Eight Practical Steps for Overcoming Depression

Have you ever wished there was a series of simple actions you could take to help with overcoming depression? Here is a list of ideas for you to consider and experiment with by trying them out separately or at the same time.

Feelings of comfort, contentment, happiness, and excitement sometimes feel like they have a lighter quality than feeling low. Not just in the emotional sense but in the physical sense too. When you are feeling down, the negativity tends to grow and push out the space in your life previously occupied by feelings of light-heartedness.

8 Steps for Overcoming Depression

One of the ways we can increase our resilience to feeling down is to acknowledge it and take active steps to nourish our emotional, mental, and physical selves by looking for and taking active enjoyment in various activities.

1. Do something you enjoy

The word enjoy comes from the Old French word enjoir, this word is a combination of en “make” + joir “joy” and…voila, you have the word “enjoy.” To put it another way, it comes from a word that means “make joy”! To take joy in something is an action, it is something that we all do. It is not something we receive by accident.

By taking steps (baby ones to start) to participate in activities you like, you can create joy in your life. This may sound unromantic and formulaic, but it is a practical step in the right direction.

2. Listen to music

Listening to music is a well-documented way to improve your mood and help in overcoming depression. It also helps you to become more familiar with positive emotions, and being better able to recognize them will make them easier to focus on and implement to combat feeling down.

Even better, playing music with a group of others is even more effective. You may have seen this before when, with a group of friends, you all hear some music and someone starts bobbing their head, another starts to hum, soon a joke is shared and there are smiles and laughter, all catalyzed by the sound of music.

3. Spend time in nature

Have you wondered how you can see a mountain or sea view many times yet still find it mesmerizing? Genesis 1 describes how God created the heavens and the earth and repeats the phrase “God saw that…it was good” (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25). This goodness of creation is something that we can experience when we look at and spend time in nature and take joy in what we experience through our senses.

In the 1980s the term, shinrin-yoku, or forest-bathing, emerged in Japan. Today the physiological and psychological benefits of getting out into nature is a popular research field verifying what cultures throughout time have known and embraced – spending time surrounded by nature is good for us. Science confirms that exposure to sunlight may increase our serotonin levels which helps lift our mood.

How can you do this near where you live? Take a walk in some trees when you need a break from work or visit the park with your dog instead of walking around the block. When you are looking for the next step, find a natural area near where you stay and plan a longer hike on the weekend.

4. Share time with loved ones

When you feel down you may not want to spread your grumpy vibes with others, or muster up the energy to interact, even with those you love. So, we sometimes choose to turn down invitations, or not initiate seeing friends and family. This behavior isolates us and often contributes to us feeling worse.

Seeing and speaking to others, not just face-time, but also face-to-face time, can help kindle joy and happiness, and sharing positive experiences with one another compounds this enjoyment. Having said that, video calls or speaking on the phone are also useful when overcoming depression.

Remember, those whom you love also care about you. You are not a burden to them. By sharing your time with them, they also benefit from strengthening the relationship and the happy memories the time creates and help in overcoming depression.

5. Learn some new skills

Learning new skills helps with overcoming depression and improves your mental wellbeing. It has a variety of good effects, including boosting self-confidence, raising self-esteem, building a sense of purpose, and connecting with others.

List some possible new skills you could learn. Now think about some of the objections going through your mind – perhaps you feel like you do not have enough time, or you do not need to learn new things. Look at some of the ways that new skills can pair with your current habits and interests.

• Do you cook dinner each night? Learn to cook something new. Healthy eating and cooking have innumerable health benefits.
• Do you work with others? Take on some new responsibilities like mentoring a junior staff member or improving your presentation skills.
• Try a DIY project. Perhaps start by changing out old light bulbs with new energy-saving ones, getting your bicycle in working order, or fixing a cupboard door that doesn’t close properly.
• Taking up new hobbies to challenge yourself is also a great way to learn new things. These can be things like crocheting, growing house plants, taking up a new sport, or learning how to draw.

6. Practice gratitude

Doing enjoyable things, listening to music, immersing yourself in nature, sharing time with loved ones, and learning new skills all allow you to reflect on these activities and be thankful that you have experienced them.

As you look back in gratitude, write down what you are thankful for so that you can reflect on them. Writing down one or two things you are grateful for each day actively shifts your mindset and low mood, turning them to be constructive and healthy ends. You also remember what it is you are grateful for if you write it down soon after you notice something pleasing. This habit can extend to writing notes to others to express your gratitude and can be quite meaningful.

There are a variety of ways to record gratitude – in a book or journal, or using loose pieces of paper, and storing them in a glass jar that you can put in an obvious place. When the jar is full take out the papers, read them with others, and celebrate them all over again.

7. Volunteer to help with causes you believe in

Learning new skills and practicing gratitude can be combined by volunteering. In this way, you spend time with other people and do something new and positive. This is especially empowering if you normally receive a helping hand from friends, and now you are the one reaching out and providing help. In some instances, helping others improves your ability to overcome depression and build your mental health more than receiving help does.

Giving to others creates positive feelings and a sense of reward, giving you feelings of purpose and self-worth, and it helps you to connect with other people. Small acts of kindness that can go a long way in your community could be to:

• Say thank you to someone for their assistance.
• Listen to the answers that people give when you ask how they are doing
• Provide support and company to those friends or family in your social network that could do with the support and company
• Give a helping hand to someone involved in DIY or a work project
• Volunteering in your community – schools, hospitals, and care homes all benefit from volunteer involvement.

8. Take responsibility for your diet

Eating your feelings may be something many of us are all too familiar with, but it can also lead to very unhealthy habits that worsen the way we feel and our self-esteem.

Good, healthy food will not make depression go away, but it will have a marked effect on the way you feel. Lean meat, vegetables, and grains may be good additions to your diet while you should limit stimulants like caffeine, coffee, soda, and depressants like alcohol. Many people experience greater vitality and get-up-and-go when they avoid sugar, preservatives, and processed foods.

While you are considering your diet and slowly building in more nutrition and cutting out toxins, consider meeting with a registered dietitian for expert advice and help in this area – especially as you work at overcoming depression.

Christian Counseling for Depression

If you’re looking for additional help for overcoming depression beyond this article, please browse our online counselor directory or contact our office to schedule an appointment. We would be honored to walk with you toward a place of healing and hope.