When healing from depression it isn’t just a constant recovery of ups. Recovering from depression is a journey of ups and downs. Sometimes we need ideas for picking yourself up when you have a down day.
Some days, we feel we may be close to being healed completely from our mental health problems . Feeling relatively normal most of the time, but then, sometimes suddenly, a low mood comes back and we have a bad down day. The heavy heart, low energy and mood return to let you know it hasn’t gone completely just yet. When we feel like this we need to find ways to pull ourselves out of it.
The founder of Seek A Therapy had days like this in his recovery and occasionally still does, but each time he succeeds in lifting himself up again. It is this reason we want to share his strategies with you. In this article we discuss several ways to help pull yourself out of the black hole of a down day before you sink further back again.
Ideas For Picking Yourself Up When You Have A Down Day
1. Force Yourself To Do Something You Enjoy
When you are depressed it is really hard to find the will to do anything. You sit on your sofa, maybe with your television on and stare blankly at it not really taking any of the information in. You feel like there is an invisible force pushing you down so you can’t move. When this happens you have to find your inner strength to do something to fight against it. Whatever you enjoy whether playing a video game, painting a picture, listening to music, watching a movie. Or maybe going for a walk or sitting in nature is uplifting to you?Whatever it is, you need to push against the heavy weight of the down day and lift yourself up in as constructive a way as possible.
2. Push Yourself To See The Things You Do Have
It is very easy to see the things you don’t have. We are born wanting more and living in relative comfort. Although wanting more comfort can be what drives us to work harder when just starting the journey it can seem a long way off. This is when depression and feelings of sadness can set in.
Learning to try and not focus on what you don’t have and instead, focus on what you do is important on down days. Being grateful for what you do have can lift yourself out of depression. The founder of Seek A Therapy is often thankful for having a loving family, a great partner, a job where I can be creative and a roof over his head.
The things you have to be thankful for may be different to this but there will be some things. It is hard to realise but there are people worse off than you in your current situation.
No matter how or where you expected yourself to be at the age or location you are now remember this is true, the majority of the world earn less than $1 a day. I understand on a down day it can be difficult but it is definitely worth considering the power of gratitude.
3. Stop Being Hard On Yourself And Relax
Being hard on yourself is common for all people suffering depression. Maybe you haven’t achieved what you expected even after trying really hard to do something good with your life.
It can be very hard to live with disappointments but by beating yourself up you are only going to make it worse.
Instead, you need to stop blaming yourself for situations. Some things may have been out of your control. Or maybe you made mistakes you regret and realise how much you have achieved in life.
Give yourself a pat on the back. Start seeing what you have done rather than what you haven’t yet achieved. See the fact you have made progress in some aspects of your life even if you haven’t reached your ultimate goal.
4. Realise That Everything Is Temporary
Being happy is temporary as is sadness. The feeling of happiness does not last forever and neither does the feeling of depression. Even though you may be depressed for several days, weeks or months at a time.
Realising that this too shall pass and your mood will lift eventually, it can aid in uplifting ourselves. Trying to remain optimistic for the future and still thinking about your dreams and goals can lift you from the place of sadness you find yourself in and remember, your dream is something worth fighting for.
5. Tell Yourself Positive Thoughts
Lastly, but not least is the power of positive thoughts ( even if you don’t believe them). When depressed you start thinking negatively, talking negatively and it only implodes the feeling of total sadness in your being.
Telling yourself positive things even when you are not truly feeling that way can lift your mood. Try writing down positive phrases, possibly with the help of a friend or family member, can help improve your overall wellbeing.
Don’t Forget To Smile
Even when you don’t feel like it, even when you are struggling to find the courage to smile, do your best to do it.
Even if it’s fake, t has been scientifically proven that if you smile for longer than a minute it is almost impossible to feel low. Even consider putting on a comedy movie or watch a standup, anything to let you laugh and smile more, it will help pull yourself out of your down day.
Take Time Out
Last but not least, take time out from the day to day tasks and just relax. Maybe you just need a day to stop pushing yourself. It is difficult to challenge yourself all the time so if you feel you need a days break, take it.
Learning to relax and give yourself some self-love is as important as any other suggestion mentioned above.
Final Say On Ideas For Picking Yourself Up When You Have A Down Day
Not every day will be a good day when you start overcoming depression and there will be times you feel really low. It is important to try and lift your spirits in order for you to keep on moving forward.
If you don’t fight your depression you will continue to stop moving forward. You can become deeper and deeper into your black hole. I understand it takes a lot of energy to challenge yourself. I hope some of these strategies can help you out of your down day when in recovery.
What are your ideas for picking yourself up when you have a down day during your own recovery? Please comment below