What Should You Do When Experiencing a Depressive Episode?

A depressive episode is a prolonged period of feeling sad, hopeless, or helpless. You may experience other symptoms such as fatigue, lack of interest in any activities, changes in appetite, or restlessness. If you are experiencing a depressive episode, you need to know how to handle it. 

Acknowledge Your Feelings 

First, you need to actually acknowledge your feelings. If you push them down or suppress them, it can only make those feelings worse. You need to address them head-on. Take a moment to really consider what you’re feeling. Label your emotions. Write them down if you choose. Actively choose to acknowledge your depression and validate what you are feeling. Coming to terms with your emotions is the first step to dealing with a depressive episode. 

Challenge Negative Thoughts 

During a depressive episode, it’s common to experience negative thoughts. Often, these thoughts can worsen your depression and make it harder to move on. These thoughts can build on each other and overwhelm you. To address them, you need to challenge them. For example, if you think that you are all alone, you should challenge this notion. Are you truly alone? Are there people in your life you can reach out to? Negative thoughts can take up your focus and attention, but when you really analyze them you can discover that they simply aren’t true. Challenging these negative thoughts and replacing them with positive ones can help you work through your depressive episode. 

Practice Self Care

You need to make sure you are taking care of yourself whenever you experience a depressive episode. This will look different for everyone. In general, you want to make sure you are covering basic needs like eating, sleeping, basic hygiene, etc. In addition to this, you want to find ways to boost your mood and make you happy. For some people, this can include doing activities you love, going out for a walk, taking a relaxing bath, or calling up a friend. Do whatever you know makes you happy. 

It can be disheartening to experience a depressive episode, especially if it’s your first time. Knowing how to deal with it can help you get through it and work your way toward feeling better. You need to make sure you understand what you’re experiencing and how you can be helped. 

Understanding depression can help you understand what you’re experiencing. Click here to learn more about depression and potential treatment available at TMS Clinics of Canada.