I woke up with an uneasy feeling in my heart. The day appeared bleak. I managed to drag myself through the morning chores, all the time feeling low. I went into the kitchen thinking I will cook breakfast. I didn’t feel like eating. I stayed hungry. I felt tired thinking of going through the day.
This has been my typical day from last eight months. I do not sleep easily every day. Sometimes I have to surrender to alcohol to induce sleep. I began reading up on these symptoms online and found that there are many others like me who go through these symptoms.
These could be symptoms of depression. According to a research article published in Indian Journal of Psychiatry by Sandeep Grover, et.al., depression has been the focus of research and various articles covering different aspect of this condition have been published in last 50 to 60 years.
Depression in a milder state affects our emotional state thus affecting our relationships with those around us, productivity at work and physical wellbeing. And in severe form affects our everyday life and makes us feel incapable of even moving around.
If you feel constantly low from one week going up to one month, it is time to wake up and seek help. Meanwhile these tips can help you take that one step at a time and reach the goal of complete wellbeing.
- Put on a peppy song for an energetic beginning or soothing music (classical, spiritual etc.) for a calmer day first thing in the morning.
- Read a positive quote every morning, evening and night.
- Smile at yourself in the mirror. Also greet those around with a smile to reduce the heavy or restless feeling in the heart.
- Eat a healthy breakfast which will keep your energy levels high through the day at work.
- Twist and turn in form some easy exercise steps for two minutes at every interval (may be every two hours)
- Hug someone close to you whenever you can.
- Keep sipping water throughout the day.
- Do one task at a time, accept with one emotion at a time and process one thought at a time
Do seek out for a counselor who will be able to help you ably address depression and help you work out of it.
Reference
Sandeep Grover, A. D. (2010). An overview of Indian research in depression. Indian J Psychiatry, 178-188.