50 Tips to Overcome Mental Depression

Author : Dr. Jakir Hossain Laskar, PhD

1. Laughing is the Best Medicine – Vivacious laughter is a potential antidote for tension and depression. Read books on jokes be-filling a good relish-able taste. Many funny and amusing programs are telecast now-a-days. Watch those allowing your time. If possible, join your nearby Laughing Club. But remember, if anyone is laughing for no reason, he or she need medicine.
2. Learn and Practice Mindfulness Skills – Negative thoughts and negative possibilities nurtured by a depressed mind can be eradicated through focusing on the present moment practiced in mindfulness.

3. Read mental health-related Journals – Try to know information on mental health by reading books, health magazines and journals. You can also watch psychological videos on YouTube. Thus your acquired self-confidence will show the path of light to fight depression.
4. Stop using Negative Self-Talk – Self-doubt along with feeling of worthlessness is reinforced by major depressive disorder. People with depression consider the world in a negative way. When unfavorable conditions continue, depressed people blame themselves and when they make the best use of favorable situations, they call it luck. Harness your inner negative thoughts that will help you overcome depression.
5. Stay connected with your Friends – Depressive mood syndromes can be minimized by the advice of your bosom friends. Their suggestions and inspirations have a huge positive effect on your mood swing. Make new friends and be a part of a strong social network to fight depression and anxiety.

6. Have mindset with Positive Attitude – Our life will be a stream of obstacles if we nurture negative attitude. We will experience resentment, bitterness and high stress level if we make negative environment at our family and workplace. So, have a pleasing personality and stay away from negative people and influences. Also only consider your blessings, not your problems – you’ll never be deprived of mental spirit.
7. Listen your Favorite Music – When you are in low mood, listen some light vocal music or pure classical instrumental. It will help bring your mental peace. At present music therapy is being popularized worldwide to overcome depression. Music is a food for our soul and is the only sensual pleasure without vice. Listening to upbeat tune of a happy music can create positive vibes in our brain that can improve our mood.
8. Hope is the Oxygen of Life – Keep the light of hope burning in the inmost recess of your heart. Mind you, frustration is like half-dead. Keep in mind that you have far more dedicated mental power which will give you mental strength and keep you away from mental weariness and lassitude. You try your utmost and rely on God for result; you’ll have no loss of spirit or enthusiasm.
9. Play with a Pet – Pet animals can give you joy and companion. If you want to get you outside of yourself, be caring for a pet. You will feel less isolated. Replacing the human connection by a pet animal can be the antidote to depressive mood disorder.
10. Practice Relaxation Techniques – If you practice relaxation methods on a daily basis, the feeling of joy and well-being will be increased. Your stress will be reduced and symptoms of depression will be relieved. Practice yoga techniques, progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing and meditation.
11. Eat healthy Diet – Eating habit has a direct relation on the way of our feeling. Intake of foods that adversely affect our brain and mood should be avoided. Don’t take alcohol, caffeine, trans-fat, foods with chemical preservatives, artificial colours, etc.
12. Drink Green Tea – People with major depression lack sufficient production of serotonin, the feel-good neurotransmitter which regulates our mental depression and anxiety neurosis. Inadequate amount of serotonin in the brain neuro-chemistry can result in chronic mood swing. Green tea is the rich source of amino acid L-Theanine, which boost serotonin in our brain. Try a cup of green-tea, which can quickly boost your mood.
13. Practice Touch Therapy – Healing touches can help us cope up with depression. The level of stress hormone cortisol is reduced and the level of feel-good hormone oxytocin is increased by touch therapies. Practice acupressure, acupuncture, reiki, massage and reflexology to fight mental depression.
14. Practice Self-Discipline – Most of the time self-discipline is uncomfortable. But if you can find ways to change your weaknesses into strength associating with people of high moral character, your moral strength will be uplifted. If you read ideologies of people who have changed negatives into assertive, and if you listen inspirational YouTube videos, you will be able to cope up with depression easily.
15. Exercise regularly – Physical exercise releases endorphins which is beneficial for lifting our mood to overcome depression. Moderate exercise for half an hour daily has positive impact on our mental health. Cognitive decline can be averted by brisk walking in every morning.
16. Talk Therapy – Consult with a mental health professional to discuss symptoms and feelings related to mental depression. Sharing problems with others ease tension and anxiety.
17. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) – Professional psychologists can help you learn how to overcome negative thinking and help you view your life in a more positive approaches.
18. Control your Anger – Violent anger is a strong emotion which often underlies behind depression. Learn to accept your anger in a healthy way and keep yourself away from negative emotions.
19. Stay away from Drugs and Alcohol – Substance abuse with potential negative health impacts and mental depression go hand in hand. The Harvard School of Public Health conducted a study which says, drinking alcohol and drug addiction is highly prevalent with those having poor mental health conditions.

