what to do when depression hits?

Depression is an incredibly miserable condition that imparts no mercy on its victim in every aspect.  It hijacks our eating and sleeping habits, sense of self-worth, energy, enjoyment of life, hopefulness, the capacity to form and maintain fulfilling relationships with others, and sadly, our will to live in this world. 

Fortunately, we have ample research on depression and methods to remove its grip on people’s lives. In therapy, there is an abundance of techniques available to work with the symptoms and the root causes of their existence.  One of the most powerful techniques used is behavioral activation.  Because depression diminishes our energy levels and, in turn, our ability to complete daily tasks, activity and action become the antidote.  Behavioral activation is just that—choosing movement vs. staying idle and participation vs. isolation. 

A common misconception is that movement has to be exercised.  The truth is, movement can be anything that gets your body in motion, out of bed or off the couch, to get those feel-good hormones flowing.  How that looks for one person may be different from the next—maybe it’s yoga, stretching, or going for a 3-minute walk, or maybe it’s something completely different. The important piece here is to meet yourself where you are at; what is realistic to start with?  What will you likely be successful in trying?  Same with participation.  Are there people you feel more comfortable with seeing?  Or maybe a task/hobby you used to enjoy that you can try again (even if it feels uninteresting at the moment)?  Spend time here to think about or write out what suits you best as you begin to take that power back.  The more you do, the more energy you will build, and the more you will start to believe you are capable of action.  Patience here is key also; just like muscle-building, it can take time to train the brain out of the defaults of depression.

Another technique frequently used is called the GLAD technique.  This technique helps shift the brain from rumination on negative aspects of experience by balancing these thoughts with positive/helpful things we miss.  The GLAD technique is broken down into four pieces: G for something you are grateful for, L for something you learned, A for things you accomplished, and D for things that delighted you or brought you joy (no matter how small).  With each of these elements, the more detail, the better.  For example:

G: “I’m grateful that I was able to wake up ten minutes early to enjoy a cup of coffee in silence.”

L: “I learned how to organize something more efficiently.”

A: “I was able to take a 2-minute walk despite feeling overwhelmed by fatigue.”

D: “I heard birds singing to each other during my walk that I may have missed otherwise.”

You can also add as many things to each category as you’d like, which may start to happen the more you focus on these areas.

For some, depression symptoms override our capacities to push through on our own.  Medication can sometimes be a way to lessen the burden, which for some people is temporary depending on their own unique factors.  Research also indicates greater effectiveness when combining talk therapy with antidepressants.

Overall, be kind to yourself through the process.  Depression can convince you that you don’t deserve it, but depression is not intelligent.  Your worth has no prerequisites, and you are more than entitled to believing that!