Since it is still Mental Health Awareness month, I figured why not write about depression. Not so many people understand what is meant by depression and it frustrates those who are victims of this ‘illness’ so before I go any further, let me give you a breakdown of what depression is. Depression is usually confused and compared with sadness but sadness is merely one of the symptoms of depression alongside self-doubt, overthinking, losing motivation, ignoring responsibilities and distancing yourself from others.
Depression is knowing that you are loved but still feeling as though no one does. It’s being genuinely happy then stopping yourself from being happy because you feel as though you don’t deserve to be. It’s thinking so much about almost everything at once until you are overwhelmed with mixed emotions. It is also about being sad but really struggling to figure out why. I have always thought of depression as demon that comes and visits you every now and then to mentally and emotionally harass you and forces you to smile while it does the harassing. After realizing this I thought, if a prayer can chase away a demon then there must be something that can chase away depression since it acts like a demon. With that said, here are a couple of ways to deal with depression and I hope they work for you too…
Question Yourself
Depression is triggered by the tiniest things so ask yourself, “Why am I feeling this way right now?” – the little notes matter too. Be honest with yourself, if a stranger that didn’t greet you back 2 days ago is one of the reasons then count it too and ask yourself if that really matters now. Also, question yourself what will make you feel better about it – if eating pizza or going for a swim would make you feel better then try by all means to make it happen.
Get Off Social Media
Get off WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter for a while because that is where you find happy people. No one is depressed or going through anything bad on social media, it’s all people who are trying to convince us that their lives are flawless and when you are depressed, you will fall for that trap. You’ll only feel worse and you will feel lonely. Read a book, watch a movie or even go outdoors for a walk around the block.
Stay indoors
Don’t go out to seek comfort from other people or turn up/drink to avoid thinking. Reality is, you will be jeopardizing yourself by doing that because the next day you will have more to think about and you will probably end up regretting having a good time even.
Stop reading sad quotes
I never understood the logic behind reading sad quotes when you are feeling down and posting them on social media or as statuses/stories. “That moment when you burst out crying in your room and you realize that no one knows how unhappy you are” and “Sometimes all you can do is lie in bed and hope to fall asleep before you fall apart” – I don’t get it… How does it make you feel after posting a sad quote? It does not make sense how that would make you feel better therefore do not do it.
Learn Something New
Learning something new keeps you occupied so the only thing you get to think about is, “how the hell do I do that?” and you focus more on what you are trying to learn. Find YouTube tutorials on whatever you are interested in, whether it’s make-up, sewing or even dancing, find something and get on with it. Pinterest is where you can get inspiration if you really cannot think of anything, you will find something that will grab your attention soon enough.
Treat Depression as Just a Phase
Don’t think that it will last all your life because it really won’t, it will come and go and every time you will get better at dealing with this if you practise these ideas.
Listening to Trap Music
Trap and hip-hop music allows you to get your mind off things and get wild. Soulful music only encourages you to think even deeper, it becomes more like the background music to your thoughts that lead to depression. I have put together a mini trap/hip-hop playlist that I have been jamming lately so just press play on any of these songs and enjoy xox.
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I think this is practical advice with how to approach the demon of depression. I especially like the idea of putting down social media, going for a walk and hey, eating pizza! Thank you for sharing.
I’m glad it could help you too 🙌💖
Very well expressed.I myself have suffered depression for a substantial period..By God’s Grace, I eventually came out of it and so for all my friends experiencing any sort of depression , I just want to say that Sometimes, we think that we have been buried when actually we have been planted .This I learnt after having won over a chronic disease after years of struggle..Just hold on, just never give up..
I would like to share my complete story here , how I battled with an incurable disease..I wish It helps at least 1 needy person out here….Here’s the story (Not a sad one I promise 🙂 ) https://the-passport-souls.travel.blog/2017/09/04/how-i-tamed-a-monster-called-vitiligo-just-never-give-up/
preach
https://wp.me/p8zO1k-5f
Great tips, thanks for sharing!! I know I have to stop reading sad quotes, I don’t post them on social media or somthing. But, sometimes reading them helps me getting trough the day, because it reminds me that I’m not alone in this and that there are some people who actually understand me.
I actually understand what you are saying but at the end of the day you should find comfort in the idea that you are not the only one because although it’s a good reminder, it won’t make you feel better 🌻
Thank you for telling me about soulful music, I never even thought about it that way! Also a great playlist you have added!! X
Pleasure is all mine 😊 I hope this helped 💫
Your pieces of advice are well noted
This was awesomee.. Maybe you’ll like the blog I’m working on it’s similar to this😊
“stop reading sad quotes.” On point! but ohhh so tempting…..Thanks for the reminder.
Great advice Mbalenhle on ways to be kind to yourself and you really have to. I think also what people can tend to do, myself included at times, is listening to other peoples problems too much. We all have those friends that say how are you doing, yet really they can’t wait to offload after you say a couple of words, and you find yourself worrying about their issues as a way to forget about your own. There has to be that happy medium. Its great to be a sympathetic ear and good friend as long as its not too one sided. In the end you have to be proactive in addressing your depression and anxiety because you are worth it and no one else will. Thanks for sharing.
