Coping with Sadness: Things to Do When You're Feeling Down

Dealing with depression can feel like a constant battle against yourself. Excessive sadness and loss of interest are difficult to manage,  but there are always strategies that you can employ to feel better. 

When it comes to depression, you'll likely need a proper treatment plan in addition to these strategies. These tips complement your treatment. Confidant Health can help connect you with a service provider to give you the support and assistance that you need.

Cognitive & Behavioral Strategies

There are numerous ways for you to manage your feelings associated with depression. The most common treatment involves a combination of cognitive-behavioral therapy and medication. 

Behavioral

Behavioral strategies work to change behavior that worsens your condition, such as inactivity. They encourage you to act despite the feelings caused by your depression. That means getting active even when it's the last thing you want to be doing. Some behavioral strategies for depression are activity scheduling, socials skills training, and goal setting.

Cognitive

Cognitive therapy focuses on problem-solving techniques to deal with both the causes and the consequences of your depression. They also help you to identify and then correct any distorted or negatively-biased thoughts. It's about challenging negative assumptions and limiting beliefs that tend to be present in people with depression. The cognitive approach encourages you to reframe your thoughts about life by changing your perspective. 

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Simple Strategies to Boost Your Mood When You Feel Down

The following ideas will help you improve your mood when you're feeling down.

Step Back to Self-Reflect

The best way to deal with negative feelings is to find the root cause of your emotions. Instead of keeping them bottled up or ignoring how you feel, reflect on your emotions and find out why they are surfacing. You can do this by journaling or with some other form of creative expression, such as painting.

Reach Out for Help

Feeling down is not something that you can or should deal with alone. Talking to someone you love or a therapist can help you. It is better than keeping your feelings bottled up inside all the time. Even though this may feel like a big step to take, once you get used to sharing your thoughts, you'll realize the value.

Listen to Music

Music has the undeniable power to heal. That is because it can instantly put you in a better mood, give you energy, and make you feel less alone or poorly understood. Best of all, music takes you on a mental journey that can truly uplift your spirits.

Walk

Going for a walk outside connects you to nature. Take time to admire the beauty around you instead of dwelling on your negative thoughts. That change in perspective can make all the difference.

Write

Writing is a cathartic activity that can help you release negative emotions in a safe and productive way. Through writing, you get those thoughts and feelings out, which makes it easier to let them go. It prevents you from obsessing over them and letting them spiral out of control.

These strategies combine both behavioral and cognitive approaches to depression treatment and will significantly improve your ability to deal with feeling down.