How I Broke Out Of The Cycle Of Depression [Guest Post]

I remember sitting alone in my room for hours on end. I didn’t feel like doing anything. It felt like a chore to even cook and eat food.

I was a college student at that time, and I was away from family. I didn’t have any friends around me either.

Depression can be a vicious cycle. When you’re depressed, you don’t feel like doing anything. You don’t even feel motivated to do the things that would improve your situation. Our brain lacks serotonin^[1], a chemical which makes us feel good and motivated. Serotonin is strongly associated with mood. 

As a result, you get more depressed. This is a cycle that perpetuates itself, and it’s hard to break out of it.

Related post: Serotonin and Dopamine levels in depression

In this article, I want to talk about the things that have helped me break out of the cycle of depression.

Exercise More

Exercising^[2]is shown to improve our mood and relieve depression. When your blood is pumping, and you’re moving and breathing more, depression tends to go away.

This is also because exercise gives you a sense of accomplishment. It has an incentive structure, wherein you feel rewarded for completing a task.

Any kind of exercise will help. Whether it’s cardio, bodyweight exercises, or weight lifting, it will help with depression.

Of course, it’s hard to get yourself to exercise when you’re depressed. So I recommend starting out small. Just go out for a walk in the sun; it can do wonders for your mood. Then, maybe try jogging and other exercises.

It’s also important that you keep yourself healthy in other ways, which brings me to my next point:

Have A Healthier Diet

Eating fast food contributes^[3]to depression. It makes us feel dull. That’s why it’s really important that you cut out or significantly reduce your fast food intake.

It’s ok to have some junk food every now and then, like once or twice a week.

When you eat healthier food, your mood will literally improve and you’ll feel better. Combined with exercise, the effect will be even more powerful.

For breakfast, I recommend eating oats, eggs, milk, cereal, etc. Your lunch and dinner should consist of fresh homemade food. If you eat out from a restaurant, make sure it serves healthy food.

Do Something You Like

This was very important for me.

One of the main things that helped me get out of depression was finding a hobby that I like. I’m very lucky in this, because my hobby is also a side job that earns me money.

Everyone will have different hobbies. Your goal is to find a hobby or two for yourself. It can be any of the following: sports, art, travel, food, entertainment, work,and more.

The reason it’s important to get a hobby is because it helps you develop a routine. It gives you a purpose for the day. When we don’t have a routine, we tend to get depressed.

Basically, keeping yourself busy keeps you from being depressed. But it has to be something you like doing. Many people get depressed studying when they don’t want to, or working at a job that they don’t like.

Treat yourself every now and then. A treat can be an ice-cream, a night out at the movies, or even a vacation. It helps you enjoy life.

Develop Better Relationships

If you’re around toxic people, then you’re at a higher risk for depression.

One of the things that helped me a lot was cutting out the toxic people from my life. I had a couple friends who weren’t good for me. It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but I cut them out of my life. This has been great for my mood.

You can’t always cut out people from your life (like your parents or sibling). So try to work on your relationship with them. It can always be fixed.

See A Psychiatrist

After several years of depression, I saw a psychiatrist for the first time.

It was an eye-opening experience for me. It helped me realize that I’m not alone in the problems I’m facing, and that they can be fixed.

I really encourage everyone with depression to seek some kind of help.

Psychiatrists can help you in mainly two ways: Medication and therapy. First, they’ll assess your situation before they start prescribing solutions. Second, they will discuss a plan of action which may involve medication, talk based therapy or a mix of both. 

I hope this article has been helpful for anyone who suffers from depression. I want you to know that you’re not alone and it can get better.

If you feel you need help, you can read this article on the possible signs of poor mental health. If you can relate to many of the 45 indicators, please do consider seeking professional help. You are worth it and you have what it takes to heal. 

About Jatin Kumar

Jatin is an entrepreneur and blogger from India. On his website Income Learner, he teaches people how to make money online^[4].

Cognition Today wholeheartedly thanks Jatin for this insightful and value-adding guest post:)

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