How to combat depression in active recovery

Depression manifests itself in several forms, and there’s no single way of detecting or dealing with all of them. Depression refers to elongated sadness. It can range from a mild sense of darkness – of which the person may not even be aware – to overwhelming desperation.

One key characteristic of depression is a lack of motivation, which, unfortunately, is exactly what you need to overcome it. That’s why depressed people need help. You can’t just will yourself out of depression with a quick and swift “I’m done being depressed.” It’s a special kind of illness that perverts the way we perceive the world and everything it offers. To escape, you need outside perspective and guidance. Before you can change, you have to realize who you’ve become and why.

Accepting depression

Depression isn’t just a state of mind; it’s a chemical anomaly in the brain. If you feel as though you’re depressed, don’t be ashamed, and don’t keep it to yourself. See a trusted health care professional.

Self-Medication — NO

Many people use alcohol or narcotics to self-medicate for their depression. This will only pull you into a darker place. If you think you need medication, talk to your doctor, even if your current self-prescribed drug usage feels like it’s helping. That goes for prescription drugs as well as booze and marijuana. Just because a doctor somewhere prescribed it somebody doesn’t make it safe. It’s the opposite. There’s a reason people study their whole lives to get to practice medicine. Pharmacotherapy is complex and, if you don’t know you’re doing, extremely risky for the patient.

Daily balanced living

This, perhaps, is the greatest defense: simple things like eating right, sleeping well, and minimizing electronic usage can make a world of difference. Don’t make decisions on your own about weaning off or increasing your prescribed medications or routines. Depression isn’t something to play with.