10 Ways to Fight Depression

     I am currently in my second "episode" of depression. After my first episode, I thought I was good, and would never find myself in depression again. But apparently it isn't a "been there, done that" and you never see it again type thing. It can come back. And for me, it did.

So here are 10 ways I am currently fighting against depression. No, I do not know all of the answers, but I do know some things you could try that I am currently using to fight me depression right now.

1- Tell Others.

Telling others should be the first thing you do when you find yourself in depression (though this often feels like the last thing you want to do). For me, it was telling my husband, my counselor, and my family. I told the people who were closest to me, because they are the ones who I will need to call when I am alone in the car and am going down the negative trail you probably know well if you have experienced depression.

Telling others can be VERY difficult to do due to the voices in your head telling you not to do so for a variety of reasons.

"You'll just make that person worry." "They don't care." "They'll think you're messed-up." "You'll become a burden to them." "They'll think you're crazy." "They won't trust you anymore."

The voices are ENDLESS, but the voices are also WRONG.

2- Seek Counseling

The first time I dealt with depression, I saw a pastor friend who had also gone through depression. We would talk, and he would remind me that what I was going through was ok and even pretty normal.

Right now, I have been able to see the counselor that has been doing my husband and my marriage counseling sessions.

With counseling, it can sometimes feel like a waste of money, but to be honest... it's not. It's your health we are talking about, and if you had a broken leg, you would seek a doctor, right?!

Why does this change if it's dealing with your mind?

3- Don't Be Alone

Don't allow yourself to be alone for a long period of time. This is a prime time for those negative voices to come out, and to grow deeper roots into your mind. Find places you like to go where you can hang out for a while (and it not be creepy).

The places I often go to when I need to get out of my house are the public library (my favorite place to go), coffee shops, the grocery store, and even thrift stores.

I usually LOVE crafts, but since my episode began, I haven't been interested in them, but you could even try somewhere like HOBBY LOBBY.

There are plenty of places you can go, just remember the goal is to not be alone.

Tip- When you're in the car, call a family member or friend! Sometimes it's better to get off of the radio and to have more human connection. If your friends and family know what you're going through, they'll most likely be happy to talk to you on your way to work! Just let them know you don't need to be alone right now and for them to tell you what they're doing today or this weekend.

4- Get Moving

For me, all I have wanted to do is just sleep on the couch and then get up and go sleep in bed. I haven't had any desire whatsoever to get up and go for a walk or anything of that nature. At times doing something like cleaning the dishes or vacuuming seemed like too much. But, I'm here to tell you that that voice telling you to stay on the couch is yet again, another lie.

Get up and go for a walk even if to a couple houses down from you and back. It doesn't have to be far! Just get up and do something.

Warning: Now, sometimes you will feel a little bit more energized afterwards, and sometimes you will come back and take a 3 hour nap. Either of those reactions are ok! Just make sure you are getting your heart-rate up more than what it would be sitting on the couch watching Gilmore Girls even for 10 minutes or so.

5- Get Some Sleep

Make sure you allow yourself to get at least 8-9 hours of continuous sleep a night.

A good night's sleep can help you feel more rested in the morning, and can boost your mood a little bit too.

This takes planning ahead to know when you will need to go to bed, and stick with that plan.

6- Eat

Eat? Why are you telling me to eat? Isn't that a natural thing to do?

Yes and no.

One of the big key factors for me to know how well I'm doing is to check out my appetite. Usually I get hungry every 3 hours or so (I'm telling you... I eat A LOT). But when I am going through depression, I often find myself not hungry at all throughout the day.

This is why you need to eat on some type of schedule that you feel comfortable with, because otherwise, you might not eat, and that can actually LOWER your mood.

When you find yourself at dinnertime not hungry, try to eat something anyway. Sometimes you'll learn your body actually needed that nourishment though your brain didn't process it like it normally does.

7- Journal

One of the things my counselor told me to do was to journal my thoughts. Whatever I think, I'm supposed to write it down no matter if it is something embarrassing, upsetting, or rude.

Getting the words/voices out of your head and onto paper can often help you sift out what's going on. It's also a good starting point with you and your counselor when you start your counseling.

8- Cry

I have found myself crying SO MUCH during this current episode, and I want to tell you that it's ok to cry. It's ok to cry even while watching happy movies. It's ok to cry in the middle of a ski-slope while everyone is whizzing past you (this happened to me last week), and it's ok to cry when you don't even know what you're crying about.

Just let it out.

It is ok to cry.

9- St. John's Wort

My counselor also told me about St. John's Wort, and I found some at CVS during a buy one-get one free sale. (Score!!!) I got 2 bottles. I have been taking a 300 ml pill every 8 hours or so. That makes it out to be 3 pills a day.

I have found this to actually be beneficial in getting some of those negative voices out of my head.

I would recommend starting here before jumping into the "bigger" medicines.

10- Essential Oils

If you are into essential oils, check out my blog post on "5 EOs to help fight depression".

AFT, Aroma Freedom Technique,  could also be a source for you during this time.


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In all, I hope that you see that you are not alone, you MUST tell others, and you're going to have to fight because this is a battle you're facing.

Keep the negative voices down, the positive music up, and cry whenever you want to.

Much love from someone going through it too,
Maria