20. Practice spirituality – Read scriptures and other positive religious books. This is good for purifying your mind and soul. Attend religious performances at times. A person with due regard for rituals and religious practices can have clear moral sense. They do not succumb in low mood or depression easily.
21. Socialize with those who make you Laugh – To keep you tension-free, try to surround yourself with special people who have love and empathy on you. Associate with friends and relations who care about you. Go to watch movies or stand-up comedy shows with them.
22. Eat Omega-3-fatty Acid to Boosts your Mood – Foods rich in omega-3-fatty acid help stabilize our mood. Keep fatty fishes in your menu-card, such as, herring, mackerel, salmon, tuna, sardine, etc.
23. Maintain good Sleep Hygiene – Most people with major depression experience sleep disorders. Irregular sleep cycle and mood swing are intimately related. Bed should only be used for sleep and sexual play. Doing other works in bed trigger stress instead of relaxation.

24. Give sympathy to depressed People – We have to make depressed people understand that other members of the family are always beside him or her. Everyone in the family along with relatives is trying their best to help him overcome depression sorting out the cause of mental deviation.
25. Self-Counseling – Try to solve your problems through psychological counseling by yourself. Take charge of familial and social responsibility. But don’t take any serious decision when you’re in depression.
26. Walking and Swimming – The intensity of depression can be minimized through some special exercise. Walk for a while on an unknown road far from your home. Or swim in a nearby pond. Practice yoga and pranayama every day.
27. Play with Children – Spend some time playing with children. Stare at for a while towards the sky. Make a habit of doing phone-calls to your dear ones to keep your mind fresh and vibrant.
28. Always thank God – You should always thank God for what you’ve achieved worthwhile in life. Don’t feel sorry or make complaints for what you didn’t get in life. Try to achieve divine qualities; you’ll be able to stay cheerful.
29. Don’t stay Alone – People become depressed if they stay in solitary confinement for a prolonged time. So always try to keep yourself in close proximity with your family circle. Besides, keep in close touch with your friends who have strong positive attitude. They can help you regain your mental strength.
30. Green Therapy – Spend some time in nature every day. The benefits of spending time around trees are immense. The Japanese practice of forest bathing is proven to reduce stress hormone production, boost low mood and improve overall feelings of well-being. While in nature people do some form of exercise, such as walking, running or swimming in pond which help reduce mental depression.
31. Somatic illnesses can cause depression – Try to know and address your physical diseases which are responsible for your mental depression. Sleep at least 7-8 hours, do moderate exercise and practice meditation to keep your mental equilibrium.
32. Manage your Time – Do your routine works daily to avoid unnecessary tension. Mind you, procrastination is like a disease. Those who can manage their time can stay tension-free all day long.
33. Write personal Diary – Before retiring at night, write your personal stream of events. Thus when your feelings will be expressed, your mental anguish, heart’s pang and wounded feelings will come down.
34. Take Life easily – Try to accept your success and failure in life with sporting spirit. Establish yourself as a realistic man and always keep your approach pragmatic. Don’t cherish unrealistic, illogical and unreasonable thinking in mind. Frustration leads to depression. Learn from your failure and futility, and make yourself more mentally powerful.
35. Spend time at your Kitchen Garden – When anxiety and depression seize a man, he becomes lazy, slothful and lethargic. Do your work by yourself to shake off lethargy by stretching your limbs. Clean your sweet home and decorate it with your own hand once a week. Attend upon your kitchen garden, cultivate vegetables and fruits there. He who keeps himself busy in constructive activities can keep depression away.
36. Join an NGO – Be attentive to do small works neatly before starting a big project. Get yourself mentally prepared for constructive works to fight depression. Many Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) do good works in our social and cultural fields. Make yourself available to do some benevolent activities with them.
