Staying social is a number one way to fight off depression, pick yourself up and forget about troubles. Staying alone will only see you wallowing in whatever has got you down to begin with. The following article will present you with fantastic ways to get out of the house and beat the blues!
Natural Ways to Beat the Blues
1. Volunteer. Helping others is just too gratifying to not be positively changed by it. Being depressed often means feeling sorry for yourself; try visiting a hospice, homeless shelter or soup kitchen and you will very quickly start counting your blessings. We help ourselves as we help others, learn so much and may even make a few good friends in the process.
2. Call somebody who cares. Don’t worry about being a burden, just pick up your phone and get in touch with a compassionate friend or family member who can help you out. Think of the situation in reverse: if someone you care about called you for help, wouldn’t you be right there for them? Take advantage of the opportunity to let your feelings out, talk things over and receive the unbiased advice of someone who knows you well enough to offer the most helpful advice.
3. Be more active. Physical fitness is a great way to help your body and heal your mind and with so many options available to you, like yoga, kick-boxing or tai chi etc, you’re sure to find something that interests you. The gym or community center you sign up with can mean mixing and mingling with all sorts of folks. Just being around them will have a therapeutic effect, and think of how good the exercise will be for your self-esteem!
4. Find a hobby you can get enthusiastic about. Sitting in a classroom with other adults trying to figure out how to produce an elegant vase from a lump of clay has comic, social and educational value. Joining a community theater in any capacity – even a stage hand – can put you right in the middle of the creative and passionate action! What ever would be most appropriate for your tastes, acknowledge your inner creativity and let it out in fun and helpful ways.
5. Cyber-mingling. There are literally millions of people online, gathering in different groups to talk about life, bad things, good things, weird things, living things, dying things, monster trucks and mint juleps! Communities like Third age devote themselves to improving quality of life and all the interesting things in it. Sign up at a safe site where you can join discussions, offering your own advice or seeking the help of others.
6. Group therapy. If your depression is really more than you can handle and has gotten in the way of life too much, join a professionally led group where people discuss and resolve the issues that lead to depression. The comradery and ability to relate will help you in leaps and bounds, as will the professional supervision. If you don’t think you can beat your depression by yourself, enlist the help of others.
Everybody gets beat the blues, it’s how we deal with them that separates us and enables us to overcome them. Most often, enjoying the company of others will go a long way in beat the blues and getting you back into life.