Ways To Overcome Depression, From Someone Who Has.

Posted on

Depression is the deep feeling of losing interest, sadness, and despair. The best part? Depression is temporary when you face it. 

Key Points of Article: 

  1. Understand depression shows up differently in everyone and how it works for YOU. 
  2. Through learning about the psychology of depression, it can help you alter its effects. 
  3. You can integrate whichever depression treatment that you want. You just have to stick with it! 

Depression is when an individual has persistently low or depressed mood, anhedonia, or decreased interest in pleasurable activities, feelings of guilt or worthlessness, lack of energy, poor concentration, appetite changes, and suicidal thoughts. 1

WHEN DEPRESSION TAKES OVER AND I CAN’T PUSH THROUGH IT, I HAVE TO CLOSE MY DOOR AND SHUT THE WORLD OUT. THERE’S NOTHING LEFT IN ME. BUT I KNOW EVENTUALLY, IT WILL PASS AND I WILL HOPE AGAIN.

Trauma Survivors Foundation2

Prefer the video version? Click here! 

  • When I began my self-help journey, I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder by my Therapist and Doctor.
  • My symptoms were severe sadness, diminished life interest, and immense feelings of guilt and worthlessness that caused social and occupational impairment.
  • Some of my friend’s symptoms include suicidal thoughts, psycho-agitation, and numbness in all feelings.

It’s important to understand because while one type of treatment may work for one person, it may not work for you.

  • What you can do, is begin searching for what works for you with your depression symptoms and type.
  • See below to see what worked for me and other treatments that may work for you!

By understanding depression psychology, you can alter its effects.

  • In the 1960s, the theory called the “Serotonin Theory of Depression” began and in the 1990s was widely promoted by the pharmaceutical industry in association with a new market for antidepressants. These antidepressants are serotonin-reuptake inhibitors. This is backed by official institutions, such as the American Psychiatric Association. 3
  • The issue with this is that it’s STILL being taught that depression is only a serotonin brain chemical imbalance.

But, there has been NO comprehensive review of the research on serotonin versus depression that enables such a conclusion. 4

  • The Journal of Neuroscience released a study where they looked at the hippocampus of the brain concerning depression.
  • They knew that stress was a major key in depression because stress suppresses the production of new neurons in the hippocampus. Simply put, stress halts the brain’s ability to contain memory, learning, and regulate emotion. 5
  • The Journal of Neuroscience found that 9-13% of women who are depressed have a smaller hippocampus, so for some people, it’s easier to get depressed because their hippocampus is smaller!6
  • Harvard Medical School released a study where they found that the Amygdala, the portion of your brain that’s associated with anger, pleasure, sorrow, fear, and arousal, has a higher activity rate when someone is depressed. 7 Meaning that when you’re depressed, your brain activates all other feelings to be stronger. Hence, why when you’re depressed, the emotion of sadness is SO STRONG.
  • Other studies show that depression can come from medical illnesses from chronic pain, drug and alcohol use, past trauma, and horrible life events. 8

What does all this information mean?

  • Depression can come from anywhere to anyone.
  • Knowing what’s happening in your brain, can help you see past depression.
  • The brain’s mechanism for depression is to feel its feelings. It doesn’t care who you are, or where you come from, and it will impact you if it has the opportunity.

When depression impacts you, you should integrate practices YOU feel called to!

  • Here are some practices that helped me the most:
  1. Acupuncture
  2. Therapy
  3. Journaling
  4. Positive Affirmations
  5. TRE Exercises
  6. EFT Tapping
  7. Earthing
  8. Goal Setting
  9. Herbal Medicine – there ARE herbs you can integrate to help balance!
  10. Shadow Work

Other types of depression treatments that may work for you:

  1. Group therapy
  2. Group meetups
  3. Cardio
  4. Mobility Exercises
  5. Gratitude Training
  6. Breath-work
  7. Meditation
  8. Mantras
  9. Leave the situation completely
  10. Zero- Balancing

What do you think? Are there any practices that you gravitate to? Please let me know in the comments below!

 

References:

  1. Bains, Navneet, and Sara Abdijadid. Major Depressive Disorder. Edited by UCLA, National Library of Medicine, 2023, https://doi.org/32644504. ↩︎
  2. Trauma Survivors Foundation. “10 Inspirational Quotes For Dealing With Depression.” The Trauma Survivors Foundation, 20 Jul. 2022, www.thetraumasurvivorsfoundation.com/blog-1/ten-inspirational-quotes-for-dealing-with-depression#:~:text=%22When%20depression%20takes%20over%20and,even%20harder%20to%20explain%20it. Accessed 4 Feb. 2024. ↩︎
  3. The Conversation Magazine, and UCL . “Analysis: Depression Is Probably Not Caused by a Chemical Imbalance in the Brain – New Study.” UCL. AC. UK, 20 Jul. 2022. https://doi.org/https://theconversation.com/depression-is-probably-not-caused-by-a-chemical-imbalance-in-the-brain-new-study-186672 ↩︎
  4. The Conversation Magazine, and UCL . “Analysis: Depression Is Probably Not Caused by a Chemical Imbalance in the Brain – New Study.” UCL. AC. UK, 20 Jul. 2022. https://doi.org/https://theconversation.com/depression-is-probably-not-caused-by-a-chemical-imbalance-in-the-brain-new-study-186672 ↩︎
  5. Baby, Dany P. MD, and Taylor Wendt. “Hippocampus: What to Know.” WebMD, 1 Sept. 2022. https://www.webmd.com/brain/hippocampus-what-to-know ↩︎
  6. Health Publishing, Harvard P. “What Causes Depression?” Harvard Medical School, 10 Jan. 2022. https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/what-causes-depression#:~:text=Rather%2C%20there%20are%20many%20possible,interact%20to%20bring%20on%20depression. ↩︎
  7. Health Publishing, Harvard P. “What Causes Depression?” Harvard Medical School, 10 Jan. 2022. https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/what-causes-depression#:~:text=Rather%2C%20there%20are%20many%20possible,interact%20to%20bring%20on%20depression. ↩︎
  8. Blue, Beyond. “Causes of Depression.” Beyondblue.Org, www.beyondblue.org.au/mental-health/depression/causes-of-depression. Accessed 4 Feb. 2024. ↩︎

Leave a Reply