Conquering Depression
The first step that I took in conquering my depression, is making the decision to no longer allow my depression to have control and power over me. I was tired of just laying around and thinking about things that I wanted to do, instead of actually doing them.
When we are feeling down and out and depression takes over us, it may feel as if there is no way out. I know this feeling because I’ve experienced it first hand for many years of my life. I have been in this situation more times than I’d like to admit. However, there is a way out and I’m going to give you a few tips on how I took control over my depression and stopped allowing my depression to control me, for good.
I stopped saying “I CAN’T” to everyone and everything, and blaming it on my depression. Ever hear of the saying “fake it til you make it”? I forced a smile on my face and got up and moving because I refused to allow my depression to control me anymore. I realized that I am not powerless over my depression, rather I can and will control it. By smiling and forcing myself inside of the feeling that I desired, it eventually became my reality.
Once I prepared mentally in my mind, it was time to take action. I started waking up each day and thanking god for blessing me and allowing me to see a new day. I began taking showers daily every morning (yes, some of us who are depressed do not take showers as often as we should) and doing my hair nice, makeup, dressing up nice, and I started to feel much better just with the confidence alone.
I practiced my positive affirmations every single day in the mirror until it became a habit and I began to do it naturally. I completely cut out all of the negative people in my life who didn’t have my best interest at heart, including certain family members. I replaced those negative people with positive people who are on the same path as me and we uplift each other. I started socializing much more with positive, motivated, and generally happy individuals. I surrounded myself with love and people who were loyal, fun and happy.
I began doing things that I used to enjoy before, and it turns out that I still enjoy these activities such as, gardening, writing, and nature walks. I realized that I certainly do not need a man or anyone else to validate me and make me feel complete. All I need is me.
I accepted the fact that life is full of challenges and that I’m not alone in this thing called life. I learned to slow down, relax, and breathe for a moment when I feel overwhelmed by something. I ignored other peoples negative thoughts, and opinions about me. I could literally care less if someone doesn’t like me. I became aware that I can’t control other peoples behavior however, I can control my reaction to everything. I realized that I can’t fix everything and that worrying over things that I can’t change, is a waste of time and will only hurt me.
