How to get out of depression? Tips to apply while going to therapy

Depression is a mental disorder that affects all aspects of the life of those who suffer from it. It is also one of the most dangerous, so when detecting its symptoms it is essential to take action as soon as possible.

In this article we will talk about the key ideas that you should keep in mind to get out of depression while you receive personalized professional help.

• Related article: "The 6 Types of Mood Disorders"

What is depression?

Depression is a psychopathology that is part of mood disorders and that, as this group of psychopathologies indicates, affects the way in which we experience emotions. It is characterized by hopelessness, emotional fatigue, difficulty feeling joy or even pleasure, and in many cases also frequent suicidal ideation.

Especially this last symptom makes depression a very dangerous mental health problem, because it predisposes people to try to kill themselves; but even if the person does not consider committing suicide, his quality of life is so affected that it is impossible for him to be happy. Therefore, it is important to take measures as soon as possible to overcome depression.

• You may be interested: "Major depression: symptoms, causes and treatment"

How to get out of depression: keys to overcome this disorder

These are the main ideas that you should keep in mind to turn the page and stop suffering from depression.

1. It is essential to go through psychotherapy

Whatever you do to resolve to overcome depression, your plan should include going through mental health treatment. There are people who deceive themselves thinking that they will not need it and, although it is true that in some cases the disorder disappears on its own with the passage of time, these are relatively infrequent and the risk of assuming that this will happen is too high: let us remember that major depression is one of the most common psychopathologies dangerous.

• Related article: "The 10 benefits of going to psychological therapy"

2. You must improve your mental health through habits and routines

There is no possibility of overcoming depression overnight.. There is no “bright idea” that, the moment it crosses our minds, will make the disorder go away. Nor is it possible to reach a moment of catharsis that involves slamming the door on this mental health problem. Feeling good again is a process that takes weeks and in most cases months, and that is built from habits and routines, developing gradually.

• You may be interested: "5 signs of poor mental health that you should not overlook"

3. Many times the solution is to do the opposite of what the body asks of you.

Depression is characterized by emotional fatigue and lack of interest in any activity that we liked and motivated us before suffering from this disorder. In order to leave this psychopathology behind, we must regain that inertia to engage in stimulating activities on a daily basis.

4. Make sure you keep an active social life

Depression leads us to a lifestyle based on passivity and social isolation. Breaking with this dynamic involves maintaining an active social life and not losing friendships, since their support is important to overcome depression (either as a motivating element or as material and emotional support in the moments in which we notice that we have touched bottom).

• Related article: "The 6 types of social skills, and what they are for"

5. Pessimism or is it the realistic view of things

People with depression tend to believe that the pessimism from which they interpret reality is actually the most realistic perspective there is. But nevertheless, This sensation is the fruit of an illusion fueled by unhealthy lifestyle habits. (physically and mentally) that arise from letting the symptoms of the disorder establish themselves on a day-to-day basis. For this reason, part of the process of overcoming depression involves breaking that framework of pessimism.

6. Psychopharmaceuticals do not fully cure

Medications in the field of psychiatry are a valuable therapeutic resource, but by themselves they do not make depression disappear: its goal is to alleviate the symptoms. To overcome a depressive disorder, psychotherapeutic intervention is necessary, intervening in patterns of behavior and management of emotions and thoughts. Keep in mind that if you do not apply changes to the way you interact with the environment, with others and with your own mental processes on a daily basis, you will not be intervening on the root of the problem.

• Related article: "Psychopharmaceuticals: drugs that act on the brain"

7. You should not stop therapy

If at any point you interrupt the psychotherapy process before it is over, you will most likely be back at square one.. Going to the psychologist implies going through a "closing" stage of the therapy in which strategies are provided to facilitate the changes are consolidated and internalized by the patient, and that they do not disappear a few weeks after stopping going to the query.

Are you looking for professional psychological support?

If you need treatment for depression, contact our team of professionals.

In Advance Psychologists We have more than two decades of experience caring for patients, and we work both from psychological therapy and from intervention in psychiatry or neuropsychology. In addition, we serve people of all ages. You can find us at our center located in Madrid, and we also offer online therapy by video call.