Right now, more people suffer from clinical depression and are attending depression rehab than ever before, but that doesn’t mean you can’t reverse it with small, actionable steps. While depression does have a tendency to get passed down through genes, it largely results from the thought patterns you have over a long period of time. What you think about regularly, you become.
By doing things that make you feel good and cultivating a positive mindset, you can more easily handle depression and learn what triggers it. If you have been trying to begin rebuilding a life you love, please take these depression rehab tips into consideration so you can get back on a path to living a happy, healthy life.
Here are 8 Depression Rehab Tips That Can Work for Anyone:
1. Cultivate a loving relationship with yourself.
Any discomfort or distress always originates within ourselves, which means good feelings start within us, too! How you see the world mirrors how you see yourself, so by learning to love yourself, you can love the world. It doesn’t matter where you live, what job you have if you have friends or not, or how much you make…if you love yourself and feel happy within, you have unlocked the key to true satisfaction.
Say this phrase over and over again every single day when you feel your mind going down a negative path: “I love myself.” Feel how these words change your outlook on life and even how you feel in your body. Then, you will inevitably start making loving choices like eating well, exercising, seeking positive relationships, and working at a job you love. Everything begins with how you treat yourself and what you think about yourself.
Choose love, because you don’t deserve anything less than that.
2. Spend time in nature at least thirty minutes a day.
It’s impossible to spend time in the sun and not feel those happy vibes radiate through your body. Even if you don’t live in a particularly sunny area, just feeling the wind on your face or breathing in fresh air from trees can help tremendously in treating depression. Most people don’t get have any sort of relationship with nature, which explains why most of us feel so disconnected from ourselves and each other.
Maybe you could take your lunch break outdoors instead of sitting in the break room at work – get into nature whenever you can; it works wonders in creating peace within the mind and body.
3. Channel negative energy into something positive.
Any time you start to feel your thoughts, or other people’s thoughts, drag you down, immediately think of something positive to do or say. If your friend had a bad day, ask him or her what made them smile that day. If you had a bad day, go do something that feels good. Go ride your bike, call a supportive friend, write in your journal, play a song that makes you happy…just do anything but wallow in negative energy.
Everything around us and within us is energy, we just have to learn how to direct it in order to live, not just exist.
4. Join groups or clubs in the area that promote positive thinking.
If you suffer from depression, surrounding yourself with inspiring people can slowly start to change your outlook. Also, doing activities you truly love will take your mind off of your mind, so to speak, and help you cultivate happiness again. Even if you don’t feel like socializing, talking with other positive people will stimulate your brain and help retrain it to think differently.
You can find several websites that cater to people looking for groups or clubs to join in their city, and a lot of these meetups don’t cost anything to take part in.
5. Ask yourself if you would treat others how you treat yourself.
Would you tell a friend what you tell yourself on a daily basis? If not, why do you treat yourself this way?
If you wouldn’t tell someone else that they’re ugly, don’t say it to yourself. Or, if you wouldn’t buy chemical-laced fast foods for your friend for dinner, why do you frequent those places? And, if you wouldn’t say to your friend “You’re not good enough,” why do you make it a habit of reinforcing that thought within yourself?
Pay attention to everything you say and do to yourself, and start asking yourself if you would replicate those thoughts and actions toward others.
6. Stop chasing perfection.
Depression usually stems from our belief that we just don’t measure up compared to others. That’s just it – you shouldn’t compare yourself to others, because they have their own unique path to follow. You have yours as well, so the only person you need to compare yourself to is who you were yesterday. Even if you don’t feel better than yesterday, don’t beat yourself up. Depression takes time to heal from, and it takes time to rewire your stream of thoughts.
Accept yourself now, as you are, and go from there. Accept yourself in every moment, and allow yourself to live and make mistakes. You’ll feel a lot more freedom in letting go than you will when you try to put yourself in a box of everything you think you need to be to love yourself.
7. Simplify your life.
Minimize stress by getting rid of anything superfluous that no longer serves you. This can include toxic relationships, clothing, and gadgets in your house you don’t wear or use, your old car that constantly requires repairs, the job that makes you feel miserable, and anything else that causes you anxiety.
Shape your life into something that reflects you and your interests, and eliminate what doesn’t. Most of the time, we put unnecessary stress on ourselves, so choose to end that habit today. Maximize your happiness by reducing your worries.
8. Volunteer.
Perhaps one of the most powerful methods for overcoming depression is helping someone else. When you give to people less fortunate, or just lend a helping hand or your heart to someone, you will instantly elevate your mood. This instills a sense of purpose and value within you because you have enhanced someone else’s life. You gave your time and effort to something outside yourself and chose to focus on making others feel good.
Sometimes, the best way to stop negative thinking is just to stop thinking about ourselves. So, get involved with your community. Or just rake your neighbor’s leaves or mow their lawn. Do something to make someone’s life better, and you will most certainly feel better yourself.
Final Thoughts on Putting These Depression Rehab Tips to Work For You
We hope these depression rehab tips have helped your healing process. Please add more valuable tips in the discussion below! Also, be sure to check out our Facebook group to join in on our conversations.
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