Ways to Recover from Depression
Depression is common, but you don't have to go through it alone. The symptoms of depression, its risk factors and the steps that support recovery.
Research shows that each year, on average, 13% of women and 8% of men experience depression. The lifetime risk of depression has been reported as 10–26% for women and 3–12% for men. When we add stressful living conditions to these findings, it is fair to say that our chances of experiencing depression are high.
So what is this depression we hear about everywhere?
Broadly speaking, we can call depression a period in which a person experiences low mood and unhappiness; their energy drops along with a depressed mood, their psychomotor activity slows down, their sleep, appetite and sex drive usually decrease, activities they used to enjoy no longer interest them, they find it hard to concentrate and they struggle with thoughts of guilt and worthlessness. If at least five of these complaints have been with you for more than two weeks, getting psychological help will help you get through this period of depression as quickly as possible.
Cognitive behavioural therapy is a psychotherapy method with proven effectiveness in treating depression. By working on a person's thoughts and beliefs, it aims to help them free themselves from the thinking errors they fall into and gain a more objective perspective. At the same time, long-term goals are planned together with people whose activity level has dropped, with the aim of helping them become active in life again.
For people who don't have access to psychotherapy, my most important suggestion is to push back against the withdrawal they are experiencing. During a period when you don't want to leave the house or socialise, quality time with family members and close friends will help trigger positive emotions. Walks in the fresh air, drinking plenty of water and eating wholesome food will help you get back on your feet. Trying to leave behind the beliefs of guilt and worthlessness that so often take hold of you and to focus on today — staying in the present and living today, even when the past grabs you by the arm and pulls you back — will help you overcome the depressed mood you are experiencing.
