Being depressed often feels like carrying a very heavy burden, but you are not alone in this struggle.
Millions of Kenyans suffer from some form of depression every year, making it one of the most common mental disorders in the country.
Gaining a deeper understanding of depression can help begin the journey to recovery.
Taking some time to learn more about the causes and symptoms of depression will assist you greatly when it comes time to consider methods of treatment.
Depression is more than just feeling sad. Everyone feels upset or unmotivated from time to time, but depression is more serious.
It is a mood disorder characterized by prolonged feelings of sadness and loss of interest in daily activities.
If these symptoms persist for a period of at least two weeks, it is considered a depressive episode.
Different people have different ways of coping up with depression
Instead of talking about how they feel, some people use alcohol or drugs to feel better.
This usually makes things worse, certainly in the long run. Your work will suffer and alcohol often leads to irresponsible, unpleasant or dangerous behavior.
You also focus more on work rather than relationships or home life. This can cause conflicts with your husband, wife or partner.
Here are some self-help and coping tips to overcome Depression
Depression drains your energy, hope, and drive, making it difficult to do what you need to feel better.
But while overcoming depression isn’t quick or easy, it’s far from impossible.
You can’t just will yourself to “snap out of it,” but you do have some control even if your depression is severe and stubbornly persistent. The key is to start small and build from there.
Feeling better takes time, but you can get there if you make positive choices for yourself each day.
Recovering from depression requires action, but taking action when you’re depressed is hard. In fact, just thinking about the things you should do to feel better, like going for a walk or spending time with friends, can be exhausting.
It’s the Catch-22 of depression recovery: The things that help the most are the things that are the most difficult to do. There’s a difference, however, between something that’s difficult and something that’s impossible.
The key to depression recovery is to start with a few small goals and slowly build from there.Draw upon whatever resources you have. You may not have much energy, but you probably have enough to take a short walk around the block or pick up the phone to call a loved one.
Take things one day at a time and reward yourself for each accomplishment. The steps may seem small, but they’ll quickly add up. And for all the energy you put into your depression recovery, you’ll get back much more in return.