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5 Ways to Fight off Depression to Improve Your Present and Secure Your Future

By David Thompson | Update Date: Sep 25, 2021 10:03 AM EDT
5 Ways to Fight off Depression to Improve Your Present and Secure Your Future

(Photo : Image by Holger Langmaier from Pixabay )

Depression is a mood disorder that can take the vibrancy out of life and steal your happiness. It is widespread and can be a lifelong illness that can rob you of experiencing joy and contentment.

While you may feel the situation is hopeless in trying to deal with depression, that is not the case. There are ways to find freedom, hope, and positivity. You can be yourself again and take your life back.

We want to share five ways to fight off this debilitating illness to help set you on the path of reclaiming your happiness.

This includes steps you can take to also bring you peace of mind, such as the best ways to find affordable term life insurance with depression so that you can be free from the anxiety of worrying about your family being taken care of in the future.

Steps to Help Overcome Depression and Be Happy Again

You can be happy again, even if you deal with depression on a day-to-day basis. Here are five steps you can take to analyze why you are depressed and find ways to fight it.

#1 - Identify the Source of Your Depression

There are many reasons why someone is depressed. There can be situational reasons like a loved one passing away, losing your job, or moving to a new place. There could also be clinical reasons like hormonal changes or chemical imbalances in your body.

Identifying the source of your depression is the first step to fighting this illness. Take some time to journal and reflect on why you're feeling depressed.

Journaling is a powerful tool that can help you process your emotions and get to the heart of the matter. There are several ways to journal, in fact:

●       Art journaling, which consists of coloring and painting

●       Stream of consciousness journaling, which is the process of writing out your thoughts as they come.

●       Prayer journaling, which is simply writing out a prayer or meditation

Something to consider: A lot of times, depression is anger at its roots. If this is the case, journal about who you are angry with and why. Give yourself permission to be angry so that you can deal with it before it turns into depression.

#2 - Talk with Someone You Trust

When you're ready, share your feelings with someone you trust. It could be a family member or a close friend. Whoever you decide to share your feelings with, hold nothing back while expressing yourself.

Tell that person how you truly feel and what you're going through. Being completely transparent helps them to know how to help you and frees you from holding in all that negative emotion.

#3 - Get Treatment From a Professional

If you find that it's not enough to just share with someone you trust, try getting help from a therapist. There are so many new therapies out there, including forgiveness therapy. The primary treatments to help with depression are cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and talk therapy. 

Finding the right therapist can take a while, but keep going and try out different ones to see who's the right fit for you. There's nothing quite like finding the right therapist and getting the help you need.

You may discover that medication could be a beneficial aspect of your treatment plan. Some popular medications for depression include Prozac, Zoloft, and Lexapro.

A psychiatrist can provide the most effective prescriptions for you. Coupled with therapy, medications can give you the boost you need to start feeling better and more like yourself.

There are many stipulations about medications, but they do work. Think of them this way: You would use a cast for your broken arm or leg, so why not use medicine to help repair your brain? Mental illness is like having a broken arm. You need a certain kind of treatment to deal with it.

#4 - Use Coping Methods to Help You

Using coping methods to help you fight your depression is effective. Whether that's journaling, taking a walk, spending time with a friend, doing yoga, or trying something else altogether like scrolling through Pinterest, find things to do that make you happy.

As stated above, depression can be anger at the root. Scream into a pillow, rip paper, or go for a run. Coping methods can be a plethora of things. Do whatever helps you, and do your best to keep your head above water.

#5 - Plan Ahead to Become More Fulfilled

With studies showing that uncertainty correlates strongly with depression, making plans can actually help make you feel better.

Planning is an inherent part of human nature. In fact, it's a form of proactive coping. Even the most mundane of daily action plans can help get you out of bed in the morning and get you moving. The simple act of checking off items on a to-do list can give you purpose and feel quite satisfying.

Start small when you start planning ahead. You don't want to overwhelm yourself with plans, which will be counterintuitive. You want to find the right balance to keep you motivated.

What will bring you the greatest sense of accomplishment is making plans to both have fun and to take care of items you need to.

The ideal planning? Make plans for taking care of something practical, and then follow it up with plans for fun. That way you can reward yourself for successfully taking on a task you know you should do but you haven't been looking forward to.

One example of this is taking care of getting life insurance. You may have been putting this off because of concerns about your eligibility and the cost due to having depression.

The next section will assist you with that process. And after you've taken the steps we'll detail, you can reward yourself for your hard work by planning a special dinner with family and being buoyed by providing them with peace of mind thanks to your new policy. Or you could plan a night out with friends and just revel in having a good time.

5 Ways to Fight off Depression to Improve Your Present and Secure Your Future
(Photo : Image by 1388843 from Pixabay )

The Process of Getting Term Life with Depression

Getting term life insurance while having depression is possible. Here are the steps to take to make the process less cumbersome for you.

Go Online and Choose a Provider

Comparing insurance providers is the first step in the process of getting life insurance. You want to make sure that you choose a provider that best suits your needs. Do some research and see what you come up with. Make sure you find a provider that will consider insuring someone with depression.

Have Your Doctor's Information and Records

Having your doctor's information and records is one of the most critical steps. You will need your medical team to provide information and medical records to the provider you chose about your depression. Ensure to provide your doctor's name, office number, fax number, and address.

List All Your Medications and Their Dosages

Create a list of all your medications and their dosages. This is important. Don't leave anything out. Make sure you have all of your meds listed for the insurance provider. If you leave any medications out, it will be harder for the provider to give an accurate quote.

Ensure That the Cause of Your Depression is Well Documented

Depression comes in many forms. Like we discussed earlier, depression can be situational or clinical. Ensure that you have proof from your doctor about which type of depression you have. Providers are hesitant and usually decline people who have severe clinical depression.

Always make sure to be honest about your condition to your insurance provider. When applying for insurance, lying of any kind is considered fraud, and you can be penalized for it or even denied coverage.

Fight for Happiness

Depression is very challenging to live with, but there are ways to fight against it and be happy again. Don't give up hope. It's effortless to give in to despair when trying to combat depression, but you have to keep fighting. There's always a light at the end of the tunnel.

And don't feel like you have to do every step in that particular order. Just make sure you're doing what you can to get a handle on your illness. Keep fighting for your happiness.

About The Author: Peyton Leonard writes and researches for the life insurance comparison site, QuickQuote.com. Peyton is adamant about mental wellness and helping others deal with their mental illnesses healthily.

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* This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of counselheal.com

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