37. School Counseling – In adolescent age, 8-10 % children suffer in mental depression. Students start doing abnormal behavior; keep themselves isolated from friends and acquaintances. They get extremely afflicted in any kind of refusal or rejection. Depression gives students a strong push towards drug and alcohol addiction. Every school should have student counseling facilities to overcome depression and other mental traumas.
38. Respect Women – Many women suffer in severe depression being the victim of social inequalities. Many of them put up with atrocity and oppression without protest in our patriarchal society and suffer in major depression in course of time. Many educated women take care of their family and outdoor jobs simultaneously – some of them are forced to take these excessive workload and mental pressure which cause melancholy in them. If women should be given due social respect, they can fight depression easily.
39. Take Care of Elders – Old people suffer in depression because of many chronic physical illnesses. Loneliness is one of the important causes of mental depression. People living without freedom in his son’s family suffer in depression. Lack of economic security is also a major cause of old-age depression. Sons and daughters must take good care of their parents.
40. Stay away from Negative People – Always try to avoid negative people and negative influences and build your positive self-esteem which will help you coping depressed mood.
41. Aromatherapy – Sweet fragrance creates happy feelings in our depressed mind. When we walk on roads if someone passes using aromatic perfume, we feel pleasing and delightful. Likewise, we feel mentally enchanted by the fragrance of incense and flowers at the places of religious worshipping. So, to overcome mental pressure, natural perfume is unparalleled.
42. Eat anti-depressive Foods – Serotonin is a mood-lifting neurochemical in our brain. And flavonoid with antioxidant properties can well stabilize our mood swing. Rich sources of these two chemicals are blueberries, dark chocolates, oatmeal, oysters, etc.
43. Avoid foods which cause depression – Sugary foods, caffeinated drinks, food additives, artificial colours and preservatives used in various foods and alcohol may put you in low depressed mood. Consciously avoid fast-food, junk-food and sugary soft-drinks which trigger depression.
44. Keep your Thyroid Healthy – Hypothyroidism causes extreme mental tiredness, fatigue and exhaustion. And hyperthyroidism causes severe mental confusion, anxiety neurosis and insomnia. If someone has been suffering in thyroid-related chronic diseases for a long time, he will experience tension, anxiety and mental depression. So, if you’re suffering in thyroid disorders, immediately consult with an Endocrinologist and get cured.
45. Psychology of Defeat – Don’t believe in the psychology of defeat. Work with the positive mindset to become successful in life. The fear of defeat may be the obstacle in the path of your success leading to depression.
46. Keep Faith in your inner-self – If you do not have faith in yourself and if you do not have true knowledge to become successful, your mental strength will be diminished. Your mental equilibrium will be disturbed in the long run.
47. Believe that Tough times Never Last – Hard times in life do not continue forever. There is always a light at the end of the dark tunnel. People with strong will-power and moral courage will never fall in depression.
48. Forget past Failures – Don’t brood over past failures as those make us down-hearted and dejected. Our past failures and defeats are just some turning points in our life, success only is our ultimate destination. The process of success in life is strewn with thorns or thistles, but it keeps our mood vivid and lively.
49. Stay motivated in Actions – If you can take full responsibility of your behavior and actions, your mindset towards life will become positive and you’ll be able to stay motivated. Count your emotional needs and look for rewards, recognition and appreciation – you’ll never experience depressive mood syndromes.
50. Take support of Expressive Psychotherapy – You can’t cope up with depression alone. Experienced mental health professionals can provide you support to reduce symptoms of depression and help you overcome future episodes of major depressive disorders. When your problems go beyond control, take professional help. You need not take anti-depressive drugs always to overcome dejected mood. Counseling can do wonders in most of the situations.