Dr. Shelley Sommerfeldt 4/12/19 Dr. Shelley Sommerfeldt 4/12/19

Self-Help Tips for Managing Depression

Having a good support system, exploring feelings, and implementing specific coping strategies are just a few ways that one can manage depression. Read more for self-help strategies on managing depressed mood.

With numbers as high as 1 in 6, there are many, many people who are impacted by mental health disorders and one of the most common is depression. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that more than 16 million people in the United States, over the age of 18 will experience at least one major depressive episode in a year. Statistics show that 50% of people do not seek treatment.

Depression is a serious illness and many people respond best to intensive treatment, which may include psychotherapy and medication. However, there are some self-help tips that many people find helpful in the management of their symptoms. These self-help strategies are not meant to replace treatment, but to be a supplement and additional assistance to help combat depression and put people on the path toward betterment.

Symptoms of Depression:

Depressed mood
Sadness
Hopelessness
Diminished interest or pleasure in activities
Significant weight loss or weight gain
Sleep disturbance (oversleep or inability to sleep)
Psychomotor agitation
Fatigue and loss of energy
Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
Diminished ability to concentrate
Indecisiveness or recurrent thoughts of death

10 Tips for Managing Depressed Mood:

1. Good Nutrition:

It comes as no surprise, but there is a strong link between healthy eating, good nutrition, and mental health. As we know, there is a strong mind-body connection and therefore, taking care of your body also helps with the care of your mind. This means eating healthy whole foods and cutting out the processed, sugary and refined carb foods can help to improve mood. It is also important to manage caffeine and alcohol intake as both of these substances can play a direct role in mental and emotional wellbeing.

2. Journaling:

The act of writing is a method to process emotions by fully and honestly disclosing how you are feeling. Processing of your feelings is essential to the management of emotions. Journaling provides an outlet to express your feelings in a safe and non-judgmental space. One specific example of journaling that may be helpful is a gratitude practice. By journaling each day on something or several things that you feel grateful for, it can help to shift your mindset onto something positive, which can improve mood and reduce depression.

3. Exercise & Physical Activities:

Trying to get more physically active can be very beneficial during times of depression. It is often the opposite of what someone feels like doing, but there is a lot of research that shows the benefit of exercise and the increase of endorphins and other chemicals in the brain during physical activity, which helps to combat depression. So try and push yourself to try a quick walk several times a week.

4. Social Support:

Get involved with social groups or engage with friends. It can be helpful to talk and express your feelings to others. Having meaningful connected relationships are important in times of need and support. Be sure to surround yourself with positive and healthy people. There are also places to find new friends through groups and social networks, such as events on facebook.com or interest groups through sites such as meetup.com.

5. Mindfulness:

Engaging in mindfulness meditation can serve as a key element in managing difficult moods. Mindfulness is the practice of being fully present, aware, and in the moment. This allows you to calm yourself through breathing and a meditative state to be very aware of your emotional state and how you are feeling. This is important during a depressive episode because emotions can be overwhelming and very stressful. This is especially true if you are finding yourself obsessing over your thoughts or that your negative thinking is controlling you and/or your mood. Take a few moments each day to implement a mindfulness practice to allow you to calm your thoughts, mind, and better manage your mood.

6. Outdoor activities/Sunshine & Fresh Air:

Research shows getting outdoors and surrounding yourself with nature can actually be helpful in lifting one’s mood. As we already know, physical activity can be helpful, but so can getting sunshine. Spending time outside and in sunshine has been found to be effective in combating depression, especially if someone is dealing with a seasonal depression, which occurs more in the cold winter months.

7. Keep Stress Down:

Managing of life’s stressors is essential for overall coping. Many of the same coping skills that people use and find effective that keep stress levels down, also play an important role in reducing depression. When someone is struggling with depression, they can also feel overwhelmed with feelings of stress. Implementing coping strategies that focus on relaxation and the management of stress, can also help cope with depression.

8. Hobbies & Happiness Activities:

When we are feeling down, it’s important to try to find activities to engage in. This is helpful as a distraction, it also gets you physically and mentally active and depending on the activity, it can help you to express emotions and boost feelings of happiness. Be sure to look for new and engaging hobbies or even everyday activities that could bring enjoyment. Again, it is common that when someone is feeling depressed, they often do not want to engage in a hobby or activity, but just remember it’s these activities, which can help with the management of depressed mood.

9. Reduce Negative Thinking:

While this is incredibly challenging to do, especially if you are feeling depressed, it does play an important role in managing mood. The power of positive thinking can have strong positive outcomes and is essential in reducing depression. There are several techniques which can help to boost positive thoughts including keeping mood journals, tracking and altering negative thinking, positive thinking apps and engaging in daily affirmations. Positive affirmations are a simple technique to say positive things to yourself which will help to increase the positivity in your thought process. This means starting each day with saying things like, “I can do this,” “I am strong,” or “I deserve to be happy.”

