CWD Daily
Tips for Coping with Depression
1-800-273-8255.
Tip of the Day
Get help: Medications
The Mayo Clinic website has TIPS for choosing the antidepressant that is right for you. It's often a process of trial and error before you find the medicine that works for you with side effects you can tolerate.
With your doctor, evaluate:
Your
particular symptoms.
Possible
side effects.
Whether
it worked for a close relative.
Interaction
with other medications.
Pregnancy
or breast-feeding.
Other
health conditions.
Cost
and health insurance coverage.
Empowerment
Disempowerment -- feeling powerless in the face of COVID and economy and climate change and politics -- is a natural and valid response to the state of our world.
What can you do RIGHT NOW to take back your power over depression? Here are 7 great ideas from Psychology Today.
1. Get angry!
2. Move. Once a day do something that gets your heart rate up and your blood flowing. Within your physical abilities -- move. Shrug your shoulders, rotate your arms, flex your feet... even if your stuck in bed or can't walk, move a little.
3. Reach out. During quarantine, you can still connect with people on the telephone and online. You don't have to put yourself out there too much. Facebook groups are a great way to connect without risking too much -- if it gets difficult or ugly, unfriend or leave groups.
4. Do things you once liked, even if you don't feel like it. "Though easier said than done, the times you feel most like slumping on the couch are the moments you should force yourself to take a walk, cook a meal, or call a friend."
5. Watch a funny TV show or movie.
6. Don't punish yourself for feeling bad.
7. Get help. See a therapist, call a hotline, talk to your religious leader.
CWD Daily is written by Julie Aiken, a layperson whose only authority lies in 40 years of coping with depression. Nothing in the newsletter should be taken as medical advice. Please do no self-diagnose or self-prescribe. Above all, please get help if you need it.
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