Tri-County Board of Recovery and Mental Health Services
  • Home
  • About
    • History >
      • Proclamations
      • Board Terms
    • News >
      • Newsletter Archive
      • Mailing List Signup
    • Psychiatric Hospital Admission Authorization
    • Staff
    • Feedback
    • Location
    • Employment
    • Contact
  • Board
    • Board Members
    • Meeting Notices
    • Meeting Minutes
    • Resolutions
    • Strategic Plan
    • Audits
    • Records
    • Annual Reports
    • Policies
    • Bylaws
    • Volunteer
  • Find Help
    • Hotline/Hope Line
    • Crisis Text Line
    • Service Provider Network
    • Resources >
      • Online Resource Guide
    • Opiate Hub
    • Resilience
    • Holidays
    • Gratitude
    • Coronavirus
    • Alcohol Self-Screen
    • Prevention >
      • Low Risk Alcohol
      • Suicide Prevention >
        • Hope
      • Gambling
      • Prescription Drug Abuse
      • Disposal
    • Treatment >
      • Mental Illness
      • Substance Abuse
    • Housing
    • NAMI
    • MindMatters
    • Privacy Practices
    • Weather
  • Community
    • CIT >
      • CIT Academy >
        • CIT Academy Graduates
        • Advanced CIT
        • Refresher
      • CIT Companion for Behavioral Health Professionals
      • CIT Companion for Dispatchers
      • CIT Companion for Fire-EMT
      • CIT Advisory Committee
    • Training >
      • CEU Courses >
        • Ethics
      • Hidden In Plain Sight
      • Mental Health First Aid >
        • First Aiders
        • MHFA
        • MHFA-Schools
      • PAXtools
      • Trauma
    • Crisis Response Team
    • SIM
    • Suicide Prevention Coalition
    • Shelby County Drug Task Force
    • Coalition for a Health Darke County
    • Miami County Drug Free Coalition
    • First Responders
    • Farm
    • Schools
  • Celebration
    • Art >
      • Studio
      • 2024 Gallery - Home
      • 2023 Gallery
      • 2022 Gallery
      • Emergence
      • Coping With COVID
      • Twila
    • Hands of Recovery >
      • Hands of Recovery II
      • Hands of Recovery III
      • Hands of Recovery IV
    • Geraldine B. Nelson Award >
      • 2024 Cynthia Wion
      • 2023 Judge Stacy M. Wall
      • 2021 Dave Duchak
      • 2020 SafeHaven
      • 2019 Katharine Ketron
      • 2018 Shelby County MAT Team
      • 2017 Stacy Warner
      • 2016 Elizabeth Gutmann
      • 2015 Sharon Deschambeau
      • 2014 Gordon Buckner
      • 2013 Greenville Police Department
    • Recovery Month
    • Recognitions
937.335.7727

4 Essential Tips for Overcoming Depression

7/11/2016

 
Picture
Combating depression can be an uphill battle. However, you can equip yourself with positive coping strategies, a solid support system, and a plan for whole-health wellness.

Effectively coping with depression requires a multi-faceted approach that encompasses professional treatment, a healthy lifestyle, and a commitment to learning. You can learn to transform negative habits into positive coping mechanisms to benefit both body and mind.

1. Avoid Drugs and Alcohol

Many individuals who abuse drugs and alcohol often have an underlying mental illness such as depression. Some turn to drugs or alcohol to self-medicate with the intent to escape, albeit temporarily, negative thoughts and feelings. The effects are temporary, however, and can often lead to continuous use, dependence and addiction. Over time, the abuse of alcohol and drugs may worsen the underlying illness.

Drugs or alcohol won’t make your depression better, but healthy living coupled with professional treatment can. It is possible you may be part of a high-risk population and may be more tempted to turn to alcohol or substances to cope. Being mindful of your habits is so important. If possible, talk with your therapist or healthcare provider about steps you can take to avoid heading down the path to addiction.

