How To Protect Yourself From Depression: 5 Good Habits

The best tactic against depression is to play ahead. While no one can be completely immune from this mental disorder, there are simple steps you can take to help you prevent depression from occurring.

1. Do what makes you happy more often.

What do you enjoy doing the most? How long have you been spending time on something that you really enjoy? Doing what you love is the most popular type of cognitive therapy that reduces the risk of depression and helps fight it. The more positive moments you experience, the happier you feel.

What to do

We all have different preferences. For example, try to be outdoors more often, jogging or walking with your pet. Or spend more time in society. Closeness to nature and communication with other people - antidepressants with proven effectiveness

Read also: How To Understand When It Is Time To See a Psychotherapist

2. Keep in touch with loved ones

It can be difficult to find time to call friends or family, and you start to lose touch with loved ones. But realizing the benefits of communicating with loved ones will force you to reconsider your behavior. Connecting with those you truly love is a powerful antidepressant.

What to do

It is essential to maintain close relationships and not the illusion of friendly ties. Invest more time with trusted people, you know, for a long time. And spend less on untrustworthy people.

3. Don't get hung up on problems

Negative thoughts can get stuck in our heads, forcing us to focus on problems. As a result, our mood and mental well-being suffer. But it is important to see in front of you not only the negative and the whole reality as a whole.

What to do

When a negative thought begins to consume you, do whatever it takes to block it. For this, you can use yoga and meditation. Practices like this help control the body and mind - this is exactly what you need.

How To Protect Yourself From Depression: 5 Good Habits
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4. Concentrate on inner goals

Please set goals for yourself, especially if their achievement requires some effort. We become happier if we focus on inner goals. The requirements of others do not dictate those who satisfy our own psychological needs.

Self-acceptance and fitness for fun are examples of internal goals. External goals are aimed at receiving awards from others and achieving recognition. These include fame and financial success.

What to do

When choosing goals, ask yourself why you want to achieve them. Decide whether they are external or internal, and give preference to the latter.

Also read: 10 Facts Everyone Should Know About Depression

5. Try to be realistic

Our mood depends on the perception of reality. People are most often divided into optimists and pessimists, but where are the realists? Being the last means of seeing the situation from the outside and evaluating it as a cold-blooded observer. Perhaps you even think of yourself as such, when in fact, you only notice the bad.RM Msetfi, RA Murphy, J. Simpson, DE Kornbrot. 

What to do.

Whenever you feel upset about something, think of it as a realist. Perhaps you will see that everything is not as bad as it might seem at first.

Adapted and translated by The Cop Cart Staff

Sources: Life hacker