There are steps you can take to lift your mood and help you recover from depression.
Eating well and being active
Exercise and a healthy diet can make you recover sooner and will improve your general health.
A healthy diet can help lift your mood. Healthy eating is as important for mental health as it is for physical health.
Being active can:
- lift your mood
- reduce stress and anxiety
- encourage the release of endorphins - your body's feel-good chemicals
- improve self-esteem
- be a good distraction from negative thoughts.
Eating healthily to improve mental health
Physical activity and your mental health
Keeping a good routine
Having an active, regular routine can help you recover from depression.
For example, try to:
- get up at a similar time each day, if possible
- make time for friends and family
- take part in social activities with other people
- make time for hobbies you enjoy, for example gardening or cycling
- improve your mood by doing something creative
Helping someone else
If someone you know is finding it hard to get out of bed because of depression, encourage them to contact their GP or mental health team for support.
If the person is unwilling to get support themselves, you can contact their GP or mental health team on their behalf.
Mindfulness
It can be easy to rush through life without stopping to notice much. Mindfulness helps you pay more attention to the present moment.
You learn to focus on your thoughts and feelings and to the world around you. This can improve your mental wellbeing.
Talking about it
Sharing a problem with someone, or with a group, can give you support and an insight into your own depression.
You may not feel comfortable about discussing your mental health with others. If so, writing about how you feel or expressing your emotions through poetry or art might help.
Take your medicine
If you take antidepressants it's important to keep taking them as prescribed, even if you start to feel better. If you stop taking them too soon, your depression could return.
Talk to your GP or pharmacist if you have any questions or concerns about your medicine.
Read the leaflet that came with your medicine. It will have information about possible interactions with other medicines or supplements.
Check with your GP first if you plan to take medicines or supplements you can buy without a prescription. For example, painkillers or nutritional supplements. These can sometimes affect how antidepressants work.
Smoking, drugs and alcohol
If you have depression, it may be tempting to smoke or drink to make you feel better. Cigarettes and alcohol may seem to help at first. But they make things worse in the long run.
Be extra cautious with cannabis. You might think it's harmless. But there is a link between cannabis use and mental health difficulties, including depression.
If you smoke cannabis you:
- make your symptoms of depression worse
- feel more tired and uninterested in things
- are more likely to have depression that relapses earlier and more frequently
- will not have as good a response to antidepressant medicines
- are more likely to stop using antidepressant medicines
- are less likely to fully recover
Your GP can give you advice and support if you drink or smoke too much or use drugs.
Self-help for problem alcohol and drug use
Coping with stress
It's important to avoid too much stress. This includes work-related stress.
Work-related stress
Working too much can cause depression. It may also affect your ability to do your job. If it does, you may need time off to recover.
You may be able to work shorter hours. You may also be able to work in a more flexible way, particularly if job pressures seem to trigger your symptoms.
You can raise concerns about work-related stress with the Human Resources (HR) department - if there is one at your workplace.
Taking long periods of time off work can also make depression worse. There's evidence to support that going back to work can help you recover from depression. Doing the right kind of work is good for your mental and physical health. The longer you are off sick, the harder it can be to go back.
Going back to work
If you have been off work for a long time, planning your return can help you prepare and build your confidence.
To help you plan your return, talk to your GP or other healthcare professional, and your employer. You can discuss what reasonable changes can be made to help you at work.
Minding your mental health at work
Pay and benefits
If you have a job but cannot work because you have depression, you may be entitled to sick pay from your employer.
Sick leave and sick pay - citizensinformation.ie
Benefits
You may be entitled to benefits if you:
- do not have a job
- cannot work because of your depression
Benefits for people who are sick or have a disability - citizensinformation.ie
Health, disability and illness supports - mywelfare.ie
Coping with bereavement and loss
Losing someone close to you can be a trigger for depression.
Feeling sad, tired and irritable after a bereavement is a normal reaction. But if it lasts a long time and impacts on your day-to-day life this can lead to depression.
When someone you love dies, the sense of loss can be so powerful that you feel it's impossible to recover. With time and the right help and support, it's possible to start living your life again.
Coping with grief after bereavement or loss
Depression and suicide
There is no single reason why someone will attempt suicide. But certain factors can increase this risk. You are more likely to attempt suicide if you have a mental health difficulty. You have an even higher risk if you have depression.
Warning signs that someone with depression may be considering suicide include:
- making final arrangements, such as giving away possessions, making a will or saying goodbye to friends
- talking about death or suicide - this may be a direct statement, such as "I wish I was dead", or indirect phrases like "Wouldn't it be nice to go to sleep and never wake up"
- self-harm, such as cutting their arms or legs, or burning themselves with cigarettes
- a sudden lifting of mood, which could mean that a person has decided to attempt suicide and feels better because of this decision
Urgent advice: Contact your GP as soon as possible if:
- you're feeling suicidal or are in the crisis of depression
Your GP will be able to help you.
Content supplied by the NHS and adapted for Ireland by the HSE