6 Tips to Overcoming Depression

Feeling Down or Depressed? 

Ways to let go and start living your life today.

We all go through difficult times in life that we wish we could erase. While we cannot erase the past, fortunately, we can take charge of the future. Below are steps you can take today to lift you out of that blue fog and see a brighter future

• Take responsibility for your own feelings. No one can have the power over your feelings unless you give them the power to. When someone tells you something discouraging or negative you have the      opportunity to disregard whatever they said. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. This means not taking it personal when your best friend tells you they don't think you are cut out for acting. 
• • Forgive everyone that has hurt or disappointed you. This could mean forgiving your ex or even your parents. Holding onto any negative energy will end up stunting your emotional and spiritual growth. This doesn't mean becoming best friends with those that have hurt you but it does mean not having any foul feelings towards that person. If you cannot think of the person without attaching unpleasant feelings then you have more work to do towards letting go.
  • Start that distant goal of yours right now. Get up and start writing that novel or go run that 5K that you've always wanted to do but never had the time or opportunity to do so. Do not worry if you feel as if you're not ready or you don't have time because if you think like that you will never be "ready". There is no better time than the present, because the present is a gift; receive it and appreciate it. Even if you do not end up accomplishing your goal as well as you would have liked at least you did it. This not only raises your confidence in your abilities to accomplish something, but now you're focused on something else other than your depression! 
  • Take care of yourself. Most people would assume that they are taking care of themselves just fine. One way to gauge how well you are actually taking care of yourself is to determine if you are doing everything for yourself as you would for a child or your partner. Do you let people treat you in a manner that wouldn't fly well with you if they were speaking to your mother? If you say no to one of those questions you need to work on treating yourself better. Do not treat yourself any differently than someone who you highly respect and love unconditionally. This brings us to our next point.
  • Take care of others. When we do good for our loved ones or even strangers it evokes a sense of empathy and contentedness within ourselves. Take the time out to listen to a friend or volunteer a helping hand to a person you may not get along with. Not only will it be pleasantly unexpected but the other person will greatly appreciate it and you may even make a friend out of an enemy. Last but not least: 
  • Stay Positive. Even if you are not religious or spiritual you can still be grateful for everything good in your life. No matter what you're going through it could be worse. This helps me when I feel down and depressed about a situation in my life. Just think about at least 3 things you are grateful for. Once you start with something positive it breeds more positivism. This will help clear your mind and help you think of a solution to your problem instead of feeling sorry for yourself.

Try these tips and they will be sure to help lift you out of depression. Remember it is best to have a support group; you cannot do this alone. If you don't have family or friends speaking with a counselor or therapist can help tremendously. Depression must be addressed for mental and emotional health.