Depression is a complex mental health issue that requires a comprehensive approach for successful management. Some strategies that may help overcome depression include:
Seek professional help from a mental health provider, such as a therapist or psychiatrist.
Practice self-care, including regular exercise, healthy eating, getting enough sleep, and engaging in enjoyable activities.
Build a support network of friends and family members who can offer emotional support and encouragement.
Consider medication, if recommended by a healthcare professional.
Challenge negative thinking patterns and replace them with more positive and realistic thoughts.
Practice relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing or meditation.
Consider joining a support group for individuals who have experienced depression. Try singing even exercise or crafts.
Remember, overcoming depression is a journey that may require time and effort, but it is possible with the right resources and support. This is worth considering and if you want additional resources check out and lets get rid of depression!
With the holiday season coming soon, it is very common for families and different groups to be thinking or making plans by this time of the year on how they will spend their holidays. Most of the activities involve reunions, parties, celebrations, small or large group gatherings, and the common denominator of all these activities is potluck. Everyone is invited or requested to bring homemade or commercially-prepared dish of food to be shared. The interactions in these gatherings bring fun, camaraderie or closeness to many people. The exchange of gifts, sharing of stories, singing and having family parlor games are enjoyed by many people especially children of all ages. Other fun activities during the holiday season include traveling and sight-seeing.
However, all these fun activities are now restricted or even halted. The coming of COVID-19 into our lives has disrupted many of our daily activities. Our cherished holiday season would not be spared from this. It’s been almost ten months now that we have been dealing with shutdowns, lockdowns, wearing of masks, hand-washing, precautions, etc. Staying home or “quarantining oneself” could be the safest way from being exposed to COVID-19. However, staying home for a long time has many “side effects.” Adults and children feel isolated. Going out to do essential house chores or errands with mask and hand sanitizers, also add to these “side effects.” Eventually many people get “tired” and this is what we call “COVID fatigue.” Some people describe it as “caution fatigue” which means, “It’s when people start to have low motivation when it comes to following safety guidelines” (Mattison, Caution Fatigue, Khon2.com, June 2020).
Our life today is so different from just about a year ago. We miss so much that kind of life that we used to have. There is a feeling of longingness for that normal life. We often hear from many individuals asking questions like, “When is this going to end? When is the vaccine available? When can I travel?” The more we ponder on these questions, the more we become anxious and worried. Spending so much time thinking about our old normal life would add more frustrations because we tend to compare our “isolated” or “restricted” life today from the past one. We may even feel “guilty” for taking things for granted what we had in the past. Eventually many people become so stressed out, not to mention the increasing cases of mental health problems and drug addiction. This pandemic has caused other problems to arise such as difficulty sleeping, change in eating habits, emotional worries about job loss or loss of income, and worsening existing health problems.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may be stressful for people. Fear and anxiety about a new disease and what could happen can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions in adults and children. Public health actions, such as social distancing, can make people feel isolated and lonely and can increase stress and anxiety. However, these actions are necessary to reduce the spread of COVID-19 (CDC, July 2020).
The important question now is “How are we going to overcome this COVID fatigue?” There are several things that you can do to help you cope up with COVID fatigue. First of all, there are three (3) very important things to do. First, minimize or take a break from watching or listening to news and reading articles about COVID-19 or pandemic. If you keep watching or reading news about the pandemic for a long time, it can cause you to worry, become depress and even panic that can badly affect your daily life or routine at home. It is still important though to check once in a while the progress of the pandemic situation and the availability of COVID-19 vaccines.
Secondly, avoid excessive use of your cellphone because it can “isolate” or “alienate” other people who live with you at home. If you’re on your cellphone all the time, this can send a wrong signal to the other person who is talking to you. It can be misinterpreted as ignoring the other person. Since many people already feel “isolated” or restricted at home, this would put the other person more in “isolation” or “alienation.” The next time you talk to the other person, he or she may just ignore you, too. Always keep an active communication at home especially during family time like lunch or dinner.
Thirdly, give your body sunlight exposure for 10- 15 minutes a day between 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM. If your skin is sensitive, 10 minutes may be enough. The human body produces vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. Some of the health benefits of sunlight include: improves mood, improves sleep, promotes bone growth, strengthen immune system and promotes weight loss (Nazish, Why Sunlight is actually good for you, Forbes, Feb. 2018). Sunlight exposure can help with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a form of seasonal depression during winter when there is less sunlight. Low self-esteem, depressed mood, loss of interest, changes in eating habits and sleep patterns, difficulty concentrating and fatigue (Robinson et al, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Help Guide, Aug. 2020).
Another way to overcome COVID fatigue is learning how to breath when anxiety or panic sets into your mind. Your chest may become tight and your heart rate increases. Remember to do deep breathing. Inhale deeply, hold your breath for 3-5 seconds, and exhale slowly through your mouth. Do these 5 times and then go back to your regular breathing. Do this breathing exercise at least 3 times a day, or whenever you feel anxious or stress out.
Meditation is highly recommended especially when you wake up in the morning, and before going to sleep at night. Stretching and aerobic exercises are important for oxygenation. One simple exercise is called the shoulder shrug. Raise the top of your shoulders as high as you can while inhaling deeply at the same time. You should feel some tension in your shoulders and neck. Hold your shoulders up and breath for 3-5 seconds, and then drop your shoulders back down while exhaling your breath through your mouth at the same time. Do this 3-5 times. Physical exercise includes walking around and every corner of the house at least 3 rounds. If you have a smaller area, do it for 6 rounds. Do this walking exercise 3 times a day- morning, afternoon, and last one in the evening. It is best to do this after eating a meal, or when your stomach is full. This helps to keep your waistline and weight from increasing.
