How to Cope With Depression Without Seeking Professional Help

Depression is a serious illness that can affect people of all ages, cultures and backgrounds. Depression can range from feeling irritable to suicidal, and it can cause a serious disability. You can help yourself cope with depression without seeking professional help with lifestyle changes, including stress reduction.

Instructions

• 1

  Try to act like you're not depressed. Evidence shows that people suffering from depression do better if they can meet their everyday obligations. Once you see that you're able to live a normal life, you won't feel so consumed with feelings of disappointment and failure.

• 2

  Take care of your body. Eat a healthy diet, exercise and take supplements to help your body feel more whole and complete. If you're already feeling down, an unhealthy lifestyle will only make it worse. However, if you add energizing foods and exercise to your daily routine, you'll quickly find that you're in a better mood.

• 3

  Study your own depression cycle. Understand when you're most likely to feel depressed, and experiment with coping mechanisms like breathing techniques that can help.

• 4

  Acknowledge your own feelings. When you're depressed, it's easy to become wrapped up in your own emotions. However, understanding why you feel the way you do could help you overcome it. Forgiving yourself when you fail is a huge step you can take to overcome your depression without professional help. When you take ownership of your feelings, you no longer are a victim of depression. Instead, you're in the driver's seat and you can determine how you're supposed to feel.

• 5

  Do nice things for yourself that make you feel good. Start a new hobby. Treat yourself to a day of shopping. Get involved in activities you like to do. This will help you stay connected while boosting your self-confidence.

• 6

  Talk to your regular physician about antidepressants or other prescription drugs that may help your situation. Some people feel this is the best alternative so they don't have to talk through their feelings with a counselor.