How do you overcome feeling depressed?
How do you overcome feeling depressed?
18 Answers
Depression can be debilitating. It is nothing to be ashamed of; people who have not experienced depression may not be able to understand what it feels like to be depressed and may tell the depressed person to "snap out of it".
Some depression is related to age; it is not unusual for teenagers to pass through periods of depression. It is important for teens to realize that they can seek help from a trusted teacher or guidance counselor, if the teen does not feel comfortable talking to a family member.
I will use the terms "depressed person" only because I do not know if you are depressed or if it's someone else.
First of all, if the depressed person is feeling suicidal, there are people out there who can help. An obvious place is a doctor's office. An online resource is "Ask Anna", which is located in England and has a excellent outreach to depressed people. In case of suicidal thoughts it is important to get the depressed person into a position to be helped immediately.
Secondly, there are extremely effective medications out there. Sometimes the depressed person resists taking medications because he/she views the depression as a personal failure. Maybe nobody else in the family is depressed. Maybe nobody else understands. Regardless, it is NOT a personal failure. There is nothing to be ashamed of. Brain chemistry varies from person to person; sometimes an individual has a brain chemistry that lends itself to depression. Sometimes a traumatic life event can actually alter the brain chemistry, which can result in things like depression or panic attacks.
Depression does not have to be the end of a fulfilling life. People who have suffered from deep depression and who have overcome it are usually very compassionate, empathic individuals. Victory over depression can lead to a full life that includes understanding and helping other people.
There is hope. There is lots of hope. Help the depressed person to reach out for help in their own community - or if it is you - tell someone who is in your community, so you can start healing.
Please keep us posted. Spanishdict.com is a supportive community; we care about all of our posters.
I think it depends on what you are feeling depressed about. Are you depressed about life in general? school? a relationship? your abilities? There may be different answers for these specific things.
In general though, and I do this, it always helps to get out and do something and not think about yourself. Help somebody you care about or make it your goal one day to boost other people's self esteem. It will make you feel better by knowing you have helped someone and they may even turn around and do the same for you.
A good diet, exercise, and a proper amount of sleep have never hurt anyone and might help also.
I think laughter is a good anti-depressant as well......has anyone got any funny jokes?
Get as busy as you can and don't stop.
Ultimately, depending on the severity of the depression, one should speak to a medical professional. While I think that people on this site generally offer great advice, and genuinely want to help, we may not all be qualified to address something as serious and complicated as clinical depression. One person's experience with, and solution to, depression may not work for another person, and may even be counter-productive.
While I certainly encourage you to discuss issues of depression with whomever you feel comfortable, I would also like to caution you not to solely rely on the advice you receive here. If you had an important Spanish test coming up, you wouldn't go to the hospital to ask for study help. Nor should you rely on a language learning forum to properly address your mental health needs. Best of luck.
For what I've read, depression is a medical condition caused by a chemical unbalance in the brain. I'll suggest you go to see your doctor. There are prescription drugs that can help you. A professional in Psychology may also be able to help you. I strongly recommend you to seek external help. Depression is very difficult to overcome just by yourself. It not only hurts you. It's also very harmful for all the people around you.
There are different kinds of depression. There's 'the blues' and then there's clinical depression. The two should not be confused. I heard an illustration during a discourse that made this difference crystal clear to me.
The speaker called up someone from the audience who wears glasses.
Speaker: "May I have your glasses?" (He is handed them.) "I know you are near-sighted, but can you see the clock at the back of the auditorium?"
Man: "No."
Speaker: "Come on, try harder."
Man: "No."
Speaker: "Take another look. I'm sure you can if you try. Think positive!"
Man: "No. I can't." He got his glasses back and sat down.
The speaker then said: "Near-sightedness is a physical condition and no matter how hard we may try to motivate this man, he will not be able to see at that distance."
Clinical depression is a biomedical condition, just as near-sightedness is physical. We cannot motivate a clinically depressed person by saying "Try harder!" or "Think positive!" It doesn't change anything for them.
What this illustration made me realize is that some people need more than encouragement. They need medical help. If this is the case of anyone reading this, don't feel embarrassed about asking for help. Some people can't process sugar in their bodies. They are called diabetics. Others can't feel positive. They are clinically depressed.
Diabetics can get help. So can the clinically depressed. 
This site is bound to lift your depression, anyway best wishes hope things look up for you soon.
Talk to you friends and family about how you feel.
Also, you may need medication if you are constantly depressed -- it may be a chemical imbalance in your brain that needs to be fixed.
LOTS of people get help with depression, so you're no alone.
Zen-like answer:
Depression or unhappiness comes from wanting things that you don't have. Most people try to deal with this by acquiring more things. However, even if they succeed in getting what they want, their happiness is short lived and they soon want something else they don't have. The real solution is to learn to not want. The traditional path to this ability involves renouncing all of your worldly possessions, but that is not required.
In addition to things that cause unhappiness, there is the physical or mental sensation of happiness. This is caused by chemical reactions in the brain. You can learn to experience this feeling by learning to not want. I wish I could explain this better, but I cannot. However, I do know that it is possible, and I do it almost everyday.
Exercise is one of the best mood lifters. Try it, you'll like it!
I'm feeling depressed right now.
Thanks everyone for all your suggestions. I appreciate all your answers, I don't suffer from clinical depression, just mild depression from time to time. I become quiet and withdrawn as I see life around me and how it's changing. I love all the helpful suggestions people have given- laughter, advice...............thanks!!
This book helped me and perhaps saved my life, "Feeling Good" by Dr. David D. Burns, it helped me overcome my depression. Also quote daily; "porque cual es su pensamiento en su alma, tal es el"...from Proverbios 23:7. ..."for as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.." It' s all in the mind. Change your thoughts, change your mood. It really is that simple. However, it does take practice, a LOT of practice.
