Depression is Painful but You Can Beat it!

by Karl Perera

What is your attitude towards problems?

That is an important question because life is full of lots of problems. Don't be upset by problems, they are here as challenges and can make you stronger. Facing problems forces you to learn about yourself and overcoming them not only leaves you stronger but can provide you with confidence. Everyone needs confidence.

In fact, there is nothing worse than running away from problems. Not facing them usually makes your life worse and the fact that you are avoiding them hurts your self esteem. This can often lead to depression.

If you are depressed then problems are not something you'll enjoy you may even begin to fear them. If you give in to your depression and problems you are giving away your power to an enemy who feeds off your fear and inaction.

What makes a person great is how he/she handles problems.

With a change in your attitude you may even be able to turn a problem into a challenge and ultimately into a success.

The problem with depression is that it creates hopelessness and the only way to change this is to take small steps, you can't fix your attitude imediately. Start with taking action, no matter how small. Getting started is the hardest step because with depression you feel demotivated.

Taking the First Steps

So how do you find the effort to get started? Well you have amazing strength within you and it is there you should look. Beating depression is all about getting in touch with your inner self and returning to who you really are. Depression destroys evey aspect of a person and destroys your hope, let's now consider what steps you can take to overcome depression and its effects on you.

1. Start thinking positive thoughts. There is light at the end of the tunnel but to begin believing this you need to get started and make the effort with your first positive thought. Remember that you are what you think and if you think negatively your life can never improve. Start by thinking of one or two things that you are grateful for. Tomorrow try three things and then five and then more. Each day as you get up go through the things you have already that you feel thankful for.
2. Choose your words carefully. Make sure you tell yourself positive things. How you talk to others also makes a big difference. Try talking more positively rather than using expressions like but or I can't.
3. Change your attitude towards problems and see them as opportunities to grow and become stronger rather than opportunities to fail and something to avoid.
4. Improve your health and exercise more. You'll feel and look better and hat will have a big impact on the health of your mind. Depression feeds off your weakness and inaction so if you devote time and energy to improve your health you deprive depression of its hold over you and you fight back with muscle!
5. Build your self worth and boost your confidence. Depression creates a sense of worthlessness and this in turn keeps you trapped.
6. Exercise your mind by filling it with anything positive you can find. Music is especially helpful. It can lift your spirit in seconds! Make sure you choose relaxing and inspirational music that you find uplifting and soothing.
7. Use your faith in God if you have it and remember sayings such as: "God never gives you more than you can handle". Prayer and belief in something greater than yourself is so helpful. So if you do believe that is one more thing you can be grateful for. 

Thoughts are so Important

Remember this:

"Be transformed by the renewing of your mind"

Depression can only have power over you if you allow it to control your thoughts and make them negative. This fuels hopelessness. To put the fire out you need positivity. 

More About Dealing With Depression

Are you looking for ways to cope with depression? Then read on...

Dealing with depression is not easy and in order to cope follow these steps:

Understand your depression

There are many symptoms including extreme sadness and unhappiness. Everyone feels unhappy sometimes but if you experience hopelessness for longer than two weeks then you are probably depressed.

You may feel anger and stress inside too. Another major symptom is tiredness and lack of sleep.

You can take my depression test to see if you are depressed. If so, it is time to move on to the second step.

Talk about your problem

Talking about your feelings of unhappiness, hopelessness and all the other emotions inside you will help you to understand what you need to do. Another person, especially if a friend, can offer a different perspective on your problem. They can make suggestions or encourage you to take certain action to do something that will help you to stop feeling so sad and miserable. Friends are great at motivating you.

One of the worst problems of depression is suffering alone. When you are so miserable and hopeless everything seems negative and a waste of time. Friends can change that because they care about you. Friends give you what you most need - someone listening, someone sharing your problems and the care that they show you can break the chains around you. Talk to someone who cares.

Get help

We have just talked about friends as a source of support. There are other forms of support you can turn to. You can visit a doctor to check out the symptoms of your depression and for advice or you can seek professional help. One suggestion I recommend is counseling which can be very effective. As with all forms of professional guidance it is important to find a good counsellor you can trust.

Of course you can also find a wealth of information and support online in the form of websites, like this one, from forums and support groups online and offline. The important thing is to take action and share your experiences and feelings in dealing with depression.

Change your thinking

Many doctors and psychologists will tell you that your depression is a chemical imbalance in your brain or that your problem could be genetic (passed down in your family). In some cases this can be true but for most people depression is caused by thinking patterns resulting from bad events in your life. If you have depression but can't figure out why it could also be due to stress or anger.

In any case, the common problem of extreme unhappiness is not normally that everything is really horrible. You think it is. If you can change the way you think about yourself and your life, you can see hope where before there was none. Your thinking is very negative when you are depressed. So everything seems hopeless.

Positive thinking, smiling, talking to a friend, exercise, getting outdoors - these are all steps that can help. Anything that changes your negative thinking is going to make you happier.

Help yourself recover

Whatever advice you get, or even if you decide to help yourself there are many things that can support your recovery. Here are a few things that will make dealing with depression less painful:

Reading - inspirational books and self help books are priceless and can make a big difference. Check out my recommended depression books for some powerful reading.
Friends - we've already covered this one. Don't suffer alone - friends bring happiness
Music - relaxing music imediately alters your brain waves and is a great way to de-stress
Diet - eat well. Concentrate on fresh fruit and healthy vegetables. Treat your body well and your mind will respond positively.
Sleep - this is so important, a good night's sleep is also absolutely priceless. Lessen stress in your life and you should sleep better. Discover more about sleep and depression.
Work - keeping busy keeps your mind off your problems. Not too much though or you'll become too stressed.
Free time - make sure to set aside free time to do what you want. What makes you happy? What are you most interested in? Why aren't you doing it more?
Balance - work, free-time, family. Your lifestyle choices are so important.
And here's something you'll want to get hold of. This really has it all:

Conquer depression and anxiety quickly and naturally - My No.1 Recommendation