“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” – Khalil Gibran.
No matter how profound the quote phrased by Khalil Gibran may be, the truth is that not all are able to emerge out of the sufferings they find themselves to be in. We live in a time when people are constantly unhappy and the reasons for their unhappinesses are many.
Depression is one of the most common mental disorders all over the world. Statistics suggest that in 2016, an estimated 10.3 million U.S adults ranging 18 years and above have had at least one major depressive episode, which has had severe consequences. If you are trying to estimate the global impact of depression, then healthline.com makes it easier for you. In their article about depression, they report that 350 million people worldwide are suffering from depression. This constitutes a staggering 5% of the world’s population.
What can be done?
In times like these, people often lose all sense of morality and hope and turn to substance abuse to find comfort. Nicotine, drugs and alcohol are a few of the most common go-to things when one feels depressed and stressed. Though quitting alcohol and drugs constitute a completely different set of requirements, quitting nicotine could really be difficult. However, if you really are interested in quitting nicotine in the best manner possible, then you can try electronic cigarettes to quit smoking. They satiate your urge to smoke in the same way a traditional cigarette would and also inflict comparatively less harm to your health.
Considering all of this, if you just somehow master the art of driving away depression from your life, you would not need to find out ways to rid addictions.
In order to free your life from depression and addiction, here is what you need to know.
Step 1: Acknowledge your condition
For any condition to be treatable, you need to be able to acknowledge the fact that you have one. Have you been feeling lonely, sad and disconnected for far too long? Have you found yourself not having the will nor the energy to do things, even those things you loved doing before? Have you felt distant from your family and friends? These could very well be signs of Major Depressive Disorder and once you do acknowledge your condition, you need to hop onto step two.
Step 2: Reach out
Now that you know you have a condition, you need to reach out to someone and speak about it. One of the most common symptoms of depression is isolation, which only makes things worse. You need to avoid that specific downward spiral and talk to a person you trust the most about the things you feel and think. Why do you need to only reach out to a person you trust the most? Because that would give you the assurance that when you do open up, your plight would not be ridiculed.
Step 3: Avoid Rumination
Rumination is when you keep thinking of the negative experiences and thoughts repeatedly in your mind, for no specific purpose whatsoever. Rumination is said to be detrimental to your fight against depression for the sole reason that it never allows you to think of the solution but makes you unnecessarily focus on the problem. When you find yourself to be in this vicious cycle of rumination, you need to remember that repeating the question never lead you to the answer. Looking out for the solution is the right way to solve the problem. Reframing negative sentences to not make them sound as bad could also come in handy. Like, say, “this could have been a lot worse” instead of just saying, “This is too bad.” It adds perspective to the way you look at things.
Step 4: Look at the brighter side of things
The reason why depression is such an issue is that if you leave it be for long enough, it worsens. You start looking at things in the wrong light and that keeps on eating your morale and self-confidence. You might even find nitpicking on this you could do well before. In times like these, you need to remember that humans are subject to fail in the attempts they make and that does not, in any way, define their abilities or the person they are. Depression tempts you to look at the negative side of things only and encourages you to wallow on all the things you cannot do. You just need to sit down and think of all the things you can. This might even lead you to a solution to your problems.
Step 5: think of the future when you get to it
That thing that pairs with your depression and makes matters worse is anxiety and that often results from over-thinking about the future. In addition, the thoughts that result from thinking about failing at a task you have not even attempted makes you all the more sad, thus piling onto your current state. A feeling of uncertainty makes your dread every second that passes by. What is even worse is that your anxiousness about the events of the future compromises your ability to focus and eventually leads to what you have been dreading all along — failure.
Implementing these five tips can help you through a considerable span of depression; however, if nothing feels good, you may have to take help of health professional regarding your condition.