Finding Pleasure in Life: Tips for Increasing Joy and Satisfaction

People diagnosed with depression can lose interest in the activities that they previously enjoyed and have a decrease in their ability to feel pleasure. That experience is a core symptom of major depressive disorder but can be present in other mental health conditions as well. It can also be a side effect of certain medications, such as anti-psychotics.

If you have depression and notice your interest in life decreasing, you may need to get professional help. You can reach out to Confidant Health to get connected to mental health professionals and get you the support that you need.

Although the following tips will help you along your journey when dealing with depression, combining them with a treatment plan is best.  

Get in Touch with Feel-Good Experiences

Make a point of finding experiences that feel good, even if just for a moment. It will remind you of what's possible. Even little things can help, like:

• Experiencing warm sunshine on your skin
• Spending time outside
• Laughing at a good joke 
• The feeling of getting into clean sheets

It's the brief moments of joy that may count the most. Write down each experience that makes you feel good and keep track of them.

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Finish Uncompleted Tasks

Take time to work on completing tasks that you haven't left hanging. Finishing a job will give you a sense of accomplishment. Take pleasure in it and experience that feeling even for small tasks.

Take Note of Experiences You Rely on Often

Keep track of how much time you spend doing certain things, like watching TV. It's important to remember that pleasurable activities feel better when you experience them occasionally. If you are doing the same thing all the time, you can get bored and stop enjoying yourself. You need to diversify your time and interests. 

Find What Makes You Smile or Laugh

If there is someone in your life who makes you laugh, get in touch with them. Watching stand up comedians or funny comedy shows can make your life happier. Listen to humorous podcasts or read funny books, whatever it takes to put a smile on your face.  The more you smile and laugh, the better you will feel.

Seek Out Physical Contact with Loved Ones

Physical contact makes people feel better by releasing feel-good chemicals in the brain. That means that hugging your partner, your children, and other family members will help you feel better. Just snuggling with a loved one or petting an animal can make a big difference, too.

Develop a Craft and Create

There are so many YouTube videos that can teach you how to do just about anything. Go to a craft store or take a class to learn a new skill such as watercolor painting or making jewelry. By keeping your mind and hands engaged in a stimulating activity, you'll feel more present. Creating something is also very satisfactory, and will make you proud and help you feel accomplished.

Making an effort to get in touch with feel-good experiences, finishing uncompleted tasks, detaching from experiences you rely on too often, seeking out physical contact, and creating things are all healthy ways to cultivate more interest in life. These activities just train your brain to find what it enjoys again.

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