2. Remain Socially Engaged

It’s common for people suffering from depression to isolate themselves from friends and family. You may feel as though your friends don’t enjoy being around you, or that your family members are judging you. In many cases, these perceptions are just that: perceptions, which have been distorted by your illness.

Depression can change how we view ourselves, so it is important to surround yourself with a support system consisting of friends, relatives, and fellow support group members you can trust to reflect your moods and behaviors. Resist the urge to turn down social invitations. If friends are inviting you to join them for dinner, they’re doing so because they enjoy your company and want to spend time with you. Say yes to the opportunity! Spending time with friends can leave you feeling energized and happier, despite your initial desire to stay home (remember - that's your illness talking!).

3. Get Your Heart Rate Up with Exercise

When you feel like curling up in bed with the covers over your head, exercising is probably the last thing on your mind. Even though it may be difficult, commit to exercising for just five minutes. Tell yourself that if you’re still not into it after five minutes, you give yourself permission to stop. Another good tip is to exercise during the commercials while watching television. It's amazing how just a few minutes of activity every hour can help.

You might find after five minutes of aerobic exercise or vigorous walking that you’re pumped up enough to continue. Exercise can boost your mood for hours due to the endorphins it releases. Regular exercise every day or a few times each week can have positive, long-term impacts on depression.

4. Practice Positive Self-Talk

A symptom of depression is that you may have constant negative thoughts about yourself. These are sometimes reinforced by negativity you may hear (or perceive) from the people around you. But with conscious effort, many people are able to turn those negative thoughts into positive action and confidence-boosting self-talk.

Negative thought patterns can be reversed when you work with a therapist to develop strategies for identifying your self-doubts. Accepting compliments, recognizing the good things about yourself, or just talking openly with close ones are some things that can help. Learning to take in the positive that contrasts the negative can help to transform your outlook.

Overcoming depression is a long-term effort requiring lifestyle changes and a commitment to your treatment regimen. Through recognizing warning signs and taking actions designed to beat your symptoms, you can regain control over your illness – and your life.

Steve Johnson is dedicated to promoting health and wellness in all aspects of life. Studying in the medical field has shown him how important it is for reputable health-related facts, figures, tips, and other guidance to be readily available to the public. He created PublicHealthLibrary.org with a fellow student to act as a resource for people’s overall health inquiries and as an accurate and extensive source of health information. When he isn’t hard at work in his studies, Steve enjoys playing tennis and listening to his vintage record collection.

Image via Pixabay by snicky2290

    Author

    Brad Reed is Director of Community Resource Development at the Tri-County Board of Recovery and Mental Health Services.

    Archives

    May 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    June 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    September 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013

    Categories

    All
    Award
    Board
    Celebration
    CIT
    Coalition
    Community Resource
    Funding
    Gambling
    Grants
    Legal
    Levy
    Mental Health
    NAMI
    One Wellness Place
    Prevention
    Psychiatry
    Recruiting
    SAMHSA
    Schools
    Start Talking!
    Suicide Prevention
    Vote
    Youth

    RSS Feed

24-Hour Crisis Hotline 800.351.7347

If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help,

​call the Tri-County CRISIS Hotline 800.351.7347
The 24-Hour Crisis Hotline serves residents of
Miami,
Darke, and Shelby counties in Ohio.

​Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Call or Text 988, chat at 988lifeline.org

In crisis but can't talk? Crisis Text Line
Text 4Hope to 741741

Picture
Tri-County Board of Recovery and
​Mental Health Services
1280 N. County Road 25A, Suite #1
Troy, OH 45373
937.335.7727 | FAX 937.335.8816
​Email us at [email protected]

M-F 8:00AM - 4:30PM. Closed federal holidays.

Services provided are funded in whole or in part by your continued support of the Tri-County Mental Health Levy.
The Tri-County Board of Recovery and Mental Health Services is an Equal Opportunity Employer