Set Recovery Goals
You can commit to multiple goals simultaneously. Even better, once one goal has been accomplished, you can start expanding your goals and making them more challenging.
Creating Movement
You have used self-monitoring to gain awareness of your current state. You have set recovery goals that are reasonable, specific and measurable. Now, all you need to do is move towards completing these goals. How do you do that?
Therapy
For someone with depression, therapy is a must. A therapist is a trained professional that has the knowledge and experience to help with the monitoring and goal-setting as well as moving you towards these goals.
Many therapists are trained in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which involves investigating your thoughts, feelings and behaviors to note how they are connected and interrelated. This allows the opportunity to improve your feelings by addressing the others.
Medication Management
Medication is not for everyone, but for millions of people, it is helpful. Many medications for depression help by increasing the amount of desirable neurotransmitters in the brain. With more serotonin or norepinephrine, your mood will be better and your energy will be higher.
Most medications have some risk of side effects, but this is not certain for every person. Many gladly accept the side effect for the reduced symptoms.
Physical Health
There is absolutely a connection between how you feel mentally and how you feel physically. For years, people have observed the positive changes with mental health associated with positive changes to physical health.
By improving your sleep habits, diet, and level of physical activity, you will change your mental status. Exercise, for example, has been associated to many positive mental health outcomes. Some report that daily exercise is as beneficial as taking an antidepressant.
Social Health
Unsurprisingly, having fun with people you care about will aid your movement towards depression recovery. Your social health can be improved by adding more positive social experiences to your life like going places and doing things with people you enjoy.
On the other hand, your social health can improve by reducing the contact with negative people in your life. If someone is overly negative, controlling, manipulating or abusive, life will be better without them.
Be cautious, though. While depressed, your depression may try to convince you supportive people should be excluded from your life. Hold on the ones that are caring, generous, and make you feel worthwhile.
Finding recovery from depression is a lifelong task. It is one with opportunity for success and failure. Be sure to assign the proper amount of control to your situation, though. Depression will return, and it does not mean you failed — it only means you have more work to do.
