Feeling Depressed

Home Treatment

Positive actions and feelings can help lift your spirits. Although thinking positively may be very difficult when you are feeling depressed, try to consider the positive side of situations and events in your life.

Appreciate any moments when you have positive thoughts. The following tips may help.

• Practice positive thinking. Make statements that promote good thoughts. Replace negative self-talk with positive comments.
• Take action to put more fun into your life:
  • Exercise. Running, brisk walking, and other forms of aerobic exercise improve symptoms of mild to moderate depression.
  • Work in the garden or play with a pet. Plants and pets can be very therapeutic. When you pet an animal, your blood pressure goes down and your heart rate slows. Filling the needs of animals and plants can help you feel useful.
  • Visit a friend. Spending time with a good friend may help you forget about your problems for a while and help you see the brighter side of life.
  • Have a massage or a manicure, or get your hair cut.
  • Rearrange your furniture.
• Talk with your health professional about nonprescription medicines, such as St. John's wort or SAM-e.
  • Talk to your health professional or pharmacist before taking St. John's wort if you are taking any other medicines. St. John's wort may change the way other medicines work. In some cases, it may decrease how well medicines work. In other cases, it may make medicines poisonous.
  • Do not use alcohol or other mood-altering drugs while you are taking a nonprescription medicine.
  • Follow the directions on the label. Do not exceed the recommended dose.
  • If you are or could be pregnant, talk with your health professional before taking any medicine or supplement.
  • For more information on dietary supplements, visit the Web site of the Office of Dietary Supplements, within the National Institutes of Health, at http://ods.od.nih.gov/index.aspx.
• Take a class or go to a free lecture at the public library or local hospital.
• Take a vacation. Sometimes just getting away for the afternoon will brighten your mood.
• Go to the movies or rent a funny movie.
• If nothing feels fun, try doing something that you used to enjoy.

Symptoms to Watch For During Home Treatment

Use the Check Your Symptoms section to evaluate your symptoms if any of the following occur during home treatment.

• You feel sad, lonely, or unhappy for weeks or months.
• Your symptoms become more severe or frequent.
• You are not getting better as expected after starting treatment for depression.

For a friend or loved one

If you think a friend or loved one is depressed, you may feel helpless. But you still may want to do something to help. For suggestions, see:

Depression: Helping someone get treatment.

Depression: Supporting someone who is depressed.

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Author:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA	Last Updated: January 12, 2007
Medical Review:	William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine Lisa S. Weinstock, MD - Psychiatry
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