How To Cope With Depression After A Break Up
It’s important to keep in touch with your feelings and emotions and consider whether they’re casual healthy responses to life happenings, or whether they’re something more severe. It’s OK to feel some sadness when a relationship ends, especially if you were emotionally attached to that person or were in a loving relationship for a long period of time. It would sort of be inhumane if you didn’t. But having depression after a breakup is not healthy and is surely a serious concern for which you should do something right away. Luckily there are some things you can do on your own. Here’s some advice on how to cope with depression after a break up.
What Is Depression
Understand that depression is not just an emotional thing. It is a lapse from the usual emotional, physical, and mental state of a person. It’s absolutely normal to feel sad, angry, betrayed, or isolated after a serious break up, but once again, it’s not normal to have depression after a break up. The symptoms of depression are similar, but carry on for a longer period of time and can occur on a daily basis. They’ll show as feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, and joylessness; as well as physical issues such as weight loss or gain, abnormal sleeping habits, anxious movements, lack of energy, or suicidal thoughts.
If you feel that you’re so sad after a break up that you don’t want to eat and aren’t eating, or are eating too much; that you can’t sleep or fall asleep uncontrollably at random times due to exhaustion or lack of physical energy; that you are constantly nervous or afraid about what will come of your life; or that you think about dying whether or not you think you could harm yourself; then you could be depressed and should turn this status around immediately before it gets any worse.
Depression is not an exclusive illness, it can happen to anyone and if untreated it can lead to other serious issues. Like problems in your life because your depression is affecting the way you do things and what you care about. Also suicidal thoughts can become more severe and lead to self-harm. You should never cope with depression after a break up like it’s nothing, thinking that you can live everyday with that deep sadness. You will not be fine if you’re depressed. That’s no way to live. Coping with depression properly eliminates the issue and can bring joy and meaningfulness to your life and can influence you to care about yourself and take care of yourself.
What You Can Do
A lot of people suggest different ways of coping with depression after a break up. Some may think medication is an immediate alternative, and I’m going to have to share my honest opinion on this upfront. I’m no doctor so I can’t tell you whether your specific case of depression is severe enough to need medication or not.
If you’re already past the sadness and are experiencing physical sickness and considering self-harm you should certainly think about getting professional help. In my opinion, however, depression is a way of living that people get stuck in and it can be turned around by finding another way to live. Medications that alter your physical aspects can have side effects that aren’t worth the fix. I could just have this opinion because I’m a naturalist and would prefer natural remedies to any medications in general.
The sadness that you feel during depression can cause you to malnourish yourself and ignore the things that make you happy. Malnourishment leads to so many other issues and is a problem we create. If you can understand and acknowledge what you’re feeling and what you’re doing to yourself during depression, you can definitely take the steps necessary to be happy and healthy again.
Acceptance
The first step to dealing with emotions is acceptance. Letting go of a relationship that made you happy is hard and you may never forget that person. After all they played a major part in your life so how could you? You have to tell yourself that the relationship is over, that you will feel hurt and sad for a little while, and that you will need time to rest and regroup and that that’s ok.
You also have to accept that life does go on, and so shall you. Talk to yourself about these feelings and I mean seriously, talk, out loud, to yourself. Keep a journal and write about it then read it over two or more days later. Or, talk to close friends and relatives that will support you and listen to you. Even if you don’t want to go anywhere or see anyone, try texting or talking on the phone. To accept that something has happened it helps to actually acknowledge it. If you just sit around with your depression after a break up you’re not helping yourself.
Self Care
Force yourself to do things during this time. I know it sounds harsh but the only alternative is doing nothing and that leads to severe depression. So try to keep a routine by by getting up every day and doing the things that make you human. Even if you have to drag your feet behind you like a zombie.
Showering, wearing nice clothes that make you feel good about yourself, because you are still an amazing and whole person. Commit to a schedule of exercise and healthy eating habits because without these, your physical health will not improve. You can make a thing out of it so it’ll be easier to do. Create an eating schedule or a recipe diary and make it fun and important to you. You can even take pictures of the things you cook for your diary. Another even more creative way to deal with your depression after a break up would be to blog about it. A food blog.
As you’re getting through this you could be helping others do the same by turning your new nutritional habits into a blog specifically for people needing simple healthy recipes during depression. You’ll feel important and selfless. You’ll feel needed, helpful, and successful. Trust Me.
Treat yourself to the things that you know make you happy and don’t allow yourself to be sad about them. Like the saying goes “fake it till you make it.” Smile and laugh when something funny happens and resist the urge to not care. If you’re work or school is something you enjoy then wallow in it and become an over-achiever. Otherwise do things that bring you pleasure like jogging early in the morning, playing video games, writing poetry, doing fun things with friends. Don’t let the depression keep you down. Or down you will go.
If Self Help Doesn’t Work
Trying is always a first step. No one will know you better than yourself so it’s always good to try and remedy your issues, especially if you’re capable of accepting and understanding what’s going on with you. That’s a major step. However, sometimes we can only get but so far by ourselves. If you remain depressed after a break up for several weeks you shouldn’t try by yourself any more.
Accept that you’re still feeling down and don’t live in denial thinking it’s ok. There’re hotlines, private chats, and doctors that can help you cope with the depression. And remember your family and friends can help you. If you don’t want to talk to a doctor by yourself, or for whatever reason you feel anxious about speaking to someone, just tell your fam or BFF this: “You know I keep trying to better myself and get over (what’s their name) but it’s not working. I still feel miserable. Can you please help me talk to someone, like a Doctor?”
