Ways to Fight Depression After the Holidays
The best way to beat this symptom is by maintaining a healthy diet full of whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains. This will help to fuel your body with the nutrients and energy that it needs. There are some delicious and healthy modifications too so you can feel like you’re indulging without straying too far from the path.
Medication and Therapy
If you feel your usual methods of coping or the previously suggested methods won’t be enough, talk to your doctor about possibly getting set up with medication or a therapist. There are many types of antidepressants available so it may take some time to find one that works and get adjusted to it — it’s not a quick fix but could provide a great deal of support long term.
If you’re not interested in medication, haven’t found one that helps, or are looking for something in addition to other depression treatments, therapy has many benefits. Similar to medication, there are a few different types of therapy available.
Some types of therapy include:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has proven to be very effective for the treatment of depression and its symptoms. CBT focuses on the negative thoughts and feelings and works toward retraining your brains way of thinking. With the help of a CBT therapist you can find ways of recognizing negative thought patterns and replace them with a healthier way of thinking.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is likely what you immediately think of when someone mentions therapy. It’s a series of one on one sessions with a trained therapist who will help you to identify and breakdown the causes of your depression so that you may learn to overcome them. You’ll learn ways of coping and problem solving techniques so that you can regain a positive mentality.
Group Therapy
Group therapy may often get lumped in with psychotherapy, but it’s a bit different for the obvious reason that instead of being one-on-one with your chosen therapist you would be in a supportive group environment. One of the benefits of this type of therapy is you get to meet like-minded people who are experiencing similar emotions as you. It’s a great way to possibly make new friends, learn from others’ experiences, and gain some outside perspective.
With any form of treatment or therapy it’s important to find a method that works for you. This may require some trial and error that can be frustrating but sooner or later you’ll find something that you enjoy.
So the hype and buzz of the holiday season are over, and you feel yourself dreading the months to come or start to recognize some depressive habits. There are ways of keeping active, positive and healthy in the months to come.
For many people, multiple forms of treatment are needed to regain their motivation and stabilize their mood. It can be frustrating searching for the right method but you’re on the right track if you find something that enjoy and feel that you can be consistent with.
