Self-Help Steps For Depression

Hi!

I am Dr. Jimmy Modi. I have been practicing as a Psychotherapist in Mumbai for about 20 21 years now. I put together a few small easy to follow self-help steps for those of you who need help with depression or low mood feelings. First a little bit about depression. According to the WHO which is the World Health Organisation depression is on the rise. The total estimated number of people living with depression worldwide have increased by 18 and a half percent between 2005 and 2015picking at about 322 million people. That’s a lot of people. Almost as many people who have a common cold. 80% of people with mental disorders in India & China, however, do not seek help.

Whereas in the West and other parts of the world people are realizing that seeking help is no longer a taboo. If you can get help for a dental problem you can get help for cough or cold you can get help for fever you can get help for any other medical emergency that you face you can get help for depression. You can see a therapist or a psychiatrist. One out of 15 people in UK itself has attempted suicide at some point of their lives. That’s a lot of people. It's not worth getting to that point. If you need help get help. And if you try to do that well here are some steps which I am going to offer you today 6 steps self-help guide for depression. Try them you have to make the effort.

So here goes. Number 1 – stop all ruminations. Stop sitting in a corner quiet or dark room sulking ruminating pondering brooding. Get active get out do something. Stop been self-absorbed thinking only about your self and your problems. Number 2 – we all have negative thoughts that recur and persistently recur. Some of us more than others. People suffering from depression or low self-feelings usually have more than their share of negative thinkings. Let's call these negative automatic thoughts because they persist and most of all they repeat. You must counter each and every negative automatic thought specifically with a possible alternative thought. I am not talking of positive thinking I am not suggesting positive thinking at all. I am suggesting positive alternative ways of thinking to the persistent repetitive negative automatic thoughts that you get. That way you loosen the hold that negative automatic thoughts will have on you.

Step number 3 – is physical exercise. Yes believe it or not physical exercise has a get effect on the brain, on brain chemicals. Certain brain chemicals like dopamine serotonin BDNF are affected by physical exercise. They can get stimulated by physical exercise. You need to stimulate these brain chemicals. Exercise is medicine yes exercise changes the brain.try it to find out about it. Number 4 – sunlight exposure. Simple things but you must make the efforts to do them. Sunlight exposure all the countries that have very little sunlight in the northern hemisphere of the world suffer from something called seasonal affective disorder SAD popularly known as sad. Yes, this affects your body’s circadian rhythms and reflects your sleep patterns as well. Number 5 – is the need to get enough sleep every day. The average body’s need for sleep is six and a half hours. Your body’s sleep patterns get disrupted because the circadian rhythms are disrupted and you need to get them all back into sync again.

And number 6 – last but not least is social support. You need to be involved with people rather than run from people. You need to make an effort to do this. Get involved in people-related activities. Join a class pottery book reading how to make money on the stock market whatever takes your fancy to get involved with people make regular contacts with your friends – this is what you need to do. If you want to help yourself you need to make that little bit of effort. And if your depression is severe is chronic then don’t be afraid of consulting a psychiatrist and a psychotherapist. You might need some medication. And that’s fine. Medication today is constantly evolving and developing. So go and find out about it for yourself to be informed. Don’t become a stick in the mud. I wish you all the best. And if you want to contact me I am available through Lybrate.

Thanks!