10. Seek Professional Help:

Major Depressive Disorder is very real and can be a difficult condition. Although this blog is about some example self-help strategies to manage depression, it is important to point out that for many people, self-help strategies will not be as effective as medical treatment. Many people often need a jump start to fighting their depression either by seeking psychotherapy or with medication or both. This is especially true if you ever have thoughts of suicide. Seeking treatment is essential. Depression is a very real and extremely difficult condition to face. There are several treatment options available.

You can search for psychologists in your area for psychotherapy strategies that treat depression, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. An online directory that may be helpful in finding psychologists in your area is psychologytoday.com. It may also be helpful to check with your health insurance plan to find out what your mental health treatment plan options are and search directly through your health insurance for providers in your area. Psychiatrists can also be very effective in prescribing appropriate antidepressant medication that may be helpful in treating depression. You may check with your general practitioner for recommendations and referrals for psychiatric treatment in your area.

ONLINE SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE

If you are needing support, virtual services are available, see Online Coaching with Dr. Shelley. Services are provided by telephone or online through a HIPAA-compliant telehealth portal, which allows you to be in the comfort of your own home during sessions & have increased privacy. Sessions are available for individuals or couples. Appointments can be booked online or simply email Dr. Shelley with any questions or appointment requests.

Resources:

For More Information on Depression: https://www.depression.org

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: (800) 273-8255

Blog written by: Dr. Shelley Sommerfeldt, Clinical Psychologist, Relationship Coach & Founder of the Loving Roots Project, an online wellness practice specializing in personal growth, mental wellness, & relationship betterment.

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Tips for Coping with Emotional Pain

Dealing with painful and difficult emotions can be very challenging. Self-care and coping skills are essential to our healing process. It’s important to express and let emotions out so that we can move forward and not get stuck in the pain. Here’s our latest blog on tips for coping with emotional pain.

Dealing with emotional pain is extremely difficult. Learning how to cope and heal from this pain in a healthy way can be even harder. Emotional pain can come from many circumstances such as grief, loss, trauma, stress or toxic relationships. Developing good coping skills is really essential to the process of healing. We all need outlets. We need healthy ways to express our feelings and emotions. Actually healing from emotional pain is so important and powerful, versus getting stuck and letting negative feelings hinder you from moving forward and living to your full potential.

Most people attempt to avoid emotional pain that they are feeling and this often causes them to get trapped in a cycle that actually ends up holding onto negative emotions. Some people may use unhealthy coping mechanisms such as alcohol or other substances as a means of numbing bad feelings. Often, this is unconscious. This, unfortunately, just temporarily masks the pain and does not actually help in the healing process.

Another common response to negative emotions is simply trying not to deal with them at all. Unfortunately, when we engage in this behavior, emotions do not heal and they will work themselves to the surface, but often in a very negative way. For example, with unresolved grief or other emotional pain, a person may find that they later have an increase in periods of high anxiety or acute stress. They may also notice more physical symptoms, such as difficulty sleeping, upset stomach, constant worry and rumination or even high blood pressure. It is crucial to learn healthy and appropriate ways to work through these difficult emotions. Learning good coping skills and self-care can heal pain and help to move forward.

10 Tips For Healthy Coping:

1. Write in a journal

Writing about emotional pain can be very powerful and help to actually release the emotions. Journaling allows you to mentally think about and process your feelings while you are “expressing” them, by writing, which can, in turn, release them and encourage the healing process. There have been many positive benefits seen from journaling about emotional pain. To start journaling, find anything that you feel comfortable writing in and just begin! If it’s more comfortable to be structured or use prompts then think of questions for yourself, such as “how did I get to the place where I am today?” “in my darkest place, I felt …” or “what have I learned from this experience?” The point is to write about your experience in great detail and write thoroughly about how you are feeling. This allows for the “expression” of the emotion and the symbolic “release,” which is critical to healing.

2. Use Your Creativity

This could be drawing, knitting, art, dance, photography, music, pottery, or really any activity that you enjoy. This exercise is similar to writing in a journal as it allows for the release of emotions. Through activities, we are able to find fun, freedom, distraction and often times, relief from holding onto negative emotions. This is another avenue that allows you to process and express emotions; therefore, release and heal from them.

3. Find a Healthy Support System

This could include talking to a friend or family member or even joining support groups. Having a social and emotional outlet is important. Also, speaking with someone and actually saying the words out loud about how you are feeling can be beneficial to healing. One word of caution with this step; however, is to not get too bogged down with just repeatedly venting where it can turn into unhealthy rumination and you get stuck. It’s important that you are using your support system to discuss how you are feeling, in a healthy way.

4. Use Self-Reflection

Think about your own role in the situation that is upsetting you and look for ways in which you can improve. Most of the time, when we become angry at someone else, we finger point and look to blame. We may focus on the ways in which the other person has hurt us or what they have done wrong. It can be important to express how we have been wronged and discuss that with the person who wronged us, but it is also helpful to look at ways in which we could have handled things differently, what we can change about our own behavior or how we can approach a situation differently in the future.

