Living With Depression 30th October 2014/in Blog /by RenaissanceDepression & lining with depression Just as the people who suffer with depression are individuals and varied, the illness of depression itself, encompasses a wide range of symptoms. Overall, depression is an insidious illness that can strip you of your finer personality traits and leave you feeling like an empty shell. However, we believe in cracking open the seed; allowing it to become completely undone and then rebuilding things and from CBT for depression to depression counselling, we offer a life therapy to suit you and help move you from a place of darkness and confusion to somewhere in the light. There are some steps you can take immediately when you realise you have depression, which will aim to give you some power back over your own life. It’s important to remember that you can always reach out to someone here at Renaissance Life Therapies, or use support helplines such as Mind 1 Build a support network Once you have recognised you have depression, it’s common for many people to try to mask it because it’s a different illness to a physical one. You will know who you can trust and who you will find supportive in your life and be as open as you can with close people. It’s important that they understand your illness and that they know it is not simply something you can ‘get over’ easily. 2 Accept your anger Hiding behind many depression cases is the perhaps weaker emotion of anger. It can be a difficult emotion to deal with because we are encouraged to stifle it from a young age. However, it is a perfectly natural human reaction to frustration; experienced by any people on many levels every day. The effect of suppressing your anger can be that it turns inwards and you get angry with yourself, which then manifests as depression. With guidance, you can allow yourself the freedom to fully experience your feelings of anger and take ownership of them. You will begin to recognise and accept your anger in a healthy way; releasing the emotion without allowing it to fester or be turned into an act of violence against anyone else or yourself. 3 Get active This sounds like the hardest thing to do when you’re depressed because your energy levels can drop dramatically, and doing anything can be really difficult. Exercising releases neuro chemicals called endorphins, which actually lift your mood. Whether you choose gentle exercise such as yoga for depression or something like a walk around a local park, pushing yourself to get active can really help lift your mood. Even setting yourself the small task of walking to get a paper or essential from a local shop can give you something to feel accomplished for. 4 Don’t isolate yourself Again, the temptation with depression is to want to hide away from the world and avoid social situations. Your inner critic may be telling you negative mantras about yourself, which discourage you from socialising. Conversely, isolating yourself will only exacerbate your depression, so sometimes you need to coerce yourself into attending a social event. Often, this change of scene will provide clarity or a change of focus; it can just be challenging to get there in the first place. 5 Find a therapist If your depression becomes something you feel unable to manage yourself, seek a professional to help you with it. Therapy encompasses a range of strategies to help you as an individual find a plan that works for you. Contact us today if you are seeking life therapy. https://www.renaissancelifetherapies.com/ Email: info@renaissancelifetherapies.com