We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to share with us the things they do that help them fight depression. Here's what they said.
1. Submitted by Jennifer Nelson (Facebook)
I visualize depression as a boss fight. Doing my healthy things, exercising and going outside and eating healthy, takes hit points away from my depression. Adjusting my medications (I have both an antidepressant, and some hormonal meds for endometriosis) is a magic spell. Asking my boyfriend for a little extra reassurance, or reading old emails from people who give me compliments, both boost my shields and make me remember that I am not actually an awful person who should be ashamed to be alive.
2. Submitted by mandyd4b39f5217
I've learnt to recognise when I'm going down and I know what my triggers are now so I try to avoid them. If I feel myself slipping sometimes the best way out is to literally shake it off, turn up some happy dance music real loud and dance like a lunatic. I also write positive messages to myself when I'm up so that I come across them when I'm down and I'm no longer afraid to admit to my depression and ask for help. Every now and again I build a fort, forts are fun.
3. Submitted by Droplets
CODING! Coding websites that is. If I start to feel like I'm going to that place then I just open up my laptop and start working on a new site and trying to make it cross browser compatible, easy to use, and eventually add it to my portfolio.
Since I have to code everything and I rarely copy + paste codes (like really long complicated ones I haven't learned yet) it keeps my mind busy.
4. Submitted by AnnaBanana617
Doing something kind for someone else always makes me feel better.
5. Submitted by Katherine Haché (Facebook)
Finding something simple but engaging (like Candy Crush or reading or Solitaire - anything that doesn't require too much thought but keeps the brain busy) to do really helps me. I figure that by occupying a good part of my consciousness with something, I'm leaving less room for the depressive thoughts to take over. I know the brain doesn't quite work like that, but whatever helps...
6. Submitted by Catherine Crawford-Brown (Facebook)
Talking to friends. Even if its not about my depression. They always manage to make me laugh and laughing makes me feel better. Sometimes it takes a lot to push myself to get out of the house and go see people, but I never regret it. Being with other people helps me put my life into perspective and see that things are never as bad as they seem, allowing me to feel something again.
7. Submitted by Sara Ward (Facebook)
Usually a combination of intense exercise (martial arts such as kickboxing and muay thai are good) and scheduling things so i absolutely have to get out of the house. Responsibility and a fear of letting people down helps to motivate me to do things and go places.
Additionally, binge-watching on Netflix helps me to forget how i'm feeling for a while, and makes me want to get up and do something awesome, like the characters i see onscreen.
8. Submitted by amyr45546b1b9
I go to acupuncture. I dunno what it is but being in the clinic, the music, and the needles all seem to help. I do also take my medication and go to a counselor when I really start to slide, but acupuncture just seems to make everything okay.
9. Submitted by Evalikescats
Whenever I feel depression beginning to take root, I think of the little things in life, not like love or whatever, but things like apples, and how they're really just balls of food that fall to the ground. Or, the dirt underneath my feet, and where it has been, or how old it is. Seeing the world work so oddly and amazingly lifts me up, makes me feel like apart of it.
10. Submitted by antonymblake
Something my therapist taught me. No matter how you feel that day, don't look down at the floor as you walk. Keep your head up. More people will see you and smile, which can give you confidence and so on and so forth
11. Submitted by Rebecca Bryant (Facebook)
Crafting was very beneficial for me in stopping self harm, especially decoupage. I didn't have to handle anything triggering, I could tear up paper for hours (so good to get out anger) and when I stuck with it - I'd made something. Me, sad, mad me, had made something worthwhile.
Take that, depression :P
12. Submitted by Amy Ulluriak Lord (Facebook)
I make myself get out of bed and go outside, even for a few minutes. I struggle with getting up, showering, getting dressed. Even if I don't shower or change, I make an effort to get out of bed and outside for a few minutes. I have a dog, so it helps. Even if my boyfriend can take care of him, I go out at least once.
Also, since I started treatment, I learned to tell someone, anyone, how I feel. Just admitting I'm struggling takes some of the weight off. And people want to help, I just need to let them in. Saying "I am not okay today" let's them help without feeling they are overwhelming me.
13. Submitted by ahanron
I had an app on my phone that was a mood tracker. A really simple one, you chose out of 10 faces, from "the worst" to "ecstatic" and it would log it in. You could also write tags and then go back and see what tags were associated with good or bad moods. For me though, it was just the act of regularly (every hour when I was in an acute episode) going and logging my mood. A way to split the day into manageable sections, and sometimes it was even encouraging to see that there had been some improvement throughout the day.
