Tips for Managing Clinical Depression

Hey there!

The multiple concussions that I’ve gotten from playing soccer have caused clinical depression, which I have been struggling with for almost two years.  It’s definitely the worst part of post concussion syndrome for me.  I take medications for it, but over time I have also developed ways to make it more manageable for myself and my family.  I’m not a psychiatrist, or doctor of any kind, but I would say that I’ve (unfortunately) become somewhat of an expert on depression.

My college soccer days.

• Notice changes and trends in your moods.  Don’t obsess about it, but notice days or times when you feeling better or worse than others.

• My neurologist had been increasing my dose of Fluoxetine for a few months in a row before I realized that my depression would come on in the late afternoon most days.  So, she split up my dosage so I now take half in the morning and half in the afternoon and it's helped me a ton.

• Be kind to your body.  Even if a wound is temporary, self-harm isn’t worth it and you’ll end up feeling worse.

• Planning to NOT be depressed is one of the best lifestyle changes that I have made.  I can probably do a whole blog post about this, but I’ll briefly explain what I mean.  When I plan out my day ahead of time (even my down time and relaxation) I find that I’m less likely to feel depressed because I’m not sitting around thinking about what I should do, not wanting to do anything, and then thinking about my depression.  If I plan my happiness, I have less time for my depression.

• Be willing to try anything that might make you feel better.  Even if you’re sure it won’t help, try anything that is suggested to you.  If you think about it, you can’t really trust your own willingness to get better because of the nature of your condition.

• Acknowledge and appreciate any moments you find yourself not depressed.

• Trust your doctor.  If you don’t, find someone new.  A specialist is your best bet for the most effective and current treatments of depression.

• Don’t do too much research on the internet and suggest medications or treatments to your doctor.  They know a ton and went to school for years in order to give you the care you’re receiving, so don’t try to do their job for them.  Also in my experience, most of them hate this.

• Don’t alienate yourself.  Try to talk to friends and family about it.  It’s easier to maintain relationships with others if they know why you are acting different.  They might not know what to say or do, so be understanding just as you’d like them to be understanding for you.

• Sometimes people can mistake depression for animosity or anger towards them.  Clearing this up will save you from situations that will make you worse.
  

• Exercise.  If you don’t want to or can’t, then just go for walks.  Walking is exercise.

• It’s a wonderful and empowering thing when you let your body fix your mind.

• Don’t be ashamed or feel like you have to justify your feelings to anyone.  Clinical depression is a chemical imbalance.

• A lot of the time with my depression I can’t quite figure out what exactly I’m depressed about, because in general my life is good.  I’ve learned that that is a reality that sucks, but one I have to accept.

• Try to have patience.  There really is no quick fix to depression, so take it one day at a time.

• This also goes for medication.  Most depression medications take about a month to start working.

Thanks so much for reading.  If you are struggling with depression, I hope that this helped you a little bit.  Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions or, of course, comments!

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Later! =)