How to beat depression and loneliness

Here are few tips on how to beat depression and loneliness.

Depression

When that dark cloud tries to overshadow my life or the things that I am trying to accomplish I immediately run towards more exercise. When you workout there are endorphins or happy chemicals in your brain that can boost your mood. I like to turn up my headphones with some music (808 drums are my friends), run a mile straight as fast as I can, then lift as heavy as I can without hurting myself. The result is feeling great about yourself and making the depression retreat.

Healthy foods: Sometimes depression can make you overeat. If you are like me then probably do not eat at all for long periods then binge eat. Horrible for your stomach and metabolism. Try to each lighter foods like salads, fruit, yogurt when you are feeling down. Especially if you are prone to eat more, this will at least keep you from gaining too much weight.

Change it up: When all else fails, change your routine or add something new to it. Take a walk in the middle of day if you typically sit at a desk all day. If you are on your feet for long periods of time, sit still for a small portion of your day. Change something you do all the time to resist the doldrums of repetitive tasks.

Then there is Loneliness.

Find the main reason why you are lonely then fix the issue but has to be the main cause. Not a symptom like I don’t have a girlfriend so I am just going to hookup with a rando chicklet  (That’s code for random chick). Now this is easier said than done. But identifying your main trigger will help move you in the right direction.

No drugs:
Drugs are the worst thing you can turn to in your loneliness. Many addicts have started off either taking drugs in social situations to be apart of the in crowd or to seek an escape for an emptiness within themselves. This is a deep pit that can take years, sometimes decades to free yourself from. Avoid at all costs.

Put yourself in social situations: If you can purposely engage is social events, then you can beat what you are feeling. Try going out with groups of friends or joining classes for a hobby you enjoy. When I moved to a new town in 2012, I overcame my loneliness by joining a poetry class at a local school. I ended up meeting a lot of aspiring writers who seemed more sad than I was. So I quit the class and started hanging out with the fellas at the basketball court. I realized that it was the wrong type of social interaction but I had to place myself in a uncomfortable position in order to find out!

 

 

Comments

  1. I couldn’t agree more about what to do if you’re depressed. Eating the right foods will definitely help you overcome depression. But the one thing that really helps me is music when exercising. It can be walking outside, the treadmill at the gym, or anything that keeps me moving with fast music on my headphones. I agree, you certainly don’t want drugs. Is there any one thing that works better than others?

    1. Hi Rob. For me personally it has to be the constant movement. I even think more clearly when I run or take a long walk.

  2. Hey Jay,
    Personally, I find that exercising regularly ever single day is the best way to fight loneliness and depression. After my breakup, I was in a state of deep depression and I kept myself shut.

    I then started to exercise and it felt good. I did that every day for 7 months until I was over her and now, I just focus on work mostly after I got my bearings. Just sharing my 2 cents, you can’t beat depression, you can just keep yourself busy until eventually, it doesn’t affect you much.

    1. Hey Riaz. Thanks for the thoughts. I like that you have actually tried exercising the pain away. Sometimes the muscle aches outweigh the mental overload we face.

  3. I have never liked the term depressed… I always believed that people use the term too loosely and in situations where they were just upset.

    Lately I have felt depressed, lack of motivation, quiet, staring off into space, feeling down and just not happy with the way things are going.

    I unfortunately don’t exercise but maybe it will help and lift my spirits. Thanks for the advice…

    1. Maybe you are more discouraged about something in your life rather than depressed. But I definitely encourage you to try to workout or do something active to take your off of the situation. Also, this will release those happy chemicals in your brain. If you try it out, let me know if it helps or if I can offer you some more advice.

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