People from all walks of life have varying signs of depression and deal with them differently in almost every case. But for the most part most do not even know they are depressed – they just feel down and it consumes their life like a rubber glove over a hand – completely sealing them off from the normal world and creating their own downward spiral of coping? Does this describe you and your daily life? You may not even be able to stand back and see it.

I have been from mildly to severely or clinically depressed at one time or another in my almost fifty-years on this planet – and each time it had similarities in the beginning but depending on the situation my mind and body would deal with it in different ways. Sometimes sleeping long hours (like 12 or more at one time) – losing weight – My second divorce put me in a spiral where I did not eat hardly at all – and lost weight fast, like 35 lbs in three weeks. Other times I would gain just as much weight trying to fill that black of hole of feeling down – actually eating to the point of passing out like when you drink too much alcohol.

Feelings of taking your own life are a common thought when depression gets a hold of you if you stew in long enough. Mild to strong thoughts of ending it all and committing suicide to get over your problem(s) will come and go during your downward cycle of feelings. Few act on these thoughts and this is a huge sign of depression. You have reached the apex of your suffering and want relief. So what do you do about it?

 Most people will tell you first thing to talk to someone and this is a great idea and action in response to this mental health problem. Make sure you speak to a professional if you can but sharing with family and or friends may be your only option at the time if you are unable pay for professional mental help. Family can sometimes be the wrong avenue to take since they really may be the source or the ignition point of your depression. Stinking thinking is grown in a household so talking to mom or dad may be more detrimental to your problem and make it worse or they could help perpetuate your current feeling of depression.

A trap that people get into when having feelings of helplessness is lack of activity and social contact. This is when you need it the most – Exercise and other physical activities will increase your levels of endorphins and general give you a natural high to help combat depression. My best solution during my early forties was to ride dirt bikes – It was physically demanding and required working out quite a bit to build up stamina to participate in this sport. Another plus was riding off-road on two wheels did was require complete concentration on what you are doing at that very second. Essentially staying up on two wheels in the dirt, sand and mud requires you to push everything out of your mind and concentrate on your very survival. Some people chose to jump out of perfectly good airplanes or go rock climbing to accomplish the same result.

Walking and Running are great exercise but it allows for deep thought while doing this exercise so you want something that will consume your mind and body. Sadly that is why a lot of people drink and do drugs to get away from their thought process and become numb and temporarily exonerated from their situation. Actually you would be better off skydiving than doing pot, coke, or booze.

Severe and lasting change in the way we think is necessary to overcome these symptoms of depression. Making new habits of living, working and playing should be aggressively analyzed and change for the positive needs to be quick and repetitious to engrain your new healthy lifestyle to prevent further negative thinking. Keep it simple and don’t over analyze this change – Basic positive change is what is required – Don’t buy into someone else’s system of fighting depression – You have to carve your own path to create lasting and positive change and you need plenty of reinforcement.

At first you made need help in changing – Like a daily personal trainer or life coach – don’t laugh these people serve a great purpose in helping you create your new habits that will turn around your life. Actually, I had a personal trainer named Linda for 14 months – we met at her workout studio for an hour Monday through Friday for one hour and this habit created a huge change over time in my life for the better. She was also a very spiritual person that had a lot of insight since she had always had a healthy lifestyle and worked out all of her life. She was a great boon to my depression recovery.

People will always find their own path – but from experience the ones that last are what I have described above. Even look at your career in this situation while you think you may have a great job and a life long vocation. Is it helping or hurting your thought process. Working in an office is very depressing for me and aids in weight gain for me – So several years ago I found that I needed to work outside and have plenty of physical activity in a career – to help keep the weight off and my mind clear.

I hope this has helped you realize what needs to be done and you act quickly. Richard Simons the exercise and weight loss celebrity from the 70s and 80s was asked once what he thought was key to his success and he replied, “Keep Moving 80 Percent of the Time”. Makes sense to me.