Daily Strategies for Managing Symptoms of Depression

Depression is incredibly prevalent, with an estimated 21 million adults having experienced at least one depressive episode of major depression, according to the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Understanding depression and managing its symptoms in daily life for oneself or a loved one is paramount. However, not all depression will manifest in the same way or affect each person in the same manner. Having a plan to address personal symptoms of depression and navigate its unique effects can ensure that each person can continue living a healthy and fulfilling daily life. 

What Is Depression?

Depression takes many forms, and there is no one single, universal way to experience depression. Rather, each person will have their own experiences with it and its symptoms. However, while each person experiencing depression will have unique symptoms, there are some overarching similarities. 

Depression is a mental health disorder defined by persistent low mood and feelings of sadness that are often coupled with a lack of interest or motivation. It can also bring feelings of hopelessness or pervasive pessimism. This unique combination of challenges can make it incredibly difficult to tend to daily responsibilities, obligations, and routines while also compromising a person’s motivation to change their situation, perpetuating these feelings of low mood and sadness that can come to define daily life. 

Multiple kinds of depression can also affect each person, making each person’s journey with navigating the symptoms of depression wholly unique. Some of the potential forms of depression include:

• Major depressive disorder (MDD)
• Persistent depressive disorder (PDD)
• Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
• Atypical depression
• Bipolar depression

Working with professionals to explore the symptoms of depression and the form it takes is paramount to creating the most effective personalized plans for navigating the symptoms of depression in daily life. Mental health professionals like those at Hawaii Island Recovery can be instrumental in helping each person identify and overcome many of the daily challenges that any form of depression can present. 

For many, feelings of depression and depressive episodes can also be tied to other challenges and situations. Symptoms of depression following traumatic events or informed by other mental health disorders like anxiety disorders and the use of addictive substances can all inform symptoms of depression. Those living with substance use disorder (SUD) and feeling the symptoms of depression due to addiction can also be faced with a unique combination of challenges known as co-occurring disorders. Co-occurring disorders, especially substance use and depression, can be incredibly difficult to overcome without professional care. Dedicated professionals like those at Hawaii Island Recovery are necessary to fully understand and address the symptoms of depression and addiction in tandem. 

Healing From the Symptoms of Depression

Working with professionals to explore how depression uniquely affects each individual is paramount to creating a truly personalized approach to addressing these challenges. However, just as a person’s experiences with depression will be unique, so too will their best practices in overcoming its symptoms. Identifying the unique symptoms of depression in each person is the first step in finding healing. Some ways depression can affect daily life include:

• Persistent feelings of low mood
• Loss of motivation
• Persistent low energy and mental, emotional, and physical fatigue
• Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, and self-belittling thoughts
• Suicidal ideation
• Low levels of confidence and compromised decision-making skills
• Compromised emotional resilience, especially when coupled with feelings of frustration, sadness, and anger
• Difficulty sleeping
• Compromised daily routine
• Difficulty tending to daily responsibilities, from household chores to calling out of work
• Lack of focus
• Self-isolation tendencies
• Difficulty finding enjoyment in established interests and hobbies
• Substance use

Each of these challenges alone can be difficult to navigate. However, an individual will often experience multiple symptoms of depression in tandem, making overcoming symptoms of depression incredibly challenging. Healing from depression takes time and professional support. However, it is always possible, and there are daily strategies that each person can use to challenge symptoms of depression to create a healthier approach to healing. 

Incorporating Daily Strategies for Navigating Symptoms of Depression

Depression can be difficult to overcome, with many feeling “stuck” in a cycle of depression, low mood, and even substance use or reliving traumatic memories. Navigating the symptoms of depression takes daily effort. There is no “quick fix” to getting out of a depressive episode. Rather, daily exercises and strategies to improve resilience and care for personal needs are necessary to manage these symptoms effectively. 

Each person will also have their own best combination of strategies. Working with the professionals at Hawaii Island Recovery, as well as peers in recovery who are also navigating depression, addiction, and co-occurring disorders, can empower each person to explore their own best options for daily healing efforts. Incorporating daily strategies can also take time, and an individual may have to adjust expectations and daily routines to ensure they are tending to their own needs and best challenging the symptoms of depression. 

