Overcoming Slumps, Depression, and the Blues

Can you relate?

The holiday hoopla is over, family and friends have left, and you have read one too many “depressing” articles on how great this New Year is going to be.

Great for who?

Those who “have it all together”?

Here it is the New Year and you’re still trying to figure out what went wrong last year and how you will fix those problems, much less launch into goals for the New Year!

Did you know that depression, ranging from moderate to severe cases, affects nearly 350 million people worldwide?

Maybe you can relate.  Maybe you know someone else who might be able to relate.  Either way, it’s important to read and share the following bit of information and encouragement intended for those who are in a season in life in which they are in a slump, are depressed, or are struck with the blues.

I suffered from moderate depression and anxiety after my mother died unexpectantly several years ago.  I can tell you from experience, when you are down, it seems that everything is in a conspiracy to keep you down.

As there are varying degrees of depression, this post, is in no way meant to be the fix-it-all piece of advice.  What I am offering here are suggestions that I pray will help even one person.

Ask for help.  Let’s get one thing straight…there is NO shame in asking for help.  Whether it be from a trusted friend, a professional counselor, medical doctor, or pastor, there are people who have either spent a great deal of time learning how best to help people just like you, or in the case of a friend, love you and want the best for you.  Please allow someone to help you.  I talk about perspective later, but sometimes all you will need is the perspective of an outsider to help you break through the fog that has settled over you.  (Finding a reliable professional source of help can be overwhelming; ask a friend or family member to help you with this process.)

Don’t allow negative self-talk to perpetuate lies. Did you know that we have 50,000 thoughts running around in our heads each and every day?  Most of these thoughts, both positive and negative, are automatic, so since you can’t stop the negative thoughts from coming altogether, you best figure out a way to deal with them.  I wrote an article with four specific ways to overcome these negative thoughts; click here to read.

Remember the good.  Every single one of us has a reservoir of good memories to pull from.  For some it may be more than others, but the point is to find a few memories that you can draw from to make you smile, to lighten your mood, to remember that happiness is possible.  Now, don’t go walking down memory lane and get stuck there…you will be creating NEW good memories in the future.  Remembering things fondly (meditating on them) is merely a tool you can use to help increase your mood.  Meditation (not just clearing your mind of all thoughts, but being mindful of a good memory), certain foods, and exercise have been proven to increase your body’s dopamine (a chemical in our body that can increase motivation) levels.

Get moving.  You may have to force yourself to get up and out, but exercise is critical to feeling well, both physically and emotionally.  Research shows that exercise can improve your mood.  Endorphins, hormones released when you exercise, will trigger positive feelings.  This is what people are referring to when they talk about the “runner’s high.”

Get a new perspective.  There are times, whether you are naturally a positive or a negative thinker, that you will need a new perspective to get you on the right track.  As I mentioned earlier, this help may come through a friend, a counselor, or a pastor, but there are other ways you can help yourself.  Read uplifting, helpful, funny books, and surround yourself with positive people.  Sometimes books with short, easy to read chapters with encouraging, simple positive actions highlighted may be the best.  Other times reading a story of an inspirational person may help.

“You must learn a new way to think before you can master a new way to be.” Marianne Williamson

Show gratitude.  There is and will always be something to be thankful for.  During World War 2, Corrie ten Boom and her family were arrested for hiding Jews from the Nazis and ended up in one of the worst concentration camps in Nazi Germany, Ravensbrück.  Do you want to know one of the things she found to be thankful for during her time at this concentration camp?  Fleas!  Corrie and her dormitory mates had fleas so badly that the guards avoided them.  They saw this as a form of protection and chose to give thanks in all circumstances.  Corrie writes about her experience in The Hiding Place.

Even in the worst situation, there will always be something to be grateful for.  Dig deep.  Maybe you will express gratitude for running water, a roof over your head, a source of heat in the winter, a friend that checks in on you, a bowl of cereal…you get the point.  It’s a good idea to write down what you are grateful for.  This practice will reinforce positive thoughts and will change your life.  Start by getting a pen and paper and writing three things you are grateful for right now.  Continue with this daily and you will notice the benefits.

Help others.  You may be thinking that you are having a hard enough time helping yourself, how can you help someone else??  When you extend help to others you will feel useful, and connected.  There are all types of volunteer opportunities in your community, from working at a homeless shelter, to tutoring a student, to walking dogs at an animal shelter.  Find something that interests you and get started as soon as possible.

Celebrate the small victories.  In the morning when you get out of bed without crying, celebrate!  When you have a good conversation with a person you are constantly in conflict with, celebrate!  When you make it one day without having a drink, celebrate!  When you are able to enjoy a meal without obsessing over the calories, celebrate!  When you begin putting $15 from each paycheck into a savings account, celebrate!  Never discount a single, small victory in your battle to gain control of your life.  It’s a good idea to keep a journal recording these victories (put them right in there with your gratitude journal).  Chances are, if you don’t record them, you will forget the positive strides you are making.

If you have thoughts of suicide please call The National Suicide Prevention Line at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Lastly, if you are reading this and know someone who may be depressed, please reach out to them.  Sometimes knowing someone cares makes all the difference in the world.

I appreciate you sharing this post.

Jill xx