Do you want to find ways to overcome depression? Feeling down for weeks is no fun. Besides, living with untreated depression robs you of joy. Commit to taking proactive steps with these easy ways to overcome depression so you can live a vibrant life.
Easy Ways to Overcome Depression: A Look at Depression Statistics
Before looking at ways to overcome depression, consider the statistics. The World Health Organization (WHO) says about 280 million people worldwide have depression. Furthermore, this mental health disorder is more commonly found in women than men (by about 50 percent).
- Although effective depression treatments are available, more than 75 percent of those with depression in poorer countries are not treated.
According to a 2023 Gallup Research poll in the United States, about 29 percent of adults have had depression at some point. This is the highest percentage since Gallup began reporting the metric in 2015.
Depression can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, race, or ethnicity. Yet, depression is highly treatable. People can go on to live a normal, productive life.
Easy Ways to Overcome Depression
The most crucial decision is getting treatment to overcome depression. Yet, psychological depression treatments, while effective, take time. Your treatment for depression may include behavioral, cognitive-behavioral, interpersonal, or problem-solving therapy. But you will want to take additional steps to feel better. The same holds for taking prescribed antidepressant medications.
What can you do today to help overcome depression?
Ways to Overcome Depression: Find Activities You Enjoy
Think about what you enjoy doing most. If you like walking in nature, relax with a stroll in a nature preserve, a hiking trail, or a city park.
Walking in nature hits two significant points in the ways to overcome depression:
- Exercise helps reduce inflammation, which reduces symptoms of depression.
- Being outside in nature has mood-boosting effects.
- Regular physical exercise can trim depression risk by 15 percent.
Maintain a Regular Routine
Now is the time to stick to your regular eating and sleeping pattern. Sleeping seven to nine hours nightly reduces the risk of depression by 22 percent.
It would be best to nourish your body and replenish your energy consistently. Maintain a healthy diet, and you can cut your depression risk by 6 percent.
Cherish Connections with Family and Friends
One easy way to overcome depression is familiar and healing. Connect often with family and friends. This helps lift your mood, overcome lethargy, stop self-destructive and potentially downward-spiraling thoughts, and promote well-being.
Be Kind to Yourself to Overcome Depression
Kindness always helps. But when you are working to overcome depression, kindness can be highly effective. First, be kind to yourself. Healing from depression is a long-haul experience. You want all the help you can get.
Plus, the benefits of self-kindness radiate to all aspects of life.
- Your endorphins get a boost, which makes you feel good.
- Kindness increases happiness.
- Kindness lowers the rate of depression.
Find Someone You Trust to Talk to
Even though you may see a psychotherapist or counselor to help you overcome depression, you may need someone to talk to between sessions.
- Choose this person wisely.
- You want someone you trust so you know they won’t betray your confidence.
- And you want to talk openly about your feelings with someone who can be empathetic and encouraging in your healing journey.
Ways to Overcome Depression: Give Yourself Goals to Achieve
One of the best and easiest ways to overcome depression is to have something to look forward to. Your list of goals to achieve can include the following:
- Making plans to go on vacation
- Going back to school to get a degree
- Taking a course to learn something new
- Achieving proficiency or mastery in a sport or hobby
- Embarking on a new career
- Expanding your network of friends
Creating opportunities for goal achievement and accomplishment is one of the cornerstones of positive psychology interventions to reduce depression.
Embrace Hope to Overcome Depression
Be optimistic about your future. Adopt a hopeful attitude. Hope helps restore your body and mind to a healthy state. Hope drives motivation. It is a source of inspiration and is essential for creativity.
Treatment Resources
Need help locating treatment for depression? Check out these resources:
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
- Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA)
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
