How To Get Through a Depressive Episode

Hello all I am writing this blog post to you as I am currently in a depressive episode, so I believe this should effectively show what it’s like to be in a one and how to get out of it. I want to first say that I am writing about my experience to help people who are facing similar issues and so that you can find comfort or some sort of community during these tough times.

           Now here is my little short story of how I was even put into a depressive state. If you don’t care and just want to get to the tips, then go to the next section.

I am not sure if it is the same for everyone but for me it usually takes a mentally stressing incident to spiral me into a depressive episode. For this time around it was my car getting towed. I will start off my saying, yes it was my fault it got towed. In my apartment building you need to have a sticker in your windshield to show that you live there. Well I didn’t have my sticker actually stuck on my windshield; I would just lay it on my dashboard whenever I parked. The reason why it wasn’t actually stuck on there was because I am driving my father’s car and he doesn’t like stickers being put on it. But anyways this night I forgot to put it on my dashboard and then the next morning I wake up to go to my class and my car is gone. A very stressing moment as you can imagine. But long story short, I’ve been stuck in my apartment for a few days all depressed since then.

What does a depressive episode look like? Well for me it is like I am stuck in a state where I can’t move forward. My brain is numb and time flies by. One week has felt like a day to me. But during that entire week I have done nothing which then leads me to feeling more depressed. It’s a vicious cycle. How do we break out of this? Here are some things that I have done to help me. I have said this before and I’ll say it again, I am by no means a medical professional. I am just a young person with anxiety and depression who started a blog to talk about my experiences in a way to help others feel seen. Now ... moving on.

1.     Create a safe environment; we are trying to get out of our depressive state and the first step to doing that is feeling safe in your space. For me this is easier since I live alone, and I can just shut the world out when I feel suffocated. For the people who live with parents or have roommates I would recommend making your room nice and comfortable and to keep it clean ( I know this is easier said than done when you’re dealing with a depressive episode, but if you constantly try to keep a clean space when your mentally feeling ok, when the time comes around where you are depressed your safe space isn’t cluttered and adding to your depression) For me when I am sad and sitting on my couch all day the last thing I want to look at is all my clutter that I have to clean up. I have noticed that when I am in a clean and comfortable space, I pull out of my depressive episode much quicker. I feel more motivated to get up to do the things I enjoy when I look up and see a clean environment. As for making your space comfortable I mean the usual comfy blankets, nice smelling candles, tons of stuffed animals, etc. I am also talking about filling your space with the things that make you happy and will motivate you. For me that’s polaroids of myself and my friends / family, paintings I have gotten as gifts, my album collection, and so on. When I am laying on my bed just thinking and staring into space it’s nice to see some pictures that bring back good memories or my hobby that would motivate me to get up. And speaking of hobbies that brings me to my next piece of advice…

2.     Do the things that make you happy I am sure you have been told this so many times and in so many ways. But I am being serious! Never stop doing what you love and what brings you joy. Do you have that one thing that when you think of it, it just makes you instantly happy? If you do, then hold onto that. If you don’t then search for something that you can see yourself doing and doing not as a “chore”. It can be as simple as loving your pet. I have a cat and she is my first child. I love her to the ends of the earth, and I could not imagine living life without a companion like her. I truly believe having pets helps people struggling with depression (and many other mental illnesses). If you don’t have a pet that’s ok, some other things you can do to help ease your mind is adult coloring books, collecting, painting on your iPad, find a new tv show to watch, etc. Anything that will get you to look forward to something.

3.     Listen to music This is its own section because music has helped me so much with my mental health journey and I think it’s a big part of my healing. We listen to music every day, all the time, but what kind of music do you listen too? I listen to music that resonates with me and brings me joy when I listen to it. I also like to listen to sad and emotional music because it makes me feel seen and it helps me feel my emotions through the lyrics and emotions of the artist. There were many times when I was listening to a song and a lyric stuck out to me because it’s an emotion or situation I’ve been in before. This helps me feel less isolated in my mental struggles. I am sure there is that one song that you have that you blast when your crying your eyes out or maybe your raging with anger and you don’t know how to get rid of it. Music is an outlet for everyone. So basically, have your playlist ready for your depressive episode and for when you need to feel your emotions and let them out.

4.     Start doing small things Ok so at this point in my sad little journey I have been laying in my very comfortable stuffed animal filled bed with my adult coloring book and cat. I am feeling a little bit better now and am ready to start getting back in my usual routine. Let’s be honest, you haven’t done your work / any adult obligations in the last day or two, but that’s ok, you deserved a break. But now it’s time to get that assignment done. Nothing kills the motivation to get things done than the piling up of more things to do. So, don’t let yourself get too far behind, because speaking from experience it’s just a downhill battle from there. You can start with doing 1 small thing a day or maybe 2. Just enough to make you feel satisfied and have that feeling of accomplishment. Having something to do and actually doing it brings the heaviest weight off my shoulders and makes getting out of that depressive state a lot easier.  

5.     When your ready, reach out Now’s the time for you to talk to someone, and no not your cat. I wish it was that easy because I am having full conversations with my cat. I used to (and honestly still do this sometimes) have a conflict and will completely resolve it on my own with no help. It’s the perfectionist within me, but that’s not healthy when you’re mentally struggling. It took me many years to want therapy for myself and not for the people around me. Just talking to your friend or sibling is great, you don’t even need a therapist. Just don’t be silent! Find a community where you feel comfortable in confiding in others. I am hoping that many of you who are reading this will find a safe community in this blog and have it become a place where you can vent and rant and just be seen.