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The enemies of depression
Wednesday, 15 February 2006
For many of us, being depressed is our default mood - just as being hungry is the default state of our appetite. Just as we have to feed ourselves to satisfy our appetite, there are things we have to do to keep our emotions upbeat. These things are the enemies of depression. Here are some of the main ones.
Doing a lot of varied activity
Depression hates activity. It's mostly when we have time to sit around and think about it that we feel really bad about things. Because of this, we have to distract ourselves from this mood by undertaking a range of activities. Doing exercise, working, studying, being entertained and socializing are all great ways of fighting off gloominess. Of course, relying on only one of these will soon have us feeling miserable again. Keep your goings-on varied to keep depression out of your life.
Looking after our health
How healthy our bodies are has a big effect on how healthy our minds are. If we feel lethargic, in pain, and ill it's difficult to feel upbeat. Eat well and exercise regularly. Avoid drugs, cigarettes and too much alcohol. Try to keep yourself out of overly stressful situations. Look after your health and your outlook on life will almost certainly improve.
Making sure our situation is improving
Feeling as if things are improving gives us optimism. Going backwards leads to depression. Take action to make sure things are getting better for you as much as possible. Do things that will help improve your finances, relationships and health. It's difficult to feel bad when things are getting better.
Spending time with people who have a healthy outlook
Who we spend time with has a big effect on how we look on the world. If your social contacts are interested in death, drugs and melancholy, then it's unlikely you'll feel very good about your own life. Look for friends who are successful and healthy and you too will likely start to develop those traits.
So there they are, my four simple rules for beating depression. Like feeding yourself, it requires effort to maintain an upbeat view of the world. If you stop eating, you'll go hungry and eventually get sick and die. If you stop acting to prevent yourself falling into depression, you'll get morose, get sick and think about ending it all.
Food and positive activity are simple needs that we all have. Trying to "outsmart" or ignore these needs is to fight against nature itself. You will almost certainly lose.
Of course, if you are caught in the depths of depression, the last thing you will feel like doing is taking active steps to free yourself. Like a person weak with hunger, you will find it difficult to do that which will solve your problem.
It will take time, but act to end your gloomy mood, and the rewards will almost certainly be there.
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