Ways to relieve depression

Intervene at different levels according to the degree of depression, instead of forcing "getting better quickly", there is no universal solution suitable for everyone, and the first goal is to "reduce self-attack and hold the emotional bottom".

If you have been diagnosed with moderate or above depression in psychiatric department, taking medicine according to the doctor's advice is recognized as the basic scheme that can take the fastest effect and avoid the deterioration of the situation. Don't believe what "three drugs are toxic". A 27-year-old planning post girl I contacted was diagnosed with severe depression last year. At first, she was afraid of becoming stupid by taking medicine, and forced herself to run 3 kilometers every day. As a result, she couldn't even get out of bed for a week. Later, after taking medicine for three months according to the doctor's advice, she first entrusted the "lowest point" of her emotions, and then slowly had the energy to do other things.

Many people misunderstand that it is useful to do something "positive" to relieve depression. In fact, it is just the opposite. The more you force yourself to meet the standards of "healthy people", the easier it is to fall into the self-attack of "I am really useless" because I can't finish it, but it will slow down the pace of recovery.

The core logic of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which is the most widely used in clinic, is to pull the negative automatic thinking that comes out of your mind out of control into reality. For example, if "everyone doesn't like me" pops up in your mind, write it down in a small notebook and list the facts you can find next to it-for example, last week, my friend invited you to eat hot pot, and my colleague brought you milk tea yesterday, which can gradually reduce meaningless self-denial.

However, there are also many humanistic counselors who don't recognize this practice of "correcting thinking". They think that depression itself is not a disease, but your body is telling you that "the previous lifestyle is too exhausting, you need to stop". You don't need to force yourself to "correct your thoughts", but you should allow yourself to be "useless". I have heard a case shared by a counselor before. After a junior boy was diagnosed with moderate depression, he gave himself a month's leave, so he went to class as soon as he could, but when he couldn't go to class, he took a leave to lie in the dormitory, watched the Altman disc when he was a child, ordered his favorite fried chicken when he was hungry, and even threw his homework aside. Instead of forcing himself to do anything meaningful, he offered to start consulting and adjust his state one month later.

I have compiled intervention references for different degrees of depression, which are not standard answers, but just to help you avoid the pit:

Many friends around me who have survived the period of depression have their own "emotional first aid kit". It's not a tall method to say it, it's all trivial things that can't be broken. Some people have specially saved dozens of videos of cats stepping on milk. If the mood is wrong, they will take it out and watch it for ten minutes. Some people always keep a pack of orange candy in their cabinets. If they feel uncomfortable, peel one. When the sour taste of oranges rushes up, they can at least pull themselves out of the emotional vortex for a few seconds. Some people are even more outrageous. They have saved a lot of recordings of selling in the vegetable market. Listening to the noisy bargaining, they feel that they are still in the fireworks and have not drifted away.

Oh, by the way, many people on the Internet now say that "exercise is a good medicine to relieve depression", in fact, this statement is quite one-sided. I have seen several patients before, and they didn't even have the strength to get out of bed during the attack. After reading this kind of post, they went running hard and didn't persist after running twice. Instead, they scolded themselves for "doing nothing well", which aggravated their self-attack. In fact, exercise is only useful when you have extra energy. If you are tired of brushing your teeth now, lie down. It doesn't matter.

Others say that we should socialize more and spend more time with friends, which is also divided. I have a friend who is afraid of society. When he was depressed, he was dragged to the party by his friend. After half an hour, he hid in the toilet and cried. Instead, he went home and worked hard for Lego all night, and his mood stabilized. You don't have to force yourself to conform to the "correct rehabilitation template". The way you feel comfortable is the right way.

Seriously, the most taboo thing about relieving depression is the "standard answer". Just like when you fall on a rainy day, some people have to put on a band-aid, some people have to change their wet clothes first, and some people just want to sit on the ground for two minutes. No one is right or wrong. You don't have to force yourself to get better quickly. Even if you only had a good meal today, you only sat for ten minutes more than yesterday, which is already very powerful.