Feeling depressed can be a heavy weight to carry. It can feel debilitating and isolating. It can change the way you view ourselves, view others around you, and how you function on a regular basis. We also know that there are a variety of factors that can increase your likelihood to struggle with depression. You do not have to continue to feel this way though, and while it may seem hard to find ways to feel better, starting with your day-to-day routine and habits can be life changing.
I often see depression and feeling sad, down, or lacking enjoyment in day-to-day life, be made worse with unhealthy habits you may not even recognize are contributing to your mental struggles. In order to start combating your depression, uplifting your mood, and finding more enjoyment in life, it’s important to look at what you’re doing on a regular basis.
When feeling depressed or struggling with depression, the more you do that brings you down, the worse you are going to feel. On the flip side, the more you do that brings up joy or uplifts you can actually combat feelings of depression and help you to feel happier sooner. Consider the following habits that are shown to keep you feeling depressed and how they may be impacting you.
Unhealthy habits wrecking your mood could like look:
1. Scrolling social media and spending a lot of time online. While yes, there are benefits to being socially connected, social media is actually not the way to go. As you are mindless scrolling, you are processing massive amounts of data at once. You are also seeing what others are doing and what’s going on in the world. This can make scrolling social media trigger feelings of anxiousness, worry, sadness, jealousy, envy, and sadness. It can also lead to comparisons and feelings of not being enough.
2. Watching the news in excess. Staying informed on current events can be helpful. However, does this activity bring you joy, feelings of safety, contentment, and peace? Or does it bring worry, new stress, anxiety, and uncertainty? Settling a limit on how much time you spend consuming information about the world and current events can help decrease this trigger.
3. Comparing yourself to others. If you are comparing yourself to others and longing for what they have, wishing you were them, or hating an aspect of your life because it doesn’t look like what this other person has, this is only hurting your mood and self-esteem.
4. Setting unrealistic expectations of self and others. This can show up in so many different ways. Look at your frustrations that arise and things that bring you down. Are you being realistic with yourself?
5. Not spending time engaging in activities or hobbies that bring joy. Doing things that bring you joy, whether that’s hobbies or activities, can boost your mood and help fight feelings of sadness and depression. The less time you spend doing things you enjoy, the more down or sad you will likely feel.
6. Socially isolating yourself. We are social creatures and strive with authentic and supportive connections. If you are isolating yourself from others, not spending time with people who uplift you or cause you to laugh or smile, you are likely feeling the effects of this lack of socialization in big ways.
7. Spending time around people, places, and things that are negative. Negativity in any form can bring stress, unhappiness, frustration, and even sadness. Take a look at how you spend your time. Is this time spent around positive or negative people, places, and things?
If you are feeling down, depressed, or even sad or hopeless, how you spend your time, what you think about, and who you’re around can all be contributing to these feelings. If you change some of these habits bringing you down, I am confident you will feel more moments of calmness, joy, and/or happiness. If this feels challenging for you to tackle though, you are not alone and therapy may be a place to get more support with your depression. Reach out today to learn how I can help.
