I could honestly ramble on for multiple posts about mental illnesses, and how to cope, and how to cope with someone you love who suffers from it. Today I'm going to speak about depression in general, for the sufferers and how to make living with it a little easier.

TALK

I was diagnosed with depression at 17, but I believe it has been a part of me for a very long time, I just didn't have the courage to speak up about how I felt, and it lead to some bad consequences. Depression doesn't effect you every day of every week of every year, it comes and goes, and when you least expect it. It is different for every single individual and no one can prepare you for when it arrives, the only thing I can advise is to talk to someone... even if it's a trusted friend or family member first, it is SO important to get your feelings off of your chest. Don't feel as if you are burdening someone because you are not. If they love you, they will understand and it makes you feel so much better when you are not bottling everything up. Don't live with this for years on your own. Nowadays, depression is a well known illness, and professional practitioners are more than experienced to help. You are not the only one with depression, and don't feel silly speaking about your feelings. At the end of the day, depression wants you to keep everything to yourself. It wants you to overthink everything and it will slowly eat away at your personality if you don't speak up. Even if you want to speak to someone you don't know, there are so many ways you can do that. A few will be linked at the end of the post.

RESEARCH

This is one thing I didn't do for a very long time, because I didn't know what was happening was an 'illness'. If you feel like you have even one symptom, have a look online (NHS is a great website for this) and it will give you some reassurance that it is a known illness, and you should not be embarrassed/ashamed to speak to someone. Explain that you have done some research and believe you have similar symptoms/signs. Nobody will turn you away.

HAPPY THOUGHTS

I know this is impossible when you are experiencing severe depression. No matter what is happening, there is no silver lining. I used to hide in my room for days on end, and in result missed out on many days of school, and many social and family events. My partner is my rock, and he said to me once that once you picture one good thing in your life, the rest will slowly appear. No matter how bad things seem, there will always be one thing that can make you happy. Maybe it's a person, maybe it's a song, or maybe it's a place. Think of that thing that makes you happy, and once a little positivity is seen, it won't be very long before you are back to your normal self. 

REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS

Don't expect that after your first appointment with a professional, or after your first load of medication that you will be cured. Depression can stay with a person for the rest of their lives, but this doesn't mean it's the end. Set little goals for yourself, long term or short term. For example, in the middle of a bad week, when everything is getting you down, don't aim to go out to a party surrounded with strangers, aim to go for a quiet walk, and slowly build up to socialisation with a small group of close friends, until you are back to yourself again. This enables me to keep to a normal schedule when my depression is present, and stops me from getting in a rut and locking myself in my room for days on end.

These are only small tips, and examples to try and help someone cope with depression. Just remember, you are not alone. You are loved, and you can get help whenever you are ready. 

(all pictures were found on Pinterest) 

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Websites

http://www.samaritans.org

http://www.7cupsoftea.com/depression-help-online/

http://www.rethink.org