Another example is when people experience a bad situation that is outside of their control and they were victim to something. This can lead people to feel helpless and as though they had no control over their situation. While this may be true, it’s important to focus on what things they can do or change for the future. Perhaps it’s focusing on the positive and building their current relationships or focusing on bettering their health. These are things that we can control and keep us focused on the positive and moving forward.

5. Try Relaxation Techniques

There are many different types of relaxation techniques that can be helpful during the time of emotional pain and stress. These include using simple breathing techniques, meditation or mindfulness activities or it could even include grounding exercises, which are helpful in situations of trauma or acute stress. The point with these activities is to slow yourself down, to be very present in the moment and give yourself an opportunity of calming and healing.

A simple breathing exercise could take just a few short minutes to do and have very helpful effects. Here is an example of a simple breathing exercise: breath in and count to 5 as you are doing so, now hold your breath and count to 5 again and then exhale for 5. Repeat. This will allow you to slow your breathing and pay more focused attention on how you are feeling. After a few minutes of this calm focused breathing, you will notice a calming in your mind and your overall state of being.

6. Distract Yourself

There are times when our emotional state can be overwhelming and difficult to manage. This is when having a distraction could be helpful with coping. A distraction can be something as simple as watching a movie or having coffee with a friend. It just allows you a moment to not think about your emotional pain and in some ways, regain composure and control over how you are feeling. A distraction is a temporary relief strategy, but should not be your constant. It’s important to actually sit with your emotions and heal from them; therefore, distraction is best used only to help you through the process when you need a break or things feel too heavy. Having a temporary break from emotional pain and distracting yourself can be really important in the process.

7. Exercise

Physical exercise is a key component of mind-body wellness. Movement can allow for our negative emotions to become unstuck and actually move; therefore, allowing us to process these emotions and release them. So, do not discount the importance of going for a walk or going to the gym. Exercise can also help in reducing any negative impacts that stress has caused to the body. If you are not someone who exercises often, then a simple 20-minute walk around the neighborhood may be a great place to start to get your body and mind moving.

8. Identify Unhealthy Thinking Patterns

Learn to identify unhealthy patterns with your thinking, such as rumination or negative thinking and work toward changing those patterns. This is a common cognitive-behavioral strategy that is often seen in the management of stress or even depression and trauma. For example, when you notice yourself engaging in negative thinking or ruminating over the bad situation that happened, use self-talk to change that pattern. You can say things like, “I will get through this,” “I am strong” or “I am brave.” First, you must identify when we are not thinking in a healthy manner and then work to change that. Changing the way that we think can have a very positive impact.

9. Sit With Your Emotions

Now, this is the opposite of what I described above with distraction, but both can be healthy and healing in their own way and at the right time. As difficult as it can be, there is importance to just sitting and being present with how you are feeling. This allows you to be very aware, in the present moment with how you are feeling and to not dismiss or hide from painful emotions. It allows for an opportunity to reflect and validate your emotions and how you are feeling. It also allows for you to express these emotions to yourself and perhaps allow yourself time to cry or grieve. This again will help you to process how you are feeling and work toward healing.

10. Look Forward

It is important in the process that we do not get stuck in a negative cycle for too long. It’s crucial to keep moving forward. Of course, you should always allow yourself time to heal because this is an extremely difficult process. However, it is also important that you are working toward progress and looking for a future time when these emotions do not weigh heavily on you. This could include setting goals for something in the future or perhaps making plans for an activity as something to work toward and look forward to. This action of thinking about the future can be helpful. When people are overwhelmed with difficult feelings in the moment, it can be hard to think about the future or even picture a time when they aren’t experiencing this emotional pain. So it’s a challenge, but a purposeful one that can actually be quite helpful. This can get you setting future goals and thinking positively, which helps with healing.

Positive thinking can have a major impact in a good way toward healing. Many people underestimate the power of positive thinking, but it can help us to adjust our mood and the way that we think overall. When we have gone through a difficult situation and are working toward healing from emotional pain, it can be extremely challenging yet helpful to find something positive and meaningful in our situation, such as something we learned from the experience or how we can take a bad experience and move forward in a positive way.

Working through painful emotions is never easy. The importance here is that you are finding healthy activities and coping mechanisms that will promote your healing in a positive way. Each person is different and the situation that they experienced is very different; therefore, the coping strategies and personal preferences will also be different. It’s essential to find things that work well for you and stick to it. Painful emotions take time to heal so don’t give up right away. Keep moving forward and working on your own self-care. Healing will come and you will get through this.

ONLINE SESSIONS available

If you are needing support, virtual services are available, see Online Coaching with Dr. Shelley. Online services are provided by telephone or online through a HIPAA-compliant telehealth portal, which allows you to be in the comfort of your own home during sessions & have increased privacy. Appointments may be booked online or simply email Dr. Shelley with any questions or appointment requests.

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