15 Tips to Dunk the Depression

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Before age 30, Michael Phelps, had won 28 Olympic medals in swimming. He’s been declared the most successful and most decorated Olympian of all time. In a recent interview, he disclosed that he's struggling with depression. It was unbelievable!


Michael Phelps could achieve world-wide stardom at a young age what millions in the world would die to achieve striving their entire lives and maybe still not get lucky. Phelps recently achieved yet another milestone by making his mental health issues public. Many more public figures have come forward candidly talking about their depression battles. Which means, the mental health problem is all pervasive and needs attention.


Happily, there are solutions other than medication. 
Try a cocktail of behavioral strategies to combat depression.
(listed in the article below)

Facts
Depression can strike anyone at any time. It causes a sharp dip in energy and erodes the will to live. Vast wealth and individual success doesn’t make anyone immune to mental health problems. As per World Health Organisation, India, China and the US are the countries most affected with depression and allied conditions of anxiety, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. More than 300 million people worldwide suffer from depression.

Reasons Aplenty
Deep and long time sadness if not attended to becomes a habit. This soon becomes depression. The reasons for sadness are financial difficulties, unemployment, loneliness, loss of someone, childbirth, certain physical illnesses and medications. Social factors such as violence, migration and homelessness also contribute to the big figure statistics. Not seeking timely help limits opportunities to lead fulfilling lives.

Time to Take Charge
Lets not become a statistic! Look among your friends and family for early signs of depression. A friend who is now less interested in enjoyable things; loses considerable energy, appetite, sleep, motivation; keeps a very negative view of himself/herself and the world; harbors feelings of helplessness, or disappointment for long is stepping towards depression. Each of us can work, albeit in small measures, towards reversing the trend. 

Behavioral Strategies:
1. Laugh Out Loud (often; even if it needs to be faked at times)
2. Stay among friends and family who make you laugh (remember that funny guy in class who doesn’t care about impressions and is simply bindaas)
3. Make a conscious effort to pull yourself out of sadness sooner, because, the longer you stay in the bad mood pit, the more difficult it becomes to be pulled out
4. Its okay to be not okay!
5. When confronted with a tricky situation say, “Heavens are not going to fall” (most situations in the world are not life and death situations)
6. Eat a healthy diet
7. Get plenty of sunshine
8. Be active as physical exercise releases “feel good” hormones like Endorphins and Serotonin in the body
9. Keep yourself busy
10. Stop reminding yourself of the unpleasant events in your life
11. Appreciate good things in life; brush off bad memories
12. Experience the ‘Joy of Giving’
13. “Comparison is the thief of joy” – Eleanor Roosevelt
14. The best things in life are free - smile, family, friends, sleep, hugs, rain, good memories, innocence of kids. Have as much as you want!
15. Forget #FOMO Choose #JOMO


 'Mental pain is less dramatic than physical pain, but it is more common and also harder to bear’ - C.S Lewis

A. Act upon early warning signs of depression; you may seek professional help
B. Ignore the social stigma - depression is an illness, not a sign of weakness or a character defect

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