7 Simple Ways To Combat Depression

Several months ago, I shared a brutally honest post about my experience with depression. Afterwards, I realized that was only half the story. Here, I'd like to share some of the depression-fighting tools I have gained in the last decade+ of dealing with the Monster. 

1. Be honest.

I think we are reluctant to admit we are struggling with depression sometimes because it's awkward. Depression is an unseen enemy, and a hard one to justify. If you had a cold, people would know because of your coughing, runny nose and fever. Trying to explain an invisible sickness is hard because you can't prove it. However it's a necessary first step, because you will never take steps to fix something that's not broken.

Honesty is the realization that something is not as it should be, and the willingness to admit it.


2. Tell someone.

When I was about 6 months pregnant with my third girl, I remember standing in the kitchen visiting with a friend. As we chatted, I remember looking across at her and saying, "The happiest thought I have right now is that hopefully I will die while giving birth."

My friend looked across the room at me, then gently replied: That's not normal.

I hadn't realized - until that moment - that the thoughts and feelings I'd been experiencing weren't normal. Depression had become so familiar, I no longer recognized it as an intruder. 

We need the perspective of others to help us see what is a healthy sadness, and what has crossed the line into clinical depression. If you're not sure where you are on the emotional spectrum, a short conversation with a trusted friend will help you know where you are.

3. Go outside.

Wanna hear something ridiculous? I love nature, but I hate going outside. True story. 
I would be perfectly content to spend the majority of my life indoors- reading, baking, creating - I am a happy domesticated woman. 

However, going outside - even if it is only a few moments - gives me the greatest joy. I love busy bumblebees, mushrooms growing haphazardly across the lawn, heart-shaped clover, and brightly colored flowers. Science has proven that sunshine helps your body produce more serotonin, a chemical which affects your mood. So get outside! Pay attention to your surroundings. Turn off the notifications on your phone and set a timer for 10 minutes. How many lovely things can you spot in your yard, on your block, in your little corner of the world? 

More sun = more seratonin = happier mood

Instagram what you find. Those pictures will paint you into a happy corner.

4. Create a playlist. A happy one.

Music is like a drug. It has an incredible ability to affect your mood. Don't think so? 

You're in denial. Studies have shown that it is possible to improve your mood just by listening to music. Even sad music can help improve mood if you're having a hard time. Researchers have discovered that sad music is like having an empathetic friend around- it brings comfort to feel understood. Amazing, huh? 

Here's my advice:

Find songs that make you happy, encourage your heart, and make you want to move. Please, please find songs that speak truth. I once heard someone say that music is the most easily memorized form of lies, so find songs that reinforce what is lovely, good, and true. 

I only tell you this because I once downloaded a song by Lady Gaga because it was so upbeat - I love this song! - only to find out later it was essentially a song about someone getting so inebriated they couldn't stand straight.

Talk about buyer's remorse. Lesson learned though. Pay attention to the lyrics people!

Here are some of my favorites:

Fight Song by Rachel Patton

Overcomer by Mandisa

Gold by Britt Nicole

Priceless by For King and Country

Wherever you go by Audrey Assad

Unreachable by Dara MacLean

Hall of Fame by the Script

Write Your Story by Francesca Battistelli

Happy by Pharrell Williams

Isn't She Lovely by Glee

5. Get acquainted with Sam E.

After I first shared my testimony at my home church (including the part about dealing with depression), a sweet friend showed up on my doorstep with a care package that included this supplement. I had never heard of it before, but apparently it's a great mood stabilizer. If you're interested, you can check it out here on Amazon.  

6. Start a gratitude journal. 

I know, I know- you've heard this one before, but this is truly a game changer.

I woke one morning and felt the familiar tug of despair. . . I knew there was no real reason for it, but it showed up, all the same. That morning, I distinctly remember walking into the bathroom to wash my hands. As I looked down at the soap, I noticed there were four little bubbles on the soap in the shape of a paw print.

When you are in the fog of depression, you don't notice things like that.

In that moment, I felt as though I had thrown myself a life preserver. Something had begun to shift in my brain. I had been looking for things to write in my gratitude journal so consistently that even when depression tried to take over, my brain wouldn't fully cooperate. Isn't that amazing?

Here's another way to look at it:

Your mind is like a massive field. Your thought patterns carve paths through that field.
For example:

     I'm so behind. Why can't I keep my house clean? I stink at organization.

     I'm such a failure at this. I'll never get better in this area. 

                                                         Conclusion: I'm such a loser.

Pretty soon, that path becomes so well worn that when you think I'm behind, your brain helps you zip over to your conclusion: I'm such a loser.

Gratitude helps you carve a new path.

Gratitude trains our minds to see beauty, even in the middle of chaos. Instead of slogging through those old mindsets, we create new paths that impart life, instead of discouragement.

After the habit of gratitude begins, that previous thought process shifts.

I'm so behind. Everything is so messy! Wait a second... 

if I lay on the floor and stare at the ceiling- voila! I can see an entire surface area 

in my house that is already cleeeean! 

Yes, this is an actual, real life thing I've done. Now don't you wish you had thought of that before?

And yes, staring at the ceiling actually made me happy. Then I was ready to tackle everything under the ceiling.

You should try it.

7. Replace the lies.


It's not enough to get rid of depression. You have to replace it. The void will be filled, whether you decide what to fill it with or not. So be intentional to replace those old thoughts.

One of the most powerful tools I discovered during a challenging season was this:

I get to choose joy.

I understand how frustrating it is to have people tell you, Get over it! when you're struggling. Honestly, I just want to smack them for assuming it's an easy thing to do.

However, regardless of our feelings, we do still have the power of choice. 

I once heard someone ask, Do you agree that it is wrong to disobey God's laws?

The answer- of course - was yes.

He then went on to ask, Wouldn't you agree that it is equally wrong to disobey the will of God?

Again, I answered Yes.

With that in mind, he asked, how do you respond to Paul when he writes to us:

Give thanks in all circumstances; 

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

`That was incredible for me. If it is God's will for me to give thanks, then it is a sin not to do so. Billy Graham once shared:

"Nothing turns us into bitter, selfish, dissatisfied people more quickly than an ungrateful heart. 

And nothing will do more to restore contentment and the joy of our salvation than a true 

spirit of thankfulness."

This is God's will. He wants us to live wholehearted, joy-full lives, and I'm sure he knows we can't live life to the full when we are clinging to dark thoughts.

Well, there you have it friends. These are the tools that have brought me joy.

Have you tried any of these things?
Is there anything you would add to the list?