Lifestyle changes: dealing with depression

So you’re depressed, now what?!

If you like me self-diagnosed your mood as depressed, you have two choices; enjoy depression (yes, sometimes a bit of downtime feels good. It can also help if you are in a creative field like writing or painting) or change your mood.

There it is, change. I’ll be the first one to admit that changing is not easy. It takes effort, it could be scary and it requires tenacity and persistence. It takes energy, physical, mental and emotional. More often than not, instead of making changes in their lives, people are willing to stick to their unhappy situation forever but since they are unhappy, they complain. Have you met those people? Those who are stubborn, who complain about their jobs, their weights, their lifestyles; sometimes for years and years but don’t take any steps toward improving their situation? These people are afraid of change and the effort it takes to invest in their happiness. A person needs to make a conscious choice toward happiness.

The next step would be the evaluation of your abilities: can you make the necessary changes by yourself or do you need a coach or a therapist? It is a personal evaluation and decision and all I can say is; be honest with yourself. If you have been trying to make changes for years and haven’t achieved the success level you were expecting, maybe it’s time to consult with a professional.

Whatever your decision, to work by yourself or seek help and guidance, do not procrastinate. Do not make excuses. I confess to be guilty of this. My go-to excuses are: “I’ll work on it when I have time… or when I feel better… or when I get back from vacation… or when I finish this urgent project”, “I am researching the issue or I am reading books about it”… and the last one is: “oh, yes, I’m OK, I’m no getting worse, I can figure it out tomorrow or next week, or next month”. All of which as you can assume doesn’t solve the problem, doesn’t make me happy and doesn’t start the change for the better.

What I need is a conscious decision to overcome my depression. I also need to make that decision into reality by changing my daily routine and activities.