How To Balance Depression And Self-Love

In an article from the Huffington Post, Terezia Farkas tells you how to love yourself even if you have depression. Except she doesn’t tell you anything except to take medication, which a non-professional should never say. The article wasn’t an article at all it was just her kind of talking. She never really tells you how to balance depression and self-love.

Practice Proper Hygiene

I can’t think of a better way to balance depression and self-love than taking care of your hygiene. Some of you are probably thinking just take a shower, but when you suffer from depression it is not that easy. There would be days where I would lay in bed and not brush my teeth or take a shower. I knew I smelled but I just didn’t care.

Here are some alternatives when you find it difficult. When you feel like you can’t take a shower, try taking a bath instead. Baths are viewed as more relaxing anyway so it won’t seem like such a huge task. When you can’t find the strength to wash your hair, try using a dry shampoo.

Therapy

Therapy is the greatest invention since sliced bread. Aside from practicing proper hygiene, therapy is the best way to balance depression and self-love. Therapy is a safe space where you can talk about whatever you want. When you talk about your issues and try to get through them, that’s you practicing self-love.

Learn to Forgive Yourself

When you’re lying in bed awake, all you do is think and think and think. Your thoughts are mainly negative, especially towards yourself, and are on a constant loop. According to psychologytoday.com, “We humans can be so hard on ourselves. The downside of taking responsibility for our actions is punishing ourselves too much for mistakes in learning and growing. You have to accept your humanness (the fact that you are not perfect), before you can truly love yourself. Practice being less hard on yourself when you make a mistake. Remember, there are no failures, if you have learned and grown from your mistakes; there are only lessons learned.”

Let It Pass

When I used to go to Temple University, I used to see one of the counselors weekly. She was really nice. I remember one of the things she told me was, “let it pass.” I remember whining, “I don’t want to.” Now that I’m older, I get what she was saying. When a depressive episode hits and hits hard, you have to allow the feelings to take over but the trick is not completely. You are human and you are going to feel these feelings. You can’t suppress them like how I was doing. If you suppress those feelings it’s only going to get worse for you. Think of a soda can when you keep shaking it, eventually, it will explode. You have to feel the feelings but not wallow in them.

What I Do

With my family so far away, no friends around, and a recent “break-up,” I’ve relapsed back into my depression. I mean it’s always going to be there, but with all the things happening to me, it has worsened.

Here’s what I do every day. I wake up, go to class, come home, sleep, and attempt to do homework. What I’m trying to say is that I keep myself busy. If I don’t, my mind wanders and I start to have panic attacks. On the bad nights, I try to remember that everything will be better in the morning. I tell myself my family loves me and my friends love me. The ultimate way to love yourself is to not give into the depression. It is tough but you are tougher.

What are some ways you balance depression and self-love? Let us know in the comments below.

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