Can you imagine your doctor telling you that you have developed heart disease as a result of depression after you have suffered from depression for a long time?
You think that is far-fetched?
It might not be so far-fetched! According to Dr. Roy Ziegelstein of John Hopkins University, people who suffer from depression seem to develop heart disease more than other people.

So, how can you pull yourself out of depression? What are some of the healthy ways to cope with depression so that you can prevent it from lingering, which will increase the chances that it may harm your heart?

In this article, I want to show you how to deal with depression and some of the things you can do to get out of depression so that you can enjoy your life.

But, how will you know that you are depressed?

1. You Must First Recognize The Signs Of Depression

What will tell you that you are depressed? How will you know that you are suffering from depression? These are some of the signs that will let you know that you are depressed:

You will feel sad for long periods of a day;
You may isolate yourself from your family members and your friends because you will prefer to be alone most of the time;
You will realize that you will stop doing the things you loved to do;
You may feel tired often;
You will feel slowed down in thinking;
You will move around without enthusiasm, vim, and vigor;
Loss of appetite is another symptom of depression;
Sleeping at night may become very difficult for you;
Concentrating on your work or your books for long periods of time will become difficult for you;
You may feel hopeless;
You may become very pessimistic;
Feelings of guilt, helplessness and worthlessness will occupy your mind often; and
You may think of committing suicide often.

If you see any of these signs, it should tell you that you are suffering from depression and you must take the necessary steps to deal with the problem.

2. Educate Yourself

When you educate yourself about depression and the effects it can have on you as an individual, and the effects it can have on your relationship with your friends and family members, and also the treatment options available, you will understand what you are going through better.

Additionally, seeking knowledge about the disease will give you skills which will help you to manage yourself better so that you can avoid harmful tendencies that can worsen the condition, and so that you will be able to deal better with some of the negative effects of the disease, such as suicide thoughts.

Accordingly, visit websites such as this one, that of Psychology Today or nimh.nih.gov and learn all you can about this disease.

3. Release Some Of The Negative Emotions And Thoughts

Isolating yourself and thinking that you can deal with the condition all by yourself is a no-brainer—you will just battle with one negative thought after the other and that will make you more depressed.

On the other hand, when you talk to someone it can give you helpful release, as Job said in the Bible in Job 10 v 1, “I loathe my life; I will give free utterance to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul,” after he received report after report that his oxen had been stolen, all his shepherds had been killed, his camels had been stolen and, later, a report that all his children had been killed. He became so depressed and overwhelmed that he could no longer restrain his concern and so he needed to let it loose by speaking. This is how to get out of depression!

Therefore, talk to a true friend, preferably someone who has also experienced depression before, someone who will listen to you patiently, someone who will not be bothered and feel that you are wasting his or her time when you tell him or her about all the silly and strange thoughts that come to your mind.

When you speak about your problem, when you voice out your negative thoughts, you will release some of the negative energy in your system and you will feel better as a result.

Furthermore, because the listener has dealt with this disease before, you may be able to glean some practical suggestions on how you can cope with depression.

Moreover, to know that he or she has also gone through what you are going through, and has survived and is living a happy life, will inspire you and strengthen you to fight on until you are able to deal effectively with the negative feelings and thoughts.

4. Write Your Feelings Down

“But I don’t feel comfortable talking about how I feel to someone,” you may say. “I don’t like talking about my negative feelings and all the negative thoughts that come to my mind. How do I get over depression?”

What if you are not comfortable talking about how you feel and about the negative thoughts that come to your mind? If you find it easier to express yourself in writing, then, write your feelings in a journal or in your diary. I have tried this and it works for me—I suffer from an embarrassing disease, in addition to three other diseases which make me feel pains in different parts of my body often, and this makes it difficult for me to socialize. Because of that, I suffer from depression often. When negative thoughts come to my mind, I start writing encouraging words to myself in a book, and that helps to boost my mood positively and I feel upbeat.

One woman also said that when she is feeling depressed, she writes down the negative feelings and then days later she reads over what she has written and that gives her helpful release.

So, practice this habit often, if you want to deal with depression. Immediately negative thoughts come into your mind, write it down. And when you start feeling awkward, put those feelings into words and write them down. Read over what you have written and put it aside. You will experience mental and emotional relief when you do this.

5. Say Encouraging Things To Yourself

When the negative thoughts I battle with often come into my mind, I say positive words of encouragement, such as, “The downfall of a man is not the end of his life,” or “I believe God will turn things around,” or “I will not suffer like this forever. This suffering will end,” or “God will heal me,” or “This is not the end of my life. I will laugh again,” or “The God who took care of me yesterday, and who is helping me to endure this terrible situation I am in, will help me tomorrow too,” or “There is hope for the future. All shall be well.” This gives me positive energy, it strengthens my spirit and I feel better about life and about my situation.

So, try it too. When you realize that negative thoughts are crowding into your mind, or when you feel sad, fight those thoughts and feelings with positive affirmations such as, “I am a strong person. This small illness will not overcome me,” or “Weeping may endure for the night, but tomorrow I will experience joy,” or “When I fall 1000 times, I will rise 1000 times,” or “I may be down, but I am not out of the race of life,” or “I may have lost some battles in life, but I will war the war of life,” or “I will not let these feelings and thoughts stop me from enjoying life,” or “I will not give in to all this negativity.” When you do this often, you will give yourself hope which will help to drive away the negative thoughts and feelings, or at least it will help to reduce their intensity, and that will help you to feel better. This strategy will help you to overcome deep depression.

6. Believe In God

According to research carried out by scientists at the Maclean Hospital in Massachusetts, people who believe in God have improved psychological wellbeing, in addition to a decrease in negative feelings and thoughts, and a decrease in the intention to harm themselves, when they are going through depression.

So, build your relationship with the Merciful, Gracious, Loving Heavenly Father, and try to obey His commandments and He will give you the Comforter to comfort you and help you.

One way you can draw close to God is by attending church services often. Research conducted by Gallup suggests that people who go to church often are happier than those who don’t’ go to church often.

Therefore, ensure that you spend Sunday in the presence of God. As you hear encouraging sermons, as you enjoy the melodious hymns and gospel songs that the choir and worship team sing, as you socialize with brothers and sisters in the faith, and as you listen to the testimonies of other people who are also going through struggles but who have overcome because of God’s grace, you will realize that there is a lot to live for and that will help to lift your spirit.

Conclusion

To deal with depression, read about what you can do to manage yourself, talk to someone who cares about you and will give you emotional support, put your feelings into writing and express them so that you will find it easier to deal with them, make positive affirmations to yourself whenever bad thoughts come into your mind, and develop a closer relationship with God, and do these things too, and you will feel better.