depression tip

As a psychotherapist, I often find myself encouraging people to follow their hearts, listen to their feelings and go with their gut instincts. That is unless they are depressed. This is because when we’re depressed, we’re not always in the best position to make wise decisions regarding our self-care. Of course, sometimes we can tell the difference between the voice of depression and our healthy self, but sometimes depression can drown out our wise inner knowing and be mistaken for the truth. When I was depressed, my voice of depression used to convince me to isolate, oversleep, binge eat, starve myself, zone out on TV, use mind-altering substances or just give up. I remember once when I was in a deep depression, I had plans to meet a friend for dinner and a movie. Well, I called to tell her that I had to cancel because I was really down and I probably wouldn’t be very good company anyway. Well, she encouraged me to show up and she told me that I could be exactly as I was. So despite my strong desire to isolate, I showed up and I actually ended up feeling uplifted and less depressed than before I went. I did the opposite of what my depression was telling me to do or, in this case, not to do. I learned that when I was depressed and thought I should isolate, I should do exactly the opposite and reach out to a friend. When my voice of depression wanted to watch TV all day, I had to push myself to take a walk, read, or listen to something inspirational. Back then it was self-help cassette tapes, today we have endless options with blogs, books, podcasts, and meditation apps like Insight Timer. Unfortunately and ironically, depression often zaps the energy and motivation we need to do the very things that will make us feel better. So learning to do the opposite of what your voice of depression suggests will help you begin to climb out of the pit. Read more: Explore what is meant to step outside of your comfort zone into a state of optimal anxiety.