lifeafterdepression

If you are someone who has been depressed at any point in your life, you need to get some exercise! Exercise is as good as some medications for many people who are recovering from depression. Research has shown that exercise also helps prevent depression relapses.

Starting an exercise routine is not easy, especially when you are dealing with the physical and emotional exhaustion that comes after depression. Here are some tips you can use to get on the move!

•  Pace yourself - Don’t start training for a marathon at first. Simply start with walking, and gradually work your way to more intense exercise.
• Get enough - Aim for 3 sessions of 30 minutes per week at least. If you have trouble exercising for 30 minutes at one time, break up your exercise sessions into two shorter sessions.
• Have fun - Choose an exercise that appeals to you. If you like being outdoors, walk outside. If you like people, go to the gym.

You will be surprised how quickly you will notice a difference in how you feel after you start exercising. So, get up, get outside, and get moving!

OK, I have a confession to make. Some days I am very afraid that my depression will come back. I have good reason too - in just a month and a half I will have baby number 2. My depression was post partum depression, and it create a ton of problems for my family. I am so scared it will happen again!

So what do you do when you get scared of a recurrence of your condition? For me, it helps to talk about it. Also, I have made sure that my doctors know about my history and they are ready to prescribe medication quickly if needed. I also find that prayer helps. I am curious to see what my readers do when they battle this fear? What has worked for you in the past?

As I’ve said in previous posts, getting outdoors and having a hobby are both important for those recovering from depression. Well, gardening is the perfect fit! Whether you enjoy growing beautiful flowers or want to grow some vegetables for the family table, gardening is a great hobby for us! Just remember, don’t expect your garden to be perfect. Like most hobbies, gardening involves a learning curve, and you will need to give yourself the time to learn the needed skills before your garden will be perfect. Just get outdoors and enjoy the soil, and soon you will have a garden you can be proud of, even if it isn’t perfect!

So, readers, now it’s your turn. What are other good outdoor hobbies we can enjoy this summer? Do you have any great gardening tips for the new gardener?

According to a study done by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, people who work overtime are more likely to experience depression then those who work normal hours during the week. In the study, overtime was considered anything over 41 hours per week. However, the highest tendencies for depression occurred in those who worked 49 hours or more per week. Interestingly, men seemed to be more likely to be depressed if they were overworked.

So what does this mean to you? If you are getting over depression and find that your job requires you to work long hours on a repeated basis, it might be time for a change. Either talk to your boss to see if you can work out a different schedule, or consider a career change. This can help your depression to stay away as you heal. 

This may sound like a trite thing, but having a hobby is essential if you are going to battle depression and the after-effects successfully. Having a hobby gives you something to look forward to each day or week, depending on how often you are able to work at it. Choose something that pleases just you.

Think back to a time before you got married, had kids, and started your career. What really made you happy? What was it that you looked forward to doing. No, not the parties that you attended in college. What would you do when you had time just to yourself? Think if you can start doing that now.

 My hobby is writing, but that’s also my job. In order to stay out of the depression cycle, I need something else. So I scrapbook or read. I don’t get to do it much, but I do it. You need something that you can turn to when the darkness starts swirling around you. Get a hobby!

Are you getting enough sleep? Being over tired is a great way to invite back the depression monster. If you have beaten your depression, make sure you are taking care of yourself or it will return. One of the most important ways to fight depression is to get enough sleep.

 Everyone’s sleep needs are slightly different, but the national sleep foundation says that adults need between 7 and 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep. If you are not getting this much sleep, you could be facing sleep deprivation. Oh, and naps help, but they are not enough. If you are going to use your sleep to battle your depression, you need to adjust your schedule to ensure that you are getting a good night’s sleep if at all possible!

If you are working on enjoying life after depression, one of the easiest ways to boost a bad day is to go outside. Spring has sprung accross the country, and it is time for us to enjoy it! Being outdoors is one of the best cures for depression. Go outside, take a walk, and enjoy nature. You will be surprised how much better you feel afterwards!

I’m not sure what it is about the fresh air and sunshine, but they are known mood boosters. In fact, when a city experiences weeks on end without sunshine, doctors report far more depression cases than when the weather is normal. If the sun is shining, you need to be enjoying it, especially as someone who is enjoying life after depression!

Do you talk about your depression? When I was struggling with depression, I was amazed at the number of people around me who had also struggled. I was shocked, because no one talked about it. It was like being depressed was something to hide. When I started looking for support, I found many people around me who had been where I was. 

I talk about my depression. I don’t do it for attention, but rather because I think people need to know that it is a real disease that affects normal people who have every reason to be happy. Do you talk about your depression? Why or why not?

If you find that your friends or family members are not providing you with the support you need, then it is time to find a depression support group. Having support as you heal is essential to beating the disease. However, you need to choose your support group with care.

Some support groups may make your depression worse. If you spend the entire meeting listening to other people’s “sob stories,” rather than focusing on the good things in your life after depression, you could find yourself sinking back into the blues. Choose a support group that helps you feel better about yourself, your situation, and your condition. If you leave your meetings feeling uplifted and excited about life, you have found a good support group!

One of the main things that saved my sanity as I was working my way out of depression was my friends. I had two ladies that I could call up on a moment’s notice to pray, talk, or just go to the store. They didn’t judge me, they didn’t tell me I was being irrational, but they simply listened.

Now that I am enjoying life after depression, I find that I still need to have friends around me. If I isolate myself too much, which is easy to do in our busy society, I start feeling the clouds rolling back into my life. For those of you who are feeling the blues returning, don’t run out and get more medication right away. Often life after depression is much better if you surround yourself with supportive, understanding friends! Give one of them a call!