10 ways to help yourself during the pandemic. | Gill Mathias

1. Pay attention to your warning signs

Depression is an illness to be managed. If you had asthma, you would manage it. Depression too can flare up. Look at the clues – if you have low energy for days or are unable to do simple tasks like get dressed or clean your teeth, seek help form your GP or therapist.

2. Seek help early

People who are high-achievers, copers, present with much more severe depression because they have blocked it out and continued.

3. Don’t say “I am depressed”, say “I feel depressed”

Giving yourself a fixed label of depression is unhelpful. I can be depressed and also I can be someone who’s a really good friend. I can be depressed and I can be someone who’s a great tennis player. You don’t have to even believe it. Depression can be part of your sense of yourself and your mental landscape, but don’t let it wipe you out.

4. Challenge negative thoughts

If you have a really negative thought, weigh it up against the evidence. If it’s not helpful then dispel it and try to think of something more positive. If you have lost your job, you may think: ‘I’m 46, I’m never going to get another job.’ But that doesn’t stack up against the evidence. Become aware of what you’re saying to yourself. Whatever you put in your mind affects your mood.

5. Name your emotions

Labelling your feelings – ‘I’m feeling sad ‘, ‘I’m feeling elated’, ‘I’m feeling tired’ – moves them from your emotional brain into your rational brain so you have more control over them, you’re also teaching yourself that feelings do not last. Unless you’re severely depressed, you’ll notice you have more positive feelings than negative.

6. Talk to a friend

You don’t think clearly when you’re depressed. Talk to someone to work out whether you need help. People with depression often withdraw from life. Keep in touch, maybe just one or two people so it’s not overwhelming. Staying connected is key.

Depression makes it hard to reach out, but you need to reconnect with things what give you joy.

7. Exercise, preferably outside

Little or no exercise, eating badly and poor sleep make depression worse. Don’t ask yourself ‘Shall I?’ Just get outside, even for 20 minutes. Regular exercise is the equivalent to a low dose of antidepressants and vital in these challenging times.

8. Establish tiny positive habits

Micro-habits give you a sense of agency, piggyback one habit on to another. Run on the spot for five minutes before you make a cup of tea, or breathe in for a count of seven and out for eleven. It lowers your cortisol.

9. Set yourself simple tasks

Just one or two goals can give you a feeling of mastery. Putting a wash on, washing up your cup – it gives you a sense of order. You feel so chaotic when you’re depressed.

10. Keep a routine

When you’re depressed you often get into poor habits, having even a basic structure – a time when you get up, eat breakfast, make your bed – is really important. Structure holds you up when the rest of you feels broken.

You are not alone with your challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Gill Mathias