will be very important. You don’t have to 100% abstain from napping, but you will want to limit it to when you are actually sleepy and feel like it will help you.

You’ll have to pay attention to your own body to learn when you are tired and need sleep versus when you are experiencing fatigue due to depression.

Getting the right amount of sleep is definitely one of my top tips for dealing with depression. It’s not always going to happen, but it’s important to do your best to stay balanced in this area.

2. Set and work toward goals.

These goals should be yours. They should not be focused on what others want or need from you.

They don’t need to be big either. Sometimes making a to-do list for the day and accomplishing some of it will count.

Your goals may be things you need to do, such as take a shower, do the dishes or take your medication. It’s okay if those feel like really huge goals when you’re depressed.

They may also be goals that you want to do like getting back into an old hobby or starting a new one.

3. Stay in contact with people you care about.

In other words, don’t isolate yourself. This can be super challenging when you feel depressed, which is why it’s one of my tips for dealing with depression.

It’s hard to talk to people when you’re depressed for a couple of reasons. First, you don’t have the energy. Second, you may not want them to see you feeling bad because you feel embarrassed or are worried they will be upset or judge you.

It’s important to challenge the beliefs you have surrounding these ideas. You need to remind yourself that people love you and want you around. It’s okay to be depressed and still be seen.

Try to make sure you’re reaching out to at least one person outside your household every day. If a phone call feels like too much, you can try a text.

Schedule out your social time so you can be properly rested and prepared for it. It’s okay to schedule phone calls with friends ahead of time. If they’re a good friend, they will understand.

4. Set a timer for fifteen minutes.

This is a great strategy when you’re feeling overwhelmed by a large or seemingly large task.

You can use this for things like chores you have to do, school work, or really anything.

This allows you to work for fifteen minutes and then take a break, so you don’t feel worried or overwhelmed by the entire task or set of tasks ahead of you. If fifteen minutes is too much for you at this time, try ten minutes or even five.

Getting anything done is better than getting nothing done.

You can also use this to try out a coping skill. Set your timer (depending on the skill, you may have to adjust the amount of time) and try it out. When your timer ends, evaluate how you’re feeling and if this skill seems to be helping.

If it didn’t help, you can switch to a different coping skill. If it seems to be helping, try to continue doing it for a bit longer.

5. Do things you enjoy without having to earn them.

Doing things you enjoy may sounds simple to some, but it can be really hard when you have depression for a couple of reasons. First, you may struggle to come up with the energy to get started. Second, you may not enjoy things the way you used to.

If you’re struggling with energy, I recommend trying the technique above about setting a fifteen minute timer. It won’t give you more energy, but it may allow you to change your mindset around the activity long enough to try it.

If you aren’t enjoying things, sometimes it’s just a matter of sticking with it. Keep trying to add small enjoyable activities to your days and don’t be afraid to try something new.

Another thing I want you to notice is that I said “without having to earn them”. This means you can’t just use enjoyable activities as a reward. You need to be actively building them into your schedule.

It’s important to allow yourself to do things you enjoy, especially when you’re depressed. Try not to feel guilty about all the “more productive” things you could be doing. Life is not all about who can be the most productive.

Some final thoughts

Depression is difficult to cope with. I hope these tips for dealing with depression will give you some new ideas of things you can do to improve your mood.

Depression is not a moral failure. There is nothing you did to deserve it. It isn’t your fault, but there are things you can do to fight back.

You’re going to get through this.

I hope you enjoyed this post and found it helpful! If you did, please consider leaving a comment or sharing a link on your social media. You can find my contact info here. And don’t forget to sign up for my email list below!

Until next time,

Danna