Jogging in place, dancing, Zumba, Pilates, cycling and Tai Chi are also very helpful in relieving stress. If you’re the athletic type of person or one who does heavy workout, going to the gym may expose you to the coronavirus and other viral or bacterial infections. Find something that can substitute your gym workout. Skipping or jumping rope is good for your cardiovascular system. Start with lower number of repetitions and build it gradually on a weekly time frame. You can do workouts at home for each specific muscle of your body without the use of machines or major equipment. You can use dumbbells and weight bench at home. If you have a pet, carry your pet as a weight for your exercise. Be creative but be safe when doing your home workouts.
Learn to do arts and crafts at home such as painting and crochet. You may find a new skill or talent that you haven’t discovered yet. Take short courses online. Attend online seminars. Learn to cook gourmet meals. Play with your pets. Teach your pets some tricks. Learn a new hobby. Learn to play the piano, guitar or flute. Eat your meals regularly. Do home gardening. Watch adventure movies. Call your family and friends. Stay away from caffeine, energy drinks and spicy foods. Find or use a social media that is more positive or useful. Read self-help books or articles including spiritual or faith-based books. Write a journal. Post entries to your journal daily and write a weekly summary. Focus on what you accomplished.
Make a list of all possible fun activities that you can think of. Create a table that lists each activity in one column, and add 7 columns that correspond to the days of the week like Monday, Tuesday, and so on. Organize the activities into 2 or 3 groups: one for morning, one for afternoon, and possibly one for evening. The goal is to overcome COVID fatigue by keeping yourself busy while enjoying your home activities. Don’t let this pandemic nightmare engulf you. Build and strengthen yourself physically, mentally and spiritually so you can help in the same way your other family members, friends and your community.
The reason I Dwayne S. Coley Sr. support MAP (Most Amazing People.” I’m a United States Marine Corps Veteran with a 32 + year history of Major Depressive Disorder. I joined the Corps at the age of 18 & left for bootcamp after I graduated from Robert E. Lee High School. Upon completion of my basic training in Paris Island, SC I reported to my station after a brief uniting with my family. I was assigned a Staff Sergeant in my 0151 Admin Clerk duties. I remember how controlling he was & the mental abuse I suffered under his supervision. He abused me mentally so deeply until I began to exhibit anger issues towards my new spouse. I started to lose sleep & dreaded going back to my station everyday. I didn’t realize the impact this treatment was having on my mental & physical health. I was so broken in spirit that I never registered the news of my wife at the time expecting my 1st child. I began to sink into a deep state of depression. I tried to cope with the uncontrolled emotions I was experiencing.
I was a Marine 1st & there was no way I was going to let anyone know of my mental suffering. I lashed out every chance I had at my wife but seeing my Staff Sergeant face each time. This had continued for sometime & my mind was starting to play tricks on me. This one evening at my command I felt very angry & a form of separation from my mind. It was just about time for my shift to end & as usual my Staff Sergeant would hold all my admin corrections to the end of my shift. I was the only Marine in the office receiving this type of treatment. I would be on my computer some 12 to 14 hours per day. I started to have vision issues due to the amount of time spent on my computer. This was back in 1984 when we didn’t have the type of advanced technology we have today. I already knew he was going to hold me back from going home, but I was already at a breaking point. He came over, tossed the pile of corrections in my basket & I felt the tension in my chest.
I had refused to take anymore of his undeserving behavior anymore. I sat for hours looking at him, look at me. I saw that smirk he possessed every time he would keep me hours after everyone else was gone. What he didn’t realize, I was mentally at a point he had to die. I felt the tears rolling down my face & all I could see was the only way out was either he die or I kill myself. Hours had passed & I didn’t realize God had a better plan. My wife had reached out to a Marine friend concerned about where I was. He picked my wife up & got her on base to my unit. When the two of them walked in, I was seconds away from my decision. She looked over at my Staff Sergeant in total discuss as she made her way over to me. When I heard her voice I snapped out of the blackness that had overtaken my mind. It was at that time I reached out for help only to be let down by the actions of the Marine Corps. I received an Honorable Discharge & on my DD214 the condition was “Personality Disorder.” I was young at age 20 & didn’t fully understand what that meant but I felt it didn’t sound good. Although I had that feeling I was just happy to get away from my abuser. I never shared my DD214 with anyone but I tried to move on as a civilian. It was 32 years later after 3 broken marriages, no relationship with my family or kids, isolation, anxiety, depression, insomnia, mental illness, health issues that I finally reached a point of Suicidal thoughts. I ended up being admitted to the hospital that I finally realized my brokenness & coming to terms with my mental illness.
I had been wronged by Veterans Affairs & the Military. After speaking with other Vets I decided to advocate for myself. I wrote my Governor of the State of FL Mr. Ron DeSantis regarding my enlistment & past 32 years masking mental illness. It wasn’t 24 hours after reaching out to his office I received contact from Veterans Affairs. Finally by the grace of God through my political representation, someone from Veterans Affairs heard my cry. They reopened my claim & changed it to the appropriate condition. I support MAP (Most Amazing People) because so many people are hurting today & more needs to be done. I pray my sharing will open your hearts to donate & support (MAP) today. http://www.MostAmazingPeople.info
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