Managing Your Depression One Day at a Time

How do you cope with feeling of depression? For a lot of people, depression can be a 
major obstacle that slows or halts progress, and can keep you from achieving the things 
that you are truly capable of accomplishing. If this is something that you are familiar 
with, you’re probably at the point where you would like to find some new ways to 
approach things. 


Who Is Affected?

When it comes to depression, the range of people that are affected is relatively large. 
Depression can show up in all sorts of ways, and be manifested in a range of reactions 
and behaviors. Until the last few decades, very little was known about what depression 
can really do to change the way that people interact with the world around them. 

This often leads to various types of misdiagnosis. It has also been remarked that the 
personal beliefs of some doctors may have clouded their judgement. People of all 
races, sexes, ages and financial stations are affected by depression, but in recent 
years, studies have shown that there is a growing number of people in younger age 
groups that are experiencing difficulties as a result of depression. 


Looking at the Causes

When looking at the facts, it becomes very clear that the causes of depression can be 
just as numerous as the types of people that it can affect. Events that take place at a 
young or impressionable age, poverty, genetics, health, and random trauma can make a 
serious impact on the way that a person develops. 

From looking at the science, scientists have discovered that events that take place in 
people’s lives can even influence DNA changes. This means that it could be possible 
that these changes are not only recorded by your body, and possibly could be passed 
on to your children. Studies of PTSD in animals have also yielded results that support 
this possibility.   





1. Be Kind to Yourself

The first thing you need to do in the new year when you are working on managing your 
depression is to be kind, and give yourself a break. Make sure you are maintaining a 
positive attitude going through each day, and it can help you have the strength and 
mindset to work on your depression. This is not going to cure it, and you shouldn’t 
ignore other treatments and medications you have been taking, but it is a step in the 
right direction.


Being More Positive

When you’re feeling down, it’s easy to become your own worst enemy. This can make 
your take the blame for things that aren’t your fault, and avoid taking responsibility for 
things that are. It should be no surprise then, that the very things that are the hardest to 
complete when you are in the deepest of pits will probably be the exact things that can 
help you to get more control over your depression. If you find yourself dwelling on 
negative thoughts and tearing yourself down, then you’ll need to make sure to practice 
changing that habit. 


Say Nice Things to Yourself

The internal chatter that you have can greatly influence that way that you feel about 
yourself, so it’s extremely important that you pay very close attention to the things that 
you say to yourself. Accusatory, negative thoughts where you insult yourself routinely 
can put a very real world spin on how you feel about yourself, so it’ll become necessary 
for you to begin taking time out during your day to say something positive to yourself. It 
might feel fun to be cynical about life, but the hidden cost could be high. 


Depression Changes How You Feel 

The most important thing to remember during all of these steps is that the depression is 
the reason why you are feeling the way you feel. Depression will make you feel as 
though you are incapable to dealing with everyday things, and the world can feel as 
though it’s against you sometimes. This makes forward motion very hard, but one thing 
that you can do is simply start. Take one step, even if it’s the smallest step. Tomorrow 
you can take another one. 

2. Learn Something New

It is also a great idea to keep working on yourself, and make a commitment to yourself. 
This is how you will learn how to manage your depression on a daily basis. If you 
always do everything the same, you will never feel any different.


Learning a New Skill

While time to rest is a good thing, idle time can be an open doorway to problems. 
Sometimes the best medicine is to stay busy with something that gives you a sense of 
accomplishment. Taking on a project that can give your new skills can be a tremendous 
boost to your confidence, because sometimes all you need is the reminder of how 
capable you are. 

Hobbies like sculpture, painting and music are all things that you can do in spare time, 
and they are much better choices of how to spend time than dwelling on things that are 
out of your control. 


Get into Some Creative Work 

Art is great for people. That’s why it’s used in rehabilitation in so many different fields. 
There’s a type of power that creative expression can have on people. If you’ve never 
really thought about doing any type of art, it might be worth it to just try something. You 
never know what might keep your attention and help you to wash away the negative 
thoughts.  


Take a Leap

Depression can sneak up on you. Even though there are many areas where humans 
like to have routines, living on a very small track where you repeat the same tasks can 
be grating. A change of pace might be your solution. 

If you are a creature of habit who stays within a small geographical area most of every 
year, then doing something like a day trip could be what you need to perk things back 
up. Be spontaneous. Ask someone you’re curious about to hang out. Reach out for 
advice from someone you respect. Almost anything can be turning into a great 
opportunity to learn something new. 

3. Make Small, Daily Changes

As you embark on your journey to improve your depression and other mental health 
issues you experience, it is important to keep those daily habits in mind. This can really 
help you to feel better on a daily basis, and not let your mental health consume you.

Here are some small, daily changes that can make a big difference in how you feel.


Try Some Light Exercise

One of the top overlooked activities that can help you to manage your depression is 
exercise. When you give your body a workout, your brain releases chemicals that help 
to regulate mood and other processes in your body. These can help take the edge off of 
your depression, and even put a major clamp down on your anxiety. 

When you are exercising for your health, as opposed to weight loss or fitness, you have 
more freedom in the types of exercises you choose. Start slow and experiment with 
different types of physical activity until you find what works best for you.

