Depression is a liar

Depression is a liar

Depression has always been awful but lockdown and the stress of covid has really impacted a lot of people (and some a lot more than people realise).

From worrying about leaving the house to protecting yourself while dealing with negative thoughts everytime you cough or can’t smell anything. Hand washing can turn into an obsession and leaving the house can feel like the most daunting thing ever!

When your in the grips of depression though, it feels like it’s telling you the harsh truths when in reality depression is a liar.

Depression sucks all your energy into overthinking and worrying, leaving you a shell of your former self with no clear path out.

You feel tired and drained constantly, every day feels like a fight just to get out of bed and complete simple everyday tasks. Wanting to do more but being trapped on the Merry-go-round cycle of depression.

Depression tricks you into thinking bad and negative things about yourself and the world around you.

But there is hope. And if we use this hope for motivation, you have your starting block!

In order to beat the battle with depression we need help, encouragement and support.

Confidence and emotional intelligence are two key areas of work that are often overlooked when it comes to battling depression.

Confidence is defined as the anticipation of a positive outcome and if that outcome isn’t positive, then knowing how to deal with the outcome.

Emotional intelligence is defined as the ability to use, understand and manage our own emotions in positive ways to combat stress and overcome challenges.

The definitions of confidence and emotional intelligence are enough to begin to understand why they would help when dealing with depression.

Both are skills that can be learnt and enhanced so don’t feel because your not brimming with confidence at the moment that you won’t overcome your depression.

Knowledge is power and by educating yourself on confidence and emotional intelligence, you give yourself the power to begin healing yourself.

There are a number of ways to help with depression:

Journaling- journaling isn’t keeping a diary, it’s working through emotions you have experienced that day to figure out where they came from, why they were present during that time and how you could have dealt with the situation differently.

Mindfulness- depression leads us down the dark path of our past, bringing up mistakes and decisions we have made previously. Mindfulness is another skill that takes patience and practice but bringing your awareness to the present moment and doing thing mindfully can change your focus.

Exercise- sometimes the last thing you want to think about when your depressed is exercising so I’m not talking full blown sweat dripping workout. A gentle stroll to the shop or around the local park. Closing the curtains and dancing to music. A nice gentle session of yoga. All don’t require vigorous movement but slowly get you moving again.

Hot bath- this one can sound a bit cliche but can help. A nice hot soak in the bath can do wonders for the stress and tension knots we hold in our muscles when we tense due to depression. A hot shower can also work here too.

3 positives- this works on the basis at the end of each day you think about 3 positive things that happened through the day. 3 might seem a lot to begin with but there are positives in easily overlook places. You got up. You made it through the day. You made your bed. You brushed your hair. You washed your face. Simple yet positive things and once you see your 3 positives a day build up, it brings about more hope within us.

GP- there’s no shame in depression and asking for help. Medication can be a start and can work well along side therapy and self-help.

As you can see. Depression is a liar and will try to trick you into thinking you will be like this forever. It won’t. You just need to find your starting point and before you know it, you will be improving your life for the better.