Simple ways to overcome Depression and sadness

Often people tend to use the words depression and sadness as a replacement for the other, thinking that they both mean the same. However, being sad or feeling low is only a part of depression and not the same thing.

Depression is usually associated with a mood disorder that affects the functioning of an individual’s daily life in a rather negative way. Sadness, on the other hand, is one of the many other emotions felt by a depressed individual. Besides, there are several types of depression with varying symptoms as it is one of the most commonly found mental health disorders. Unlike depression, sadness is merely a human emotion that everybody tends to feel in their lives and it also goes away in a short time.

Differentiating between the two is especially crucial before finding ways to overcome them.

Don’t worry! We have a segregated list of simple ways to overcome both depression and sadness laid out just for you.

Ways to overcome depression

Get Help

1. One of the best and the easiest ways to identify and overcome depression is to seek a trusted therapist or a counsellor. This way you would not only be getting professional help which is bound to help you more, but you would also know what type of depressive order you are going through and everything you have to know about the disorder in a detailed and understanding way.
2. Although therapy is recommended more, you could always just talk to a reliable friend or a family member or an elder that you trust. Opening up to someone always makes you feel lighter, and this could also be a simple case of sadness, for which you don’t even need a counsellor!
3. Always remember that you should never hesitate to get help or feel ashamed because it is only human and natural to reach out for additional help.

In case you feel like you are at an exceedingly early stage and don’t require extra help, you could simply help yourself by the other tips given below. And you could always use these suggestions along with professional treatment for better results and a speedy recovery!

Push yourself to take a hobby or a task

In the case of depressive mood disorder, one often tends to lose all their interest and focus from almost everything. To avoid that from happening or to tackle that situation if that is already the case, challenge yourself. Push yourself to do things, be it a hobby, an activity, or a task. Here are some simple hobbies or activities that you could take up:

1. Have a movie marathon with your best friend. What better than a tub of popcorn and your favourite rom-com!
2. Start sketching or painting.
3. Listen to music. Studies have shown that music calms you down and helps you feel better.
4. Take up baking.
5. Take a relaxing hot bath with flowers and scented candles.
6. Start journaling and keep track of all your emotions, your progress, and the areas where you need help or improvement.

• Taking up a hobby or simply doing something will keep your mind distracted and occupied due to which you would not have time to pay attention to any negative thoughts or feelings at all.
• The central idea behind this is to do whatever it is or used to make you feel light and good.
• In case it starts to get worse, you could start visiting animal shelters weekly with a friend or even adopt a puppy or a cat! Animals have proven to uplift your mood, and as the saying goes, “a dog is man’s best friend.”

Stay connected 

Stay in constant touch with your friends and loved ones because their support will help you and make you feel better. In case you might do that, inform a friend or a family member who you trust before-hand so that even if you start detaching yourself from them, that person will get it and check on you and help you.

1. Remember, you are not alone.
2. Talk to a friend or anyone who makes you feel good about yourself and stay in contact with them.
3. You could even join a club or any hobby classes and meet new people and make new friends for a change of environment.

Cultivating a healthy daily routine

Staying fit:

1. Exercising gets difficult for someone who is depressed because of constantly feeling low and worn out. But once you start exercising, even if it’s simple stretching or jogging in the beginning, you will feel better and gradually develop a daily routine of it.
2. Psychologists highly recommend exercising and other activities like meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, etc., because these are proven to elevate your energy levels and release endorphins, because of which you start feeling better and less tired.
3. Start playing a sport. This will also help to ensure that you stay in shape.
4. Register for activities like dance sessions, swimming lessons, etc., with a friend.

Eating habits:

1. Keep your eating habits in check. A healthy and balanced diet is as important as exercising.
2. Do not skip meals. Not only is that unhealthy for your body but will also have a direct negative effect on your mood swings.
3. Consult a counsellor on what foods to consume more, the pros and cons, etc., depending on the intensity and type of depression you are experiencing.

Sleep schedule:

1. Maintain a proper and healthy sleep schedule. It is of immense importance that your body and mind get enough rest and time to power up.
2. Avoid using screens at late nights and in early mornings.
3. Develop healthy sleeping habit by making sure you get at least eight hours of sound sleep.

Ways to overcome sadness

Give yourself time

• You need to give yourself time and space to get out of a sad or upsetting situation.
• Acknowledge the pain and grief instead of avoiding it or bottling it up inside.
• Learn to accept certain events and situations, and remember that you cannot control everything.

Practice daily affirmations

• Driveaway those annoying pessimistic thoughts by practising daily and developing a positive outlook towards life.
• Express gratitude daily to stay on the track of positive well-being.
• Journaling is likely to help a lot in such a case because writing down your emotions and feelings will help you get a clearer idea of where you need to improve and will also ensure you have an idea of your progress.
• Read more books and articles about success, positivity, mindfulness, etc., for this is likely to help your mind get refreshed and make you feel good.

Talk or Write

• Whenever you’re feeling down, upset, dejected, demotivated, etc., it is always good to share your feelings with someone. This is because opening to a trusted individual is guaranteed to make you feel lighter and better.
• Sharing your problems with someone to get a solution is not necessarily the case every time. Sometimes, even the mere idea of someone else listening to what is hurting us is enough to make us feel better.
• Not everyone is expressive enough to explain their feelings and emotions to another individual, or he/she might not be comfortable sharing at all.
• The option of writing always prevails. As mentioned above, journaling tends to help a lot, and if you are unable to keep a daily record, you could simply write what you feel when you are sad.
• This will help you figure out your emotions quicker and might also bring your attention to a certain feeling or thought that you did not even know was there!

Things to do when you feel sad

Here are certain simple ways that could make you feel better and help you root out the sadness:

• Watch a funny movie, a stand-up or an interesting animation. The idea is to watch something light and fun to distract you and make you feel good.
• Listen to a podcast. Take your mind off by listening to a podcast, and you might get to learn something new too!
• Ask a friend to join you for shopping or a lunch/dinner date. Nothing tops a good day spent with a good company.
• Take a trip down memory lane. Revisit old days by going through old photo albums and videos. This will help you distract your mind and make you feel better.

Conclusion

We cannot see the future because of which we wouldn’t know when or how or why a certain situation would take place, in this case, when and how we would feel low or depressed. Although we can avoid these situations, that is only possible to a certain extent.

What we can do is try our best to get out of that situation as smoothly as possible. And these tips are here for your rescue!

---

Co-author: Khushi Shah 

Khushi has just passed her school and is now studying at PDPU. Apart from writing, she likes to sketch and dance.  She also has other blogs where she posts proses and poetry.