Create a Routine

Daily routines are incredibly important for those in recovery from addiction or navigating any daily challenges, like symptoms of depression. Creating consistency can ensure that each day starts with a feeling of agency. Maintaining a consistent morning alarm, eating a healthy breakfast, and even having a routine that starts the day with a proper hygiene routine and time to engage in self-care can all help to keep each day consistent, helping an individual wake up and set healthy expectations and tone for the day. 

These routines can also be instrumental in empowering those navigating the symptoms of depression to recognize changes in their feelings or energy. Noticing that one day is more challenging than another can prompt them to look at other factors that may be affecting them, such as additional stresses from the day before or anything else that may have impacted their consistent baseline routine. A feeling of consistency, normalcy, and predictability can all be incredibly helpful for navigating symptoms of depression. 

Address Symptoms of Depression Through Physical Healing

Depression may be a mental disorder, but it has many effects on a person’s physical health. Tending to physical care is paramount to overcoming feelings of depression. For many, this means eating a healthy diet. Not only can eating healthy ensure that a person is caring for their physical well-being, but it is also necessary to ensure that the body and mind have the nutrients and energy to challenge unhealthy thoughts and feelings that may otherwise affect an individual. Healthy eating and dieting also require consistent meal times. Consistent meal times can improve emotional resilience and provide the energy to engage in other self-care strategies or enact other strategies to navigate depression. 

The lack of motivation due to depression can also make it difficult to cook a healthy meal, instead eating only whatever is fastest to prepare, regardless of nutritional quality, or even skipping meals outright. Having a consistent mealtime can empower those overcoming the symptoms of depression to engage in healthy dieting to address symptoms of depression. 

Physical healing can also incorporate physical exercise routines. For some, these routines can involve workout routines and schedules to improve physical fitness. However, others can reap many benefits by just making sure they are going on a walk once a day or having a light indoor exercise routine. Even setting an alarm for oneself to get up at least once an hour and walk around the house can have major benefits for those living with depression. Physical exercise can prevent an individual from staying stationary all day, which can cause an individual to feel emotionally stagnant or trapped, informing further feelings of depression, isolation, and other challenges. 

Paying Attention to Sleep Schedules

Sleep is another important aspect of effective self-care, giving the brain a rest from the day and the body time to recuperate, especially if feeling fatigued from the effects of depression. Maintaining healthy sleep schedules can add another degree of consistency to daily life while caring for one’s health. However, not only does this mean keeping a consistent bedtime and morning alarm, but it also means ensuring that an individual avoids lengthy naps throughout the day if possible so as not to disrupt this routine. 

Likewise, avoiding things that may otherwise inhibit a person’s sleep schedule is also important. Avoiding electronics just before bed, or even charging one’s phone in a different room entirely so they are not compelled to engage with digital devices in bed, can promote healthier sleep. Others may need to make new efforts to avoid caffeine before bed to maintain this healthy sleep schedule. 

Set Expectations for Yourself

Depression can make even simple tasks seem incredibly intimidating, and it can be very challenging to accomplish routine responsibilities while living with depression. However, having small, daily goals for oneself can be a great way of building up to addressing these larger obligations. Effective goal-setting techniques can be a great source of motivation to continue pushing and developing new strategies for managing symptoms of depression while also rewarding each person with feelings of accomplishment to introduce positivity into daily life. 

Setting healthy expectations also empowers each person to be realistic about how they are addressing the symptoms of depression. Depression of any kind takes time to overcome, and it is completely normal to have periods of great progress while also experiencing setbacks in each person’s journey. This doesn’t mean that a person cannot overcome symptoms of depression or that they are moving backward, but rather that there are new stresses to address. Daily goals can help each person focus on their overall progress while fairly navigating the natural highs and lows of any recovery journey. 

