Each year millions of Americans face the reality of living with mental illness. As an organization, we support the national movement to raise awareness about mental health. Together, we can realize our shared vision of a nation where anyone affected by mental illness can get the appropriate support and quality of care to live healthy, fulfilling lives - a nation where no one feels alone in their struggle.
Depression can be very difficult and impossible to overcome at times. But many people undervalue the powerful healing effect that very simple, seemingly unrelated changes to our lives can have on depression.
We have heard thousands and thousands of times the foundation elements about general health, things like sleep, eating well (food and drink), and exercise. Nowadays, we are so used to hearing these recommendations being tirelessly advised to us that we often become numb to these suggestions and often make the mistake of not putting enough thought into what it might mean to utilize these elements. With depression, especially, a return to the "basics" is often the restorative tonic that is needed.
Let's Focus on the Basics
"You see, depression all too often involves the
neglect of these “basics.” Preoccupied with the looming darkness of the mind
and all of its attendant thoughts, the depressed person is often too distracted
or otherwise occupied, in a sense, to give adequate attention to the task of
simply taking care of themselves in a proper fashion. This makes sense, after
all, given that depression is localized in the mind and, thus, overwhelms it.
Which is why, in attempting to remove oneself from
its snares, placing attention on more “physical” aspects is an expedient
solution and can be a breath of fresh air. Instead of directly facing the crux
of the problem (that is, the mind) and all of its troubled knots, the
recommendation is to, instead, detach from the problem source and focus on
executing manageable shifts in the “surrounding environment."
That said, it has long been championed in today’s
modern self-help sphere that the best way to remove oneself from the trap of
depression is to “change your thoughts.” This task, however, for the depressed
person can be extraordinarily challenging given the entirely mental nature of
the mission. Changing the mind, after all, is a prolonged ordeal that requires
patience and an environment in which positive growth can be realized. So,
changing one’s thoughts is a necessary step in the process, but it is, I
believe, actually too advanced/too complicated/too premature at the beginning
of one’s recovery trajectory."
Start by Changing Your Environment
Starting out in the beginning, don't try to change your mind first. Change your environment instead. I am a advocate for this.
What does that look like? Let's take sleep as one example: "Sleep irregularities are no stranger to the
depressed person. The affliction varies and can take the form of oversleeping
in some cases, and with trouble sleeping in others. In any case, putting into
place a sleeping schedule (with consistent bedtimes and wake-up times) that is
adhered to responsibly has been proven to do wonders in alleviating depression. The
courtesy paid to one’s Circadian rhythms as well as the added stability of a
regular, unalterable schedule can have a soothing effect on someone who is
depressed."
Let’s take a look at another of these basic
elements: "Exercise. Reams of studies have reliably shown that regular exercise
can have tremendous success in alleviating depression. As with changing our
diets and anything else popularly advised, we know that such a thing is good
for us and will likely improve our lives. However, many of us predictably don’t
do these things because we’re usually deterred by the element of discipline.
However, believe it or not, most depressed people are craving some degree of
regulation, however latently."
Find Discipline and Don't Worry about Motivation
"As it is, most depressed people are unhappy
because their lives lack meaning and not because they’re merely superficially
unhappy. With that in mind, asking someone depressed to drum up some discipline
to instill basic habits like exercising daily and altering their diet is not a
misguided, too-hopeful request.
One of the reassuring things about the “changing
your environment” method that I’m advocating is that its elements are all corroborated as
100% worthwhile and beneficial by the medical community, so there’s no reason
for someone depressed to fear that what they're expending valuable effort to do
is necessarily in vain.
One of the trickier aspects of depression is that
one often feels exhausted of resolve or enthusiasm for life’s many tasks. If
you're depressed, you may feel painfully aware that you don't have sufficient
fortitude or optimism for life itself. You may feel as if you're continually
scraping at thin reserves. You may feel insecure about the ways in which
depression has crippled your spirit. However, changing your environment doesn't
require any emotional motivation — it’s a very neutral task. All one needs is a
bit of discipline. If you're depressed yourself and you attempt this, know that
you don't have to harbor any expectations of yourself to feel your former zest
for life returning immediately. It will come in time."
Closing Thoughts
This is what you are doing when you change your environment. You are engaging in the most efficient, accessible, and reliable means of starting your depression recovery. This is the required behind-the-scenes work that may end up surprising you. Because maybe you wake up one day and you fell a little bit more stable, a little more strengthened, a little bit proud of yourself. These are small victories worth celebrating.
Resources and Contact Information:
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) HelpLine: 1-800-950- NAMI or https://www.nami.org/help
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Find Treatment: 1-800-662- HELP or https://www.samhsa.gov/find-treatment
Tips on How to Help a Person with Mental Illness: https://www.nami.org/Get-Involved/NAMI-FaithNet/Tips-For-How-to-Help-a-Person-with-Mental-Illness
Family Therapy Can Help: https://store.samhsa.gov/product/Family-Therapy-Can-Help-For-People-in-Recovery-From-Mental-Illness-or-Addiction/SMA15-4784
Stephani E. Lewis
Writer of the JLGWH Blog
2021-2022
Our Mission: The Junior League of Greater Winter Haven, Inc. is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and to improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.
Sources: Mental Health Month, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and Evie Magazine.
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