Negative Triggers I Avoid
Depression can be severe and life-altering, affecting the quality of life and the happiness of those who live with it. It's also a very common condition.
In some cases, there are ways to prevent a depressive episode you feel creeping up on you.
There are many lifestyle changes and stress management techniques you can use to prevent or avoid depression. There are certain triggers that can cause us to experience depressive episodes. Everyone is different, therefore triggers will vary for each person. Below are my main triggers and the best techniques I use to prevent them to avoid that episode I feel coming on.
1) Exercising regularly is one of the best things you can do for your mental health. Exercise can help in the treatment of depression in several key ways. One of them being that it increases your body temperature, which can have a calming effect on the central nervous system. All types of physical exercise can help treat depression, but it's best to exercise regularly. All types of physical exercise can help treat depression, but it's best to exercise regularly.
These exercises don't have to be the blood, sweat, and tears work outs either, because trust me, I hate that shit. Instead, find something fun that you love doing. This could be something like, playing sports, or doing yoga. You can even start doing the simple things first, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator at work, or take an evening walk with friends or family after work. Just try to make a habit out whatever you end up doing, because this is the best way to maintain the fitness level that is most effective in treating depression.
2)
Research has shown that increased social media usage can cause or contribute to depression and low self-esteem. Social media can be addicting, and in today's world, it's become a necessity to stay connected with friends, family, and even co-workers. It's how we plan and invite each other to events and share big news. However, limiting your use of social media can become a crucial part in help treating depression.
In the past, whenever I had a major breakdown, I would deactivate all my social media accounts for awhile. At first, it was kind of weird not having anything to check up on, but after awhile, it became kind of nice not having your mind revolve around Facebook or Instagram. Instead, I was able to focus my mind on myself and how to get better mentally. I was able to finally get caught up with all the tasks had I fallen behind on. It was a good cleanse for me. However, I caved and reactivated my accounts. Why? Well, as mentioned before, it's a tool for communication, and I needed to reach out to some peers. I still try not to go on social media often, and by this I mean, spending hours scrolling through my news feed and all the discovery pages. I think I've become better at it? haha who knows, I can always do another cleanse if needed!
Some tips for you social obsessed people I have are to delete the apps off your phone. This way you aren't always glued to it. If you aren't up for that challenge just yet, definitely change your notification settings like I did so your phone isn't always going off. This way, you don't get distracted by your phone by unnecessary notifications and you can focus on the tasks you need to get done for the day!
3)
Having a strong support system and an active social life is important for our mental health as well. Research has shown that even having an "adequate" social support can protect you against a depressive episode coming on. Make sure that you are regularly connecting with friends and family, even when your lives are hectic. Try attending social events when you can, and explore different hobbies that could help you meet and build new relationships.
4)
Have you ever walked into an amusement park and been so overwhelmed at what you want to do first? Researchers believe that having too many choices can actually cause significant stress, leading to depression. I know for me, decisions don't come easy. Which outfit should I wear? Where should we get lunch? Which movie or show should we watch? The choices are endless. The pressure of making the right, or wrong, choice is thought to contribute to depression.
Some ways I've become more decisive quicker is by reducing the decisions I have to make during my week. Simple right? Sundays are my planning days. This is where I sit down and fill out my weekly and daily planner with tasks I want to get done for that week. I also plan my outfits the nights before instead of spending an hour tearing up my closet in the morning. I try to have two outfits in mind in case the first option goes wrong. You can also meal prep for work instead of wasting time in the morning making your lunch. There's a lot more decisions you can reduce each week. Just spend some time and think about what you spend the most time on in the morning, afternoon, or evening, and think of the different ways you can attack it to spend less time on it!
5)
Chronic stress is one of the most avoidable causes of depression. Learning how to manage and cope with stress is essential for optimal mental health. Some great ways I manage stress is by avoiding overcommitting to events, practice mindfulness or meditation, and learning to let the things go that I have no control over.
6)
We have all met that one person who just makes us feel bad about ourselves. Sometimes they're an outright bully, and torment, other times they subtly put us down to make themselves feel better. They may even be someone who takes advantage of us. Regardless of the situation, toxic people should be avoided at all costs, because they can lower our self-esteem and contribute to depression.
To avoid toxic people you should stay away from anyone who makes you feel worse about yourself as much as possible. Cut the people out in your life who are taking advantage of you. Most importantly, know the signs. If someone is spreading rumors or talks bad about someone else as soon as they walk away, they are more than likely going to do the same to you.
If the person is someone you have known for awhile, it will be hard to let go at first, but you have to remember why you are cutting them out in the first place. Being in a toxic relationship for almost 3 years definitely killed my self-esteem and caused many depressive episodes. The key that helped me, and could potentially, also help you with these situations, was my support system. They saw how much pain he brought in my life, and every time I tried to talk to him again my best friends would give me a nice long talk of why I should not be talking to him. One of my friends would say it in a voice that didn't necessarily scare me, but definitely convinced me that if I hung out with him I would immediately regret it. It's the small things like this, that can help you get through the times are tough and you don't know what to do.
7)
The excessive use of alcohol and any drug use is not only associated with higher risks for depression, but can also cause risks for depression relapse. How do I know this? Well, because I went through it. I thought by blowing off steam, I could just go downtown and enjoy a night out with my friends, but it only made things worse. You truly are a different person when you're intoxicated, and at that time in my life, I didn't like like who would I become when I had a few drinks in me.
So, when you don't like something stop doing it, which is what I began doing. Towards the end of my time in Nebraska, I began going out less. It just wasn't fun for me anymore. It was literally the same place, same people, different weekend. It got old. Plus, it's more fun to plan a night once a month with all your close friends and go out then. So, I would limit myself to go out like once a month and when I would go, I definitely tried to limit my alcohol intake, just because I didn't want to relapse into the old me if I had too much.
I have become more of a social drinker, and I am still working on trying to eliminate my drug use....which is another story for a different day, when I am ready to share that with all of you. My best advice for anyone who is battling the same situation as myself, is to avoid any social situations where alcohol may be present for awhile. Just until you can get your mind healthy again. However, if you do go out to dinner with friends, order an appetizer instead of a drink, because food is better anyways. Also, like I said before, it's always nice to confide in friends and family in situations such as these. This way, if your friends want to do something with you on a weekend, they won't suggest an activity where you could potentially risk yourself getting into a bad situation.
Start to become aware of yourself and your surroundings. "Is the life you are living right now truly the life you want to continue living?" Take a moment, sit back, and think about that for a bit. If it's not, then figure out the negative triggers that are happening in your life, and the lifestyle adjustments you can make to help yourself mentally. Like I said, everyone is different, so your triggers may differ from mine, but if they are similar, I hope you take some of my advice and are able to move forward in your life in a positive way!