Can Dating Help Depression?

Recognizing Our Motives

Before dating, we should examine what we hope to gain from it. Are we looking for a companion? Are we looking for a fun evening? Those who may ask themselves if dating can help with their Depression have a couple of points to consider. Firstly, how are you taking care of yourself, and how stable is your mental health? If we’re struggling considerably, while dating can bring joy into our lives, it can also bring heartbreak, disappointment, and sometimes chaos, so it is worth asking ourselves whether we can handle all of those possible outcomes. We may also want to examine how we have felt when dating in the past—did it tend to improve our mood, or did it become too much to handle?

Maybe the most important thing to consider is what our motives are. We should be careful to avoid seeking someone to rescue us. No person can save us from our Depression. Additionally, if we have a low level of respect for ourselves, we may attract those who do not respect us or settle for those who treat us poorly. If we feel “desperate” to have someone in our lives or feel that no one else will want us, we could have difficulty setting boundaries and allowing others to hurt us and make excuses for that person doing so. If you believe that you may have low self-esteem and difficulty setting boundaries with others, you may want to do some research on codependency, which you can also work on in therapy.

Benefits of Social Support

A common feature of depression is social isolation, which tends to make the depressive episode even worse. A person who is actively depressed may prefer staying home, have low motivation to engage in previously pleasurable activities, and may even neglect hygiene or spend a lot of time in bed. When feeling depressed, it can be a very important time to reach out for support, and looking forward to a date and having companionship may be helpful. But consider whether there is another social support that would be more beneficial during the depressive episode, and remember that you, much more than anyone else, can make your depressive episode go away.