Due to current social adversities Pakistan amongst other developing states is facing huge wave of depression. According to World Health Organization 340 million people above the age of 18 are suffering from depressive disorder. We need to realize how important it is to address this issue. Depression is just like any other disease the difference it is psychological where as the rest are physical. The impact of depression can be far worse than any physical disease.
Here are a few ways to combat depression.
1) Confrontation:
Confront you emotions. One can do this by talking to a close one or a therapist if needed. We understand how one can feel judged but that’s exactly why there is professional help available. Pakistan now has its first free 24/7 helpline Talk2Me present (visit there Facebook or instagram page for contact numbers).
2) Meditation:
In order to collect your thoughts and feelings one must relax first and for that now luckily we have online apps such as Calm, Aura and various other apps from which we can select one for this purpose. 5-10 minutes of deep breathing can calm your nerves so you can take further actions.
3) Write:
Pen down your feelings. One thing I realised was writing down everything you feel helps you get connected to your thoughts and feelings. This is not a test, write whatever comes to your mind and let it all out. This way you can also check you day to day progress of from where you have come from and what you have achieved.
4) 5,4,3,2,1 technique:
Another thing which helps a lot of people is 5,4,3,2,1 technique. This technique helps you ground yourself connecting you with the present. It is widely used when one is having suicidal thoughts. Name 5 things you SEE, Name 4 things you FEEL, Name 3 things you HEAR, Name 2 things you SMELL right now and Name one thing good about yourself. It will connect you with you sense to create a better thinking process.
5) Get motivation:
You can always trick your brain into thinking that you are happy and you will end up feeling a bit happy. To do this you can always read or watch motivational speeches and quotes. My personal favourite is Mufti Menk as he provides a lot of positivity every single day.
There are going to be days when you don’t feel happy and it is fine but one must always fight back and live life to fullest. Not everyday will be a rainy one. These things are widely effective but might vary from person to person if these things don’t work or you believe it’s getting bad please contact a professional for help PLEASE!
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