It can be a light walk around the block, or just a few crunches. The idea here, is just to 
do a little bit of something, and work your way up slowly in small ways. This will keep 
you from feeling overwhelmed and protect you from the possibility of injuries.  


Avoid Depressants 

Unfortunately, you might be participating in some bad habits that are making your 
depression worse, or at least increasing the depression symptoms. 

To start with, alcohol can make your depression much worse. Drinking large quantities 
of depressants like alcohol can increase your depression. This is because substances 
that are put into the body often become a part of the processes that your body has in it’s 
routine. 

When you go without the things your body is used to, then your body is likely to 
manufacture unpleasant sensations that will motivate you to want to indulge the urges. 

The best thing to do in those situations would be to taper off in a way that allows your 
body to adjust to the changes to your habits. In a few cases in might be advisable to 
seek medical help to make sure that there won’t be other complications from your new 
endeavor, but it is pretty rare that an extreme reaction will develop that would make it 
completely necessary.


Go into the Light

Did you know that the human body needs a certain amount of light per day? Studies 
looking at the effects of light on the body have shown that your body favors natural light 
over artificial light. This could be because of the fact that artificial light is generally less 
effective than natural light that comes from the sun. 

Sunlight interacts with cells in your body that tell your body how to regulate some of its 
essential processes. This includes the amount of hormones it produces that control 
when you sleep and how your food is processed. Take some time to get out during the 
day and soak up some of that sunlight.

Think of small ways to get outside more each day, such as:

Taking your lunch break outside.
Going for an extra walk in the morning or at night.
Taking your dog on a longer walk in the sunshine.
Spending your weekends with outdoor activities.















4. Sleep and Meditation 

Relaxing your body and mind are equally important when you are dealing with a lot of 
depression triggers, or when your depression causes fatigue and trouble sleeping.

This section is going to cover two very important parts of helping to manage your 
depression – meditating and practicing mindfulness, and getting more sleep.


Start Practicing Meditation 

Everyone needs some kind of peace and quiet. Some people a little extra focus and 
centering, so it might make sense for you to learn how to meditate effectively. The 
easiest way to do this is to find a quiet time and space in your home to focus on your 
breathing and heart rate. The more often your practice this will make it easier to slip into 
the meditation quickly. People often remark that they find their mind wandering at first 
but after a few weeks you might find that it is the most useful practice you’ve learned in 
quite some time. 


Try Mindfulness

Some people like to practice mindfulness while also meditating, but you can do one or 
the other. If you aren’t yet ready to meditate and clear your mind, you can still benefit 
from adding more mindfulness to your life. Mindfulness is nothing more than living in the 
present, understanding what is happening now, appreciating the current moment, and 
not worrying too much about the past or the future.

It can be very therapeutic, especially for people with stress, anxiety, and depression.


Get More Sleep

Another one of the forgotten methods of dealing with depression is maintaining a good 
sleep schedule. Your body needs sleep in order to function properly, and to give itself 
time to do repairs. Start focusing on getting better sleep, through meditation, taking your 
medications, getting more exercise, and improving your general mental health.

 

5. More Positive Habits

Here are some more positive habits that you can incorporate into your daily life this year 
to further help with your depression.


Spending Time with Friends 

When most people feel depressed, it can be easy for them to become overly absorbed 
in tasks and begin to isolate themselves. If you find yourself wanting to spend more time 
alone, it will allow you to dwell on unrealistic and unhealthy thinking. Having people 
around helps you to stay grounded and allows you to check yourself. 

Of course, this means that you’ll have to have people around that you can trust in a 
general sense, so it would be best to choose associations who know your personality. If 
you don’t have many options, then you can try doing things that don’t really require any 
companionship. 


Get a Pet 

Have you ever owned a pet? Animal have a remarkable way of giving their human 
friends a lot of perspective. Animals are always living in the now. They love attention 
and they ask you for that attention that makes their day as often as they can. They also 
will put up with children that are loud and rough with them because they can be good 
with the younger members of almost any species. 

Animals can sense when you need support, and their presence has been shown to 
reduce anxiety and depression in people who keep them around. While these furry 
friends are fun, it’s also important to remember that they are individual creatures with 
their own personality traits, likes, and dislikes, so being open to their needs can take 
time to understand, but will be very rewarding in the long run. 


Volunteer for a Cause You Care About

If you've been feeling down, spending time helping others can be a really great help to 
your emotional state. Whether you’re volunteering at a homeless shelter or just having 
some kids win a bike, the knowledge that you’ve done something for someone else can 
help you to feel good about yourself and the relationships with others. When you know 
that you’ve impacted the life of someone else in a meaningful way, and have a general 
sense of care towards that person, it can make you feel richer than actual money. Just 
be mindful of how and who you help. The operative thing here involves a sort of 
empathy that you have for others. 


Make a List of Chores

Depression can make it hard for you to want to take care of the daily stuff that makes 
your home comfortable and easy to feel relaxed within. When these things begin to pile 
up, it can take a lot out of you to even look at it. One way that you can create a plan of 
attack is to make a list of things that need to be done, and start by picking one easy 
thing to cross off of the list. 

When you have a list of the chores, it’ll be a lot easier for you to see an end in sight, and 
you’ll feel good that you accomplished something that puts you close to having a nicer 
environment. If you can do even one thing each day, you’ll be done within a week or 
two. 


