10 Effective Coping Skills for Depression – Maud Purcell Interviewed in GoodRX Health Article
If you’re dealing with depression, there are coping strategies you can try to use to help manage it. You may be surprised by how they can lift your spirits on a particularly bad day or inspire hope when you feel hopeless.
Below you’ll find 10 strategies for when you’re feeling sad, isolated, or without purpose — and what to do if they don’t work.
What are the best coping skills for depression?
Acknowledging you’re experiencing depression or a depressed mood is the first step to getting better. It means you’re not ignoring your symptoms. You’re aware you need help, and you want to do something about it.
We’ve pulled together the following coping strategies with the help of research and a depression expert. Give yourself time to engage in them. If some work for you, great — keep using them. If some don’t, shelve them and try again in the future.
1. Do one self-care activity
One of the hardest things to do when you’re depressed is to follow a daily routine. Sometimes, you may not feel like bathing, brushing your teeth, or putting on fresh clothes. If you’re feeling this way, just pick one self-care activity. Simply taking a shower or changing your clothes may reset your mood.
2. Talk to your support network
You may feel like a burden to others when you’re depressed, but that is most likely the depression talking. Your friends and family want to be there for you, just like you would want to be there for them if the roles were reversed.
Research suggests it’s more helpful to talk to trusted loved ones than to isolate yourself when you’re feeling depressed. If you don’t feel like going out or having someone over, try a phone call or video chat. It may hold you over until you’re ready to socialize in person…
