Depression is not a new phenomenon among humans. People on daily basis become depressed for one reason or the other, but what matters is how you handle it to prevent this mental disorder from escalating into something catastrophic or deadly.
In simple terms, depression is a common mental health problem that involves a low mood, persistent sadness, and a loss of interest in activities. This situation takes a great toll on an individual’s productivity and leaves the affected individual miserable for some time.
As I said earlier, it is a very common mental disorder and almost everybody(especially adults) at a particular time has battled depression. Nevertheless, the rate at which it occurs in individuals differs, for instance, while some persons may rarely get depressed or emotional down, another set of individuals may easily get depressed over minor issues or circumstances. Be it as it may, no matter the category you find yourself in, I will be highlighting some key ways to combat and break loose from the shackles of depression whenever it strikes.
First, Help yourself to become happy by doing what you like: one way to escape depression is by getting busy. Not only being busy, busy doing what you like most. As a person, you know what you enjoy doing when times are rosy, just try to repeat them when you are sad. I have a friend who enjoys playing games a lot. No matter how sad he is when he arrives at the Playstation and starts his games, within a couple of minutes, his countenance changes for good. Some may also choose to go shopping all in a bid to bring back that happy self and become vibrant again.
However, although I said do whatever makes you happy, you shouldn’t seek solace in a bottle of alcoholic drink or cigarette as these substances are quite detrimental to your health, especially at such a moment when you are mentally unstable. A lot of people resort to substance abuse when they are depressed and claim that they are trying to get rid of their sorrow while in the real sense, you are only adding salt to an injury. Abusing substances has not been proven as an ideal way to forget your problems instead it hurts and adds to the underlying problem(s).
Do not isolate yourself from people: although depression comes with a low mood that makes you want to be alone and ponder on your worries, to prevent this, another alternative is to be around individuals. This goes a long way to help you as it keeps your mind away from nasty things which may cross it when you’re alone. You ought to understand that depression if not handled properly can result in something disastrous. A lot of people have taken their own life due to acute depression, when a person stays alone for too long in a terrible mood, unwelcomed thoughts can easily begin to flood his/her mind, but when you are in the presence of individuals, the discussions, jokes and even outbursts can brighten your mood a bit. Do not take situations like this for granted and this is why I am providing some salient ways to tackle this menace. Depression has ruined a lot of people who had a better life ahead. As they say, tough times don’t last, tough people, do. Just understand that no matter what you may be passing through, in no time, it shall be in the past.
Third, visit a therapist: to avoid complicating issues for yourself, when you notice that your situation keeps getting worse the best thing to do is visit a therapist. These mental therapists are experts in their field and would be able to offer you worthwhile advice on how to manage your situation. Depression can come due to several factors, it could be the death of a loved one or maybe things aren’t working out as planned. No matter the issue, only positivity can save you in this situation.
Also when discussing with the therapist, endeavor to open up about everything you are passing through as this will enable him or her to present you with an adequate solution to your problem and hopefully this may help.
In conclusion, depression in this part of the world, Africa is sometimes overlooked. Only recently that people begun to express concern whenever an individual is passing through this mental disorder. I must say that depression despite being overlooked has killed a lot of individuals more than some chronic diseases we give adequate attention to. There is a saying that ‘the mind is the master;’ this simply means that when the mind isn’t at rest or bothered by some issues, the well-being of an individual is at stake. Also, when depressed try to help yourself, come to terms with the fact that no gain comes with being angry or upset, when you understand this, then your healing process has begun.
Kindly drop your questions and contributions in the comment section.
