5 EFFECTIVE WAYS OF BREAKING FROM DEPRESSION

Written by Olayemi Joel 

Some years ago, I had the opportunity of trying to help a friend out of depression because of academic failures overtime, to the extent that it was beginning to tell on the health of the person.

It wasn’t a palatable experience because you couldn’t tell if the person would not injure himself of herself when not under close supervision by a friend or neighbor. Breaking from the depression wasn’t particularly cozy.

Depression, as you might already know, is a serious medical disorder. According to Psychiatry.org, it is defined as the common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act.

There have been lots of people over time that have been tied down into depression due to one occurrence or the other in the past. 

The worst part is that you can no longer enjoy the normal things you used to enjoy in the past because depression had uttered the normal way of thinking and behaving. And to break away from depression isn’t the easy so to say.

Depression is unlike the normal mood swing we experience in normal life. The body normally experiences times of sadness of illness, but these periods cannot be categorized as depressive periods. Depression is a mental disorder characterized by constant feeling of rejection, loss of interest, sadness and low mood. When these attributes are constantly present, a subject can be said to be depressed and finding it hard to break from depression.

Part of the Causes of Depression

Guilt: The recurrence of horrible offences or crimes committed in times past may be a cause of persistent depression.

 Stress: Overworking the body systems may be an underlining cause of depression. You might not be able to perform certain tasks again because of being worn out by stress, and this may contribute to the occurrence of depression.

 Genetic Factors: Studies have shown that the first degree relatives of depressed patients are at very high risks of experiencing depression as well.

Hallucinations and Delusions: Hearing or perceiving things that people around cannot hear or perceive, or Having disturbing false fixed believes, are psychotic reasons by  which people can become depressed overtime.

Drugs and Alcohol Abuse: This is one of the most common causes of depression. People who are drug addicts and alcohol addicts become depressed in cases where they are unable to have access to the substances that give them the euphoric feeling. It is always a huge task to break from resulting depression, especially for those in the advanced stages of addiction.

Life events: Depression can be as a result of family issues, relationship issues, financial problems and medical issues.

Major symptoms of depression include:

·         Loss of interest in work. This could lead to loss of job

·         Loss of interest in Relationship. This leads to loss of sexual pleasure.

·         Inability to be coordinated.

·         Fatigue.

·         Much energy is expended on worrying and restlessness.

·         Drug Addiction.

·         The recurring thoughts of death.

What to do in order to become free from depression.

1.       Be Motivated: It can be difficult to cultivate positive habits and perspectives about life while going through depressive state. But one of the best things you can do as a depressed person is to be motivated by your desire to get out completely from depression. Read books, watch sermons and tapes, go out and watch as the sun set in its place, wonder about the beauty of creation, etc. Do everything that will make you feel motivated again about life.

2.       Engage in Aerobic Exercise: Studies have found out that the level of Norepinephrine hormone which controls mood, increases during aerobic exercise. This helps a lot at the earlier stage of depression. The level of endophines is also increased in the process.

3.       Don’t Stay Alone: One of the major factors which increases predisposition to depression is staying alone in the room or in the house where no friends or neighbors having easy access. This permits recurrent awkward thoughts and suppresses positive thoughts to prevail. In other words, hang out with friends!

4.       Take Medication: There are anti-depressant drugs which doctors can select for the treatment of depression. These drugs include, Mono-Amine Oxidase Inhibitor, Tricyclic Anti-depressant drug, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor.

However, you shouldn’t try to take the drugs on your own because of the dangers attached. The drugs should only be prescribed by qualified medical doctors as the Food And Drug Administration warns that these drugs can induce ‘suicidal thoughts’ in patients at the early age of treatment.

5.       Get Enough Sleep:  To eat healthy as a depressed patient is good, to take anti-depressant medications is also good, likewise getting enough sleep is just as important. Its understandable that being in depressive state may want to cause thoughtful-distractions from allowing you to sleep, but ensure that you stop all activities that may not also contribute to your inability to sleep: e.g watching movie, or being in a very lousy area.

In conclusion, depression is a serious condition which you must pay close attention to. Be sure to make good use of the information shared in this post in order to live a healthy, peaceful and happy life.

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