A happy family is a sadness killer
The English dictionary defined depression as a state of mind producing a severe and long-term lowering of enjoyment of life or inability to visualize a happy future.
Many people experience this daily. Depression sucks out the joy and life from an individual even when the person is still alive. Honestly, I think sadness is the younger brother to depression. So we must watch it when we feel sad, for unchecked sorrow may grow into greater grieve, which is a doorway to depression. We must also watch what makes us sad. What we consume, the people we let around us, and places we go to. Most times, depression is caused by the activities happening in our environment, and other times, it may be internal. One fact remains glaring; it is not a good thing to be depressed.
When someone is depressed, he/she loses the vitality of life. The world becomes so blanked out from the person that he/she feels nothing. If care is not taken, depression may lead to suicide.
I have some tips that can help combat depression. These are my thoughts, which had helped me overcome sadness.
1. The first is to talk to someone. If you ever feel overwhelmed or that the world is moving so fast. Hold your horses! Try to ride with someone else. Reach out to someone for help, advice, or companionship. I talk with my family members a lot. I check on and hang out with friends when I feel overwhelmed.
2. Avoid competition/toxic people. One of the ways to do this is to reduce your time on social media. Social media has contributed to unhealthy competition among the youth. You may think your peers are doing better when you see their posts of vacation, marriages, career success, etc
3. Be Kind: Do you ever feel good helping others? If so, this is a great sadness/depression killer. If you are compassionate to others, the chances are slim that you will be sad. You can’t give what you don’t have.
4. Find and connect to a job/people you love: It is not pleasant working in an environment that limits you. If you love what you do, at least you know that brings you joy. For instance, I write poems when I feel down. I own the universe each time I do, and then the poems light me up. Also, I love seeing people smile because I gave a helping hand. Such a feeling; you must find out that something you do which gives you joy. If I do, love someone, I will try hard to always be near them because it gives me pleasure. If you ever find a job or people you care about, hold on to them.
5. Develop a skill/talent: In addition to the above, nurturing talent and skills to successful heights can help curb sadness. I witness that talent and skills can be a source of happiness. I will tell a story of my life in another blog post of how this writing talent has contributed to my joy, quest to become a better person, and changes in the way I see life.
6. Keep close contact with family and good friends: Is it not said, sometimes things change, but we begin and end with the family? That’s right! A happy family is a sad killer. You can review relationships with friends and drop toxic people. Some people naturally are sad and downtrodden. They tend to give bad vibes and energy. Such people won’t see life the way a happy person would and corrupt the way you do. So it’s advisable to keep your distance from them. If you are the toxic one, then drop the poisonous character. Humility is a beautiful virtue. It can make one contented and friendly. Watch the company you keep; if you follow miserable people, you will become one. Do not look down on anyone. Try to enjoy the love, people, and resources providence blessed you with.
7. Water, water, water/Stay fit: And food! Haha, my favorite part. This is more of psychological science than art. Drinking loads of water, eating good food, and exercising mentally, physically, spiritually can help reduce sadness. Take a walk by yourself or with someone special, enjoy natural things. Each day I exercise, I’m always fit to work, study, relate with people, or do tasks. Do you enjoy watching birds sing or helping the weak? Then sadness can never be your thing, well, because you value the simple things in life. Sometimes keep your phone off and sit in the garden or green park. Take yourself out, spend quality time with pets and animals, buy something and do some fun stuff alone. Just make yourself happy and try to make others happy as well, if you can.
Love God: I know some people may not believe in an Almighty God, but to be honest, having faith helps. I’m a religious person, and indeed every religious person will agree that it is the best solution to fighting sadness, sorrow, or depression. If you are religious, then you can relate to this.
These few tips are useful when we talk about overcoming depression. If you like to contribution, please feel free, let’s talk in the comments section. I will be glad to learn from you. Thanks, and remember to love and be kind today and always.
©Oke Iroegbu
Oke Iroegbu's Blog 