Living with mental illness can be incredibly tough. For individuals with depression, it is especially tough when they are going through a depressive episode. This is a period of time when they feel particularly low, as if they will never be happy. A depressive episode can last just a few hours or it can last a few months. Through it all, it is important to remember that there is always hope.

Remember the Good Times

When you’re in the midst of a depressive episode, your memories of the past tend to be tarnished by those dark thoughts. During these times, it is good to take a look at an old mood journal. Read your thoughts and see that you really were happy. If you don’t have a journal, look back at pictures. See you and your loved ones smiling back at you and remember all of those happy times you had.

Don’t Let It Get the Better of You

During the especially difficult times, it may feel like the negative feelings are so big and solid that they will crush you. What you need to remember is that those feelings, however much they may feel like it, are not solid. They can’t crush you. You are so much more than your anxiety and depression. When it feels like the weight of your feelings is consuming you, find a quiet space. Either sit or lie down, close your eyes and just breathe through it. You will probably feel those negative feelings start to lose some of their intensity and gradually become more manageable.

Stand Up to Your Inner Bully

Unfortunately, sometimes those with depression sort of become their own worst enemy. The internal dialogue and the things they say to themselves are just as harmful as words that others say. It might be hard at first, especially during a depressive episode, but it is important to stand up to your inner bully. That little voice in your head is telling your all sorts of things about yourself that simply aren’t true. Block it out. Tell it “NO!” Whatever you need to do to let that voice know that it is no longer welcome in your life.

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Family Service Foundation, Inc. has been serving the greater Maryland area since 1936. This nonprofit organization helps Maryland residents across a span of different areas such as mental health, developmental disabilities, and substance abuse, and provides interpretation for deaf and deaf-blind individuals. To learn more about cerebral palsy or other developmental disabilities, visit here. Do you “Follow” and “Like?” Be sure to stay active on our official pages on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest today!