January can be difficult. The excitement of the holidays is over and, in most of the United States, it’s cold. This can cause people to pull back and isolate.
On the other hand, some people see January as a fresh start. The new year is upon us which is clean slate to start over. This often results in many people creating New Year’s Resolutions.
If you struggle with depression, January can be extra hard. Depression can be worse during the winter months and holidays can also be difficult for people. Yet, it is also a time when many people decide that they are ready for a change.
Starting Fresh in the New Year
With many creating New Year’s Resolutions, January is a great time to plan how you would like the new year to look like or be different from the previous year. Depression can feel like you are climbing an uphill battle sometimes. Yet, that also means that by consistently putting one foot in front of the other you will get to the top of that hill. So, are you ready to start climbing?
Here is a list of tips that will help you manage your depression a little better in the New Year.
Get more sleep. Sleep is important in every facet of our life. Sleep helps our body heal. Like when we are sick, our body needs the downtime to prep recover and prep for the next day. Sleep is a necessary component in our brain’s ability to process information and regulate our emotions. This can strongly affect how we feel the next day.
Use positive self-talk. We take in information and hear things from others all day long. Many of us also tend to be our own strongest critic. Unfortunately, this can also lead to us being unkind to ourselves. This may be us being tough on ourselves or repeating negative things that we’ve heard from others. We need to turn that around. We need to be our strongest advocate. If you feel confident, strong and capable, others will feed off that positive energy.
Many of us are in our head all day. Self-talk can be positive or negative. They are the statements we say to ourselves that often times are almost automatic. Many times, our self-talk is negative. If so, often people point it out to us before we see it ourselves. They say things like “you’re so hard on yourself” or “that happens to everyone”.
So, start focusing on the positive self-talk. Depression can cause us to see the world in shades of gray instead of beautiful hues. Complimenting yourself each day on something you did well (no matter how small) can work towards changing that perspective to include those beautiful hues.
Try new activities and develop new hobbies. Depression can cause a decrease in motivation, energy, interest in activities and desire to socialize. Because of this we can also forget the enjoyment we can get from either things we did long ago or things we’ve never tried. It can be difficult to do more when you don’t have a desire to do anything. However, trying new activities can also reinvigorate the senses and create new pathways in the brain.
So, take a cooking class, try a new sport or start an arts and crafts project. Make a list of 4 new things you want to try this year. Then, commit to doing at least one of those things each quarter.
Create healthier, more concrete boundaries. Boundaries are important. They provide information to those around us on what is and is not okay. Unfortunately, many of us don’t communicate or don’t enforce our boundaries. An example would be…you have plans to watch a movie on Saturday night, but a friend asks you to help her with a project. You tell her no, she comes over anyway and you let her in and don’t get your self-care time. If this becomes consistent, this shows others that your wants and needs are not important.
Be purposeful with your communication. People often avoid communicating because they are afraid of conflict. Yet, unclear communication can actually cause conflict. So, practice being more direct, yet kind with your communication. If you have a sensitive topic, ask a friend before you talk to that person. However, we only have control over the words we use. So, first look at how you would react if someone said those words to you. Then, communicate with that person as clearly and kindly as possible.
I hope you find these tips helpful in managing your depression in the upcoming year. If you would like more information on how to make an appointment or book a 15 minute consultation to discuss how depression counseling can better your life, call or contact me.