Depending on where you live, you may find it difficult to maintain your energy level during the cold and dreary winter months. Furthermore, you may even find yourself dealing with depression and/or seasonal affective disorder during this time of the year.
As frustrating as it may be, there are steps you can take to fight back and reclaim control of your life.
Focus On Your Health and Wellness
Above all else, it’s critical that you focus the necessary amount of time on your current and future health and well-being.
For example, there are a variety of wellness tips you can use to your advantage during the first few months of the new year.
Maybe you do your best to get more sleep. Maybe you adjust your diet. Perhaps you start a strict exercise regiment.
It doesn’t matter what approach you take, as long as you’re getting the results you want in return.
Tip: don’t assume that something won’t work for you. You’ll never know how to break out of your funk until you experiment with any and every idea that comes to mind.
Form a Support Group
This is where many people come up short. Since they’re fighting depression, they tend to keep to themselves. While there’s nothing wrong with doing this from time to time, you shouldn’t overlook the benefits of forming a support group.
It’s easy to feel alone. And for that reason, it’s easy to assume that no one wants to help you during this challenging time. However, nothing could be further from the truth.
Many people in your life are willing to support you, ranging from friends to family members to co-workers to healthcare professionals (such as a counselor and therapist).
Once you have your support group around you, it’s easier to tackle anything that comes your way.
Consult With Your Healthcare Provider
There’s nothing more important than your health, so it always makes sense to consult with your healthcare provider should you run into any mental health concerns. You should never be embarrassed or too proud to do so.
Don’t assume that you don’t need help or that you can treat your depression on your own. You might be right, but you don’t want to take that risk.
Your doctor can talk to you about all your options, ranging from medication to therapy to counseling.
Here are some of the many questions you can ask:
- Should I try to use medication to control my depression? What type is best for someone in my position?
- What is TMS for depression? Will it work for someone in my position?
- Is there a reason why my depression seems worse during the winter months?
- Should I expect my mood to improve when the spring and summer months arrive?
- What should I do if nothing helps to improve my mental state and overall health?
- Does it make sense to consult with a mental health specialist at this time?
- Are there any “home remedies” that can help with depressive episodes?
- What should I do if my depression turns into something that I am unable to manage at home?
Your healthcare provider is on your side. They want to do what’s best for you, and they’ll stop at nothing to help. You simply need to keep an open mind and work with them to find the strategy that yields the best results.
Don’t Give Up
You’re not alone if you’re faced with severe bouts of depression. There are tens of millions of adults in the United States who suffer from depression.
Don’t lose sight of the fact that help is available. You don’t have to live with depression, even if it is only for a few months out of the year.
When you give up, you’re missing out on many of the things you love during the winter months.
Conversely, when you continue to fight—doing whatever it takes to find a solution to your problem—you’ll see that you’re making progress.
What steps do you take when attempting to manage depression and/or seasonal affective disorder? Is there something in particular that has worked for you in the past? What advice would you give to someone who is in this position?