Establish a Healthy Social Network to Overcome Symptoms of Depression

Staying connected with peers and support can also be instrumental in addressing the symptoms of depression. Making an effort to stay connected with others can provide a sense of camaraderie and a listening ear to address the challenges of depression whenever necessary and talk about challenging feelings or unhealthy thoughts. Others may stay connected with hobby groups to engage in a proven self-care outlet or interest to address feelings of isolation. However, having numerous connections and actively nurturing these communication avenues is paramount. 

Making an effort to connect with at least one person a day and having multiple people to connect with can all be important. Sending daily text messages to people in one’s outpatient support group or having nightly talks on the phone or in person with family can all help to establish a healthy support network and challenge feelings of isolation while addressing the symptoms of depression. 

Outpatient treatment programs and support groups can be great ways to meet others who understand the challenges of overcoming depression, especially if an individual is also overcoming other mental health disorders or addictions. Staying connected with these understanding and sympathetic peers can be a great way of validating one’s feelings while exploring new strategies and engaging with helpful individuals, each committed to their own healing journey overcoming depression. 

Explore Multiple New Hobbies

Having a hobby is incredibly important through any kind of recovery. For those living with depression or addiction, hobbies can quickly become compromised. Exploring new hobbies as an effort in personal and spiritual healing can be an amazing opportunity. 

Being open to engaging in new activities throughout addiction and depression treatment or working with family or peers to explore new potential interests together can all provide a new avenue of belonging. Becoming a part of a hobby group can help those overcoming symptoms of depression to engage in fulfilling hobbies and explore their identity while overcoming depression. Likewise, exploring multiple potential hobbies can also empower those navigating symptoms of depression to avoid relying on a single self-care outlet or hobby, creating a more rounded approach to daily life. 

Multiple hobbies can also ensure that an individual has an outlet even if one becomes compromised for any reason, such as not meeting that week, or if certain hobbies are dependent on a particular season, such as summer sports leagues not running in winter. 

Take Time to Step Back

Daily life can be incredibly hectic, with a deluge of personal and professional responsibilities to tend to. Having a schedule and dedicated time to step back and relax, reflect, and replenish can be paramount. Incorporating daily mindfulness practices into daily life, spiritual healing opportunities, and rituals, engaging in yoga or meditation, and any other relaxing forms of self-care can all be great ways of not just processing stress but also identifying new stresses and challenges that may arise that may impact a person’s symptoms of depression. 

Limit Unnecessary Stresses

Managing daily symptoms of depression is difficult, and it can be hard to predict exactly how intense these negative feelings will be on any given day. While some stress is unavoidable in daily life, those navigating the effects of depression can limit unnecessary stress as much as possible. Eliminating unnecessary time spent on social media or digital devices, exposure to negative news stories, or even knowing which people or social groups may introduce stress and avoiding conversations when possible can be a great way of prioritizing positive influences in daily life. 

Stress can also take other self-caused forms. Keeping a tidy living space can help mitigate stresses or feelings of mental and emotional clutter while eliminating reminders of depressive triggers from one’s living space. Cleaning and replacing negative triggers with more positive elements can also limit the amount of unnecessary stress that affects a person each day. These changes can be difficult, and it is normal to not truly recognize that a certain behavior or aspect may be causing stress in the first place. Working with professionals, peers, and family, and even engaging in mindfulness practices, journaling, and meditation can all help each person further explore ways to eliminate unnecessary stress. 

Depression can be incredibly difficult to overcome, and symptoms of depression can be very intense, with each person having a unique set of challenges to overcome. However, overcoming the symptoms of depression is always possible. Incorporating daily practices alongside continued professional support, education, or even medication, if necessary, can provide the most robust and effective approach to addressing the symptoms of depression and leading a healthier, happier daily life. 

Overcoming depression is incredibly difficult, especially when combined with other challenges like addiction, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. At Hawaii Island Recovery, we understand the complex journey of overcoming depression and its symptoms, and we are prepared to help you and your family explore various strategies for navigating the daily challenges that come with this healing journey. We are prepared to offer personalized treatment programs to help you explore your unique needs and goals in recovery, combining alcohol and depression treatment, drug treatment, and personal and spiritual healing for a robust, comprehensive healing journey. For more information on how we can empower you to overcome the daily effects of depression, call to speak to us today at (866) 390-5070.