How do you cope with depression?
Depression is an illness: it is not a weakness of character. It can last a few weeks, months or years. It requires medical care and its cure is not a matter of free will.
Five symptoms can be identified during a period of at least two weeks, which may include:
Moral pain (unusual sadness) and/or loss of pleasure and inability to perform the actions of daily life (getting up, going to work, cooking).
Fatigue, when getting up, may appear, a loss of daily energy, a decrease or a strong increase in appetite, sleep disorders, attention and concentration difficulties, some irritability, suicidal thoughts, a significant decrease in self-esteem, a psychomotor slowdown and the presence of physical pain that seems inexplicable, these are the symptoms to which you must pay attention.
Disappointments in love, loneliness, death, illness, accidents, etc. are all painful events that are difficult to overcome. When sadness takes over, it can cause us to fall into depression and lead to various ailments. Fortunately, there are many ways to get out of it… including consulting a specialist when the situation requires it.
Building or strengthening social bonds
It’s normal to want to spend time alone, in privacy. This allows you to reflect, take stock, meditate and make important decisions in peace. But for a person in a state of depression, isolation is not recommended. Indeed, by withdrawing from society, the person in a state of depression will feel misunderstood and excluded. Therefore, it is recommended to share the company of people who are able to manage the discomfort or of people they appreciate and they feel good about. In order to forget one’s distress, it is better to share moments of complicity by doing something pleasant and entertaining together.
Accepting reality is a slow process.
The death of a loved one, a serious illness, a loss of faculties following an accident lead us to a slow process of assimilation, which often requires therapeutic treatment… This phase can lead us to change our lifestyle, define new goals, design an action plan and then, later on, move forward.
Seek medical advice and family support
If being with family or friends is not enough, it is better to call on a health professional such as a Gestalt therapist. Indeed, when the efforts of loved ones are in vain, it is time to consult to identify the origin of the problem and adopt an effective approach to solve it. If depression is confirmed, talk to your family members and ask them to help you with some daily tasks: babysitting the children, shopping, cleaning the house, … This will relieve you of certain constraints and help you feel better.
Going to a support service
The important thing is to discuss with one person at ease and ready to give oneself entirely to the other. If you are not sincere in what you say, it will be impossible to determine the source of your depression and to treat it. During the sessions, don’t hesitate to go into detail about what happened, describe your emotions, explain your blockages and difficulties. To join a support group, ask your doctor about support services in your area. Patient associations can also put you in touch with people who have gone through the same experiences as you and who can help you get through them.