October 08, 2018

#129: Depression Is the Worst, but It Does Happen

11 minutes

I had a season where I dealt with depression and I have to say that it was the worst thing I have ever been through. It’s dark, it can feel very lonely, and it tries to steal the life out of everything good in the world. The only way that I beat it was to consume everything positive that I could get my hands on and to shut out all negativity. It was the most intentional I have ever been about something in my life, but it was necessary to begin seeing the world as I once knew it. The process took about six months, but was well worth the time and effort.

Of course, everyone’s experience and dealing with depression is different, but I did find that there are proven ways to mitigate the pain. And my own findings recently helped me in giving advice to a friend of mine who has been dealing with a deep depression for about four years.

He moved to another country trying to find happiness with no success. Now he is on antidepressants and is seeing a therapist to hopefully ease his internal struggle. I will say that his dealing with depression seems to be more extreme than my own dealings, as he is at the point of not being able to make himself do almost anything, but the common underlying theme for everyone who experiences depression is the same: the life we are experiencing has stopped meeting our expectations.

So what are the top seven fixes that we should attempt in order to rid ourselves from depression symptoms:

Pay close attention to your diet. More than likely there’s an imbalance. When we fix our energy levels, the world begins to look brighter, and we can do this through our food intake.

Take supplements that include fish oil, vitamin d3, and b vitamin.

Start exercising if you aren’t already or increase your levels of activity. This one thing helped me, and my friend also said that it has helped him to start feeling better.

I also recommend meditation as it allows you to become more in tune with your body and helps bring a greater understanding of your current state.

Have realistic expectations. Much of depression is rooted in not meeting the unrealistic high expectations we have placed on ourselves. Yes, we should be setting goals—that can get us moving in the right direction—but not meeting too high of expectations only increases the negative voice inside our heads.

Cut out all negativity that you can identify and begin replacing it with positivity. The people around you and the environment that you find yourself in can deeply influence the way you see the world. If you are constantly around fun people, it’s difficult not to eventually crack a smile.

And last, create a list of the things in your life that you are grateful for. Thankfulness is one thing that can instantly change your perspective.

Remember, you are the one who is in charge of the way you see the world. It’s not easy to change or to fix depression, but you are the one who freely chooses to see the world in the way you want to see it. It’s up to you to change.

*Disclaimer: Please contact a medical physician if experiencing depression symptoms. Not mentioned in this episode is the possibility of a chemical imbalance or need for medication.

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By Adam Kirk Smith