You know when it gets so cold and snowy in winter that you think you’ll never be comfortable again, and how it gets so extremely hot in summer that you imagine you’ll never be cold again? That is how it is with your feelings when you have depression. When you have symptoms of depression, it’s almost like you don’t have any feelings but still sense everything. It’s a desire to be unconcerned and separate yourself, but it’s still a concern for plenty of issues and sentiments across you. Can you relate to being really obsessed with the past and future? Consistently fear the worst to happen for you in your job prospects, relationships? You have the tendency to develop unrealistic expectations of yourself and other people. Just as Ralph Marston said, “Happiness is a choice, not a result. Nothing will ever make you smile until you make the call to just be delighted”.

Depression Symptoms

Each of us can experience depression in different ways, but there are certain common indications and symptoms, including:

  • Memory/decision-making difficulties

  • Stress

  • Regret, worthlessness, and helplessness

  • Increased tendency to think a lot about the future.

  • Insomnia (sleeping too little) and Hypersomnia (sleeping too much)

  • Nervousness, anxiety, and sourness.

  • A lack of interest in activities you used to enjoy

  • Overeating and undereating

  • Feelings of emptiness, loneliness, and apprehension: It’s in the words we choose that our emotions can come to the surface whilst we try our best to hide how lonely we feel on the inside. SAVE research has highlighted that we can tell a person’s negative emotional state through expressions such as “I shouldn’t be here”, “My parents, boy/girlfriend will not miss me,” “Would a person die if they do, this or that?”

  • Suicidal ideas or attempts: Research has highlighted that depression-suicide ideation was more common among young black people and that to reduce suicide vulnerability takes self-acceptance.

3 Famous True Stories of Overcoming Depression

  1. Selena Gomez has spoken out about how seeking therapeutic support for depression and anxiety has encouraged her to make healthier food choices as well as include meditation in her life and talked about the importance of exercise. Research in a journal article has documented that physical exercise can help older adults with depression cope better with their condition.

  2. Cara Delevingne spoke candidly about her mental health describing depression as “a void that I constantly need to fill.” Cara described that as a child she had to take on responsibility as a young child as her mother faced issues with drug addiction and it was only into her teens that she gave in to her emotions. She credits medication as something that saved her from acting out on her suicidal thoughts at the age of sixteen.

  3. Kirsten Dunst has admitted that when she was in her 20s, she entered a rehab center for help with depression. She spoke up about how unrealistic expectations are placed on actors to be well-spoken, “have skin tough enough to withstand sometimes really hurtful criticism.”

7 Tips to Help Yourself Cope with Depression

Andrew Solomon encouraged people facing depression to look for memories generated by this issue and present them in the future. Solomon proclaims “Listen to the people who love you. Believe that they are worth living for even when you don’t believe it. Be fearless; strong; take your pills”.

Here are 7 tips to help yourself cope with depression:

1. Accept Who You Are and Value Yourself.

Character acceptance is the complete acceptance of oneself. Both your positive and negative traits need to be acknowledged. No bone is beyond change. That is what makes us unique! Light and shade will always be present in us.

If you value yourself, you believe you are naturally kind, sympathetic, and courteous. Know that you are deserving of the same in return! By connecting ourselves with our self-worth, we may take more meaningful efforts to cultivate and nurture that worth.

2. Exercise to Brush away the Heaviness in your Heart!

Exercise is considered an “all-natural way” to cope with your depression. Whilst there is a determination to engage in high-intensity exercises to achieve society’s idea of the “perfect body” through exposing ourselves to the ideal body types on social media, research has shown low-intensity exercise practiced sustained over time is better to improve the struggles with your mental health. In an article published by Dr. Miller at Harvard University, engaging in low-intensity exercise results in “the release of proteins called neurotrophic or growth factors, which cause nerve cells to grow and make new connections” The hippocampus region in the brain of individuals going through depression supports the nerve cell growth through maintaining low-intensity exercise (e.g. tai chi, swimming, walking, cycling at a steady pace).

Further research has summarized 11 out of 15 studies have credited low-intensity exercise limb-muscle strength and reducing symptoms of depression.

If you’re feeling anxious/stressed at work, even thirty minutes of fresh air and a short break might help you relax and gain a new perspective on the problem. Consider practicing mindfulness alongside exercise to quieten and free your mind.

3. How to Challenge Negative Thoughts

Spend 10 minutes a day walking or performing yoga to relax your brain.

When your brain cannot tell the difference between reality and fantasy it can feel you’re your mind is lost in a maze. For example, we can surround ourselves with unhealthy thinking patterns that are: black or white, absolutes (“should” and “should not”), disqualification of the positive. Visualize happy scenarios. Surround yourself with the good.

Add a new routine to your thought process: daily contemplation, affirmation, or meditation to change your negative thinking pattern. Be accepting of all your emotions whether they be good or bad. Find ways to encourage yourself and let others encourage you!

4. Ask Loved Ones for Help

You probably won’t always feel comfortable chatting loudly or doing any of the workouts you adore. Invite family and friends to join you. Go for a walk or attend a decent movie with them! Asking for loved ones’ help is not a weakness but a sign of self-awareness for what you need!

5. Get back to the Things that Added Enjoyment to your Life

You can perhaps relate to feeling emotionally exhausted to take part in the things you once enjoyed. As difficult as it is, ask yourself “What did I enjoy before?” “Why did I stop?” “Did I stop because I was not the best?” Get rid of the need to be perfect – imperfections mean more space for learning! Trust your wild idea. Trust your gut. Take the chance. Follow that feeling within you that tells you’re doing something that makes you happy!

Music plays a big role in putting us in a good mood. Calming music can help to settle your mind, eases stress, evokes emotions, and soothes your soul. Set the mood – play some music!

6. Set Goals

Create a plan. The strategic planning process can be challenging while things feel worthless, but it can hopefully help you understand your life purpose. Even a simple, quick aim can be beneficial. You can work your way up to larger goals and aspirations!

7. Free Resources and Online Therapy at 7 Cups

Treating depression with 7 Cups therapy helps people to learn how to cope with symptoms that may not respond to treatment right away. According to research in the journal JMIR Mhealth Uhealth, the advantages of psychotherapy exceed the effects of the treatment alone, with 100% of participants claiming they would recommend the service for people with perinatal mood disorders, and 75.8% of users felt much better after communicating with a listener at 7 Cups.


Your sun will rise again. You will shine once more. Happiness is a mental state, not a physical location! We hope the stories and tips discussed in this article will help you.

For more support, join our empathetic community, chat with a free, trained listener, make progress through a community-driven growth path, or start affordable online therapy today.

Biography

OptimisticMoment4139 is a trained active listener since 24 November 2021 and has a 5-star listener rating. She is a Content Development and Marketing (CDM) Program graduate at the 7 Cups Academy. Having personally experienced depression and anxiety, she has found that resilience has helped her to believe strongly in her heart and that she’s meant to live a life full of passion.