You are so right in saying that we have this uncontrollable tendency of worrying about other people’s problems and sometimes we feel as though it is our responsibility to help out because we have heard their story now. It’s good to be sympathetic but then again we shouldn’t lose ourselves because we end up neglecting our own problems which catch up with us at night when we are trying to sleep🌙. I’m glad you enjoyed the post and l hope you practise this advice, it could help you too🌻💖
Great tips! I certainly plan to incorporate many into my life as the demons of depression decide to show up!
Perfectly said and made very good points…!!!Many people out there suffering from depression, and I am glad you are giving your best and sharing good thoughts around..Impressed.
hey, reading your blog really helped me, so much information with a lot of detail, which helped me understand more about depression and many tips which will help deal with depression 🙂 really happy i read something like this, makes you really think that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. thank you again x
Well hello 🙌 I’m glad you took some time to read and it enlightened you. It is so important that we all keep in mind that we won’t walk in darkness forever, just have to take it one step at a time☺. Thank you for stopping by 🌻
Hey girl! I’ve nominate you for the Sunshine Blogger Award! The post featuring all the questions is here https://ameliacdowling.wordpress.com/2017/11/01/sunshine-blogger-award xxx
This is a wonderful and insightful post, Mbalenhle 👍🏼 thank you for talking about depression 🙏🏼 it’s something that I struggle with. These are some great tips to help deal with the onslaught of negative emotions and other symptoms of the illness. I agree that listening to trap music is an underrated tip! It does help perk me up, oddly enough. I would recommend anyone try that. Learning a new thing is a great step to help combat depression, too. It can be as simple as baking a new dessert or learning how to knit a scarf. Really anything that takes your mind off of the darkness helps. Again, super great post x
-Helene
I’m glad l got to help Helene🤗. Depression can be so draining and trying to chase it away is also just as draining but I’ve been practising these tips for a while now and l honestly feel a whole lot better. Now I’m on the verge of getting rid of depression permanently, but hey we gotta take baby steps right? Again, I’m glad l could help💖. Thank you for stopping by🌻
It did help! I agree that baby steps are the way to go, especially when dealing with depression, which can be delicate and volatile all at once. I’d rather follow steps like these, and do other things that bring me peace and happiness, than have to take medication. although admittedly that is what a lot of people require to get truly better, and that’s fine. It’s just not what I want for me, but who knows what we may need in the future, y’know? And no problem, it’s a great read 🙏🏼✌🏼
Ugh, you are such a lovely person 💖! You know what? We can totally conquer this and we totally will 🙌. Thanks again Helene 🌼
🙏🏼💞😊
Thank u Mbali for the great advice. Just what I needed to dwell in. 🌻
I’m glad you loved it💞. Thanks for reading 🌼
This is a great post Mbalenhle, Love how all the thoughts get together!! In my personal understanding!! people that post sad quotes on social media, don’t even know this sometimes but they tend to look for some form of attention, see if anybody cares. I Could be wrong but its my two cents. Have a great weekend
I totally get what you are saying and I’m also starting to think they post sad quotes to see if someone will notice that they are going through something, but instead of doing that I just hope they find at least one person they can trust and talk them whenever they need comforting. I’m glad you raised that avtually coz now it’s got me thinking 💖
Getting of social media is honestly the best idea. It really releases so much of my anxiety. Im going to check out your trap music play list.
A mini haitus is necessary every now and then 👌💖. Thanks love, hope you enjoy(ed) the playlist 💃🙌
This was a really fantastic post and I absolutely love your advice- it’s spot on and, even though staying in and getting off social media usually work to stave off depression, I don’t think advice like that is mentioned enough!
Thank you so much! I’m glad you agree with this advice 💞
You’re welcome! <3
Excellent thoughts shared!! One of the most difficult thing to be dealt with !!
That’s very true, we need to find more and more ways to deal with this because it is such a serious issue 💓
Yes!! Thankx for sharing the important issue
Depression is real and we need to keep finding ways of treating it. Great post and thanks for sharing your insight and playlist.:)
And we need to make as many people as possible aware of depression and how serious it is🌻. Thank you too for stopping by Cherylene💖
My pleasure! I totally agree. Have a wonderful weekend! 🙂
I love how you modernized this depression article. Most usually talk about finding someone to talk to and you not being alone. It warms my heart to know one of my peers especially from our Black community sees depression as an issue that goes beyond than ‘sleeping it off, you’ll be alright when you wake up’. Thank you once again for acknowledging depression is real!!!! The awareness should continue.. ooh and thank you for the playlist.
Thank you so much. I’ve been trying to wake people up about mental issues as such, slowly but surely hopefully people in our black communities will finally get it. Glad you loved the playlist 🤗 and thank you for stopping by G💖
👏👏👏Excellent Mbalenhle. Thank you for speaking on this.
And thank you too for reading🤗. That ‘Man’s not hot’ song on the playlist is dedicated to you for hating it😄😂
Please This Mans Hot