We all go through difficult seasons, and times where we feel less motivated, but if you or a loved one find yourselves in an endless cycle you just can’t escape, you may have depression or the start of depressive symptoms. Read more about depression and it’s symptoms here. As I was looking at the word “depression” the other day, the two e’s in the word jumped out at me. The two E’s of depression have a significant meaning in fighting the mental struggle. There are two important ways to combat depression and they both begin with E.
Today’s blog is sponsored by the letter E
Sometimes the things we need to do the most to ward off depression are the things we want to do the least. As you look at these two ideas, you may think, “there is no way I can do those.” I want to encourage you to pick one to experiment with and give them each a try. What if they made you feel better?
Enjoyable Activities
Do you find things you used to do take more effort now, or you have lost interest in things that used to bring you joy? This can be a sign of depression. One way to decrease the symptoms of depression is to incorporate enjoyable activities intentionally into your life.
Work through the following steps:
- Brainstorm a list of any and all activities that you enjoy. This could be as simple as reading a good book, doing a craft, baking, going for a bike ride, watching the sunset, etc.
- Make two columns. In the first column, list out the seven activities that you are most likely to engage in. In the second column, describe why each of those activities is pleasant.
- Add another column. In this column, schedule when and with whom each of these activities will take place over the next week. The goal is to do a pleasurable activity each day.
- Add one more column. For this section, after you do the activity, rate your satisfaction and the effect on your mood.
After you go through this week, think about what activities brought you the most joy and how you can continue to incorporate them into your life.
Exercise (movement)
Stay with me here. I know the word exercise can bring up a variety of feelings for people, not all pleasant. I don’t want you to think of exercise as in restriction, diet, etc. Let’s use the word movement instead. Whether you need to be more fit or lose weight is beside the point here. This is about moving your body to increase “feel-good” brain chemicals called endorphins. How can you include movement into each day? Could be things like walking the dog, walking with a neighbor, slowly getting back into exercise you used to enjoy like running, yoga, or Zumba. The important thing is to move your body. The evidence is clear, even 10-15 minutes a day can make a huge difference. Again, experiment. Try this for a week or two and see how you feel.
Lacking motivation? Did you know you don’t have to feel like doing something to do it? Check out the blog post I wrote about this a few months ago.
Need more information about depression?
Want more blogs and content about depression? Head over to my depression services page to find more information and links to past blog posts.
Want to talk to someone about your possible depression?
Depression is one of the specializations at Restorative Counseling Center. Contact us to talk to someone about how counseling can help.
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