Depressive Episodes are defined as, "a period characterized by the symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder: primarily depressed mood for two weeks or more, and a loss of interest or pleasure in every day activities. Accompanied by other symptoms such as feelings of emptiness, hopelessness, anxiety, worthlessness, guilt, and/or irritability, changes in appetite, problems concentrating, remembering details, or making decisions, and thoughts of or attempts at suicide," (link).
Doing things and taking care of and loving yourself daily helps you maintain a happy and healthy relationship with your life. But sometimes self care isn't all that easy, especially when you live with Major Depressive Disorder, and are prone to having Depressive Episodes. So here are some tips on taking care of yourself during a depressive episode.
1. Breathe
Like the above definition states, one of the symptoms of Depressive Episodes can be anxiety. So during anxiety attacks, it is important to keep air flow moving, to keep blood pumping to your brain, and to prevent hyperventilating. One breathing technique I use is the 4-7-8 Breath or Relaxing Breath. You breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds, hold it for 7 seconds, and exhale through your mouth for 8 seconds. You will find a video demonstration of this exercise here.
2. Practice Mindfulness
This seems to be my tagline, have you noticed? All jokes aside, it is a fantastic way to keep yourself grounded, level headed, and to calm down after or during a serious episode. Take five minutes to just sit quietly. Close your eyes, and since we can't completely shut off our brains, just focus on your body. start at your toes, work your way up, slowly. Pairing this with some 4-7-8 breathing, you'll be cool as a cucumber.
3. Talk to someone
You don't have to tell them every detail of your episode, but reaching out to a friend or loved one for a distraction helps. You don't even have to talk about how your feeling with them at all. Go see a movie, catch up, and make some plans for the near future. It will keep your mind off things, provide as a distraction, and get your to look forward to something.
4. Drink water
If you're a crier like I am, drinking water and keeping hydrated is an important step you should keep in your self care plan. After a significant cry or panic/anxiety attack, drink one or two glasses of water to refuel.
5. Stick to a schedule
This goes for everything. Sleeping, eating, working, studying, resting. Its easy to get caught in the tide of not sleeping at night and then sleeping all day during a depressive episode. If you have a hard time falling asleep at night, try not to sleep more than an hour longer than you usually wake up. While you might have a rough day, it'll be easier to nip that vicious cycle in the bud.
If you are prone to not eating or over eating during depressive episodes, set alarms for yourself. Alarms to remind you when to eat, and alarms to keep you on track and eating smaller portions throughout the day if you tend to over eat.
6. Try not to suffer in silence
This is different than reaching out to a friend. This is recognizing that something is wrong, and telling someone about it. Reaching out to a family member, doctor, or counselor and devising a plan on how you are going to work through it and to determine what kind of support you are in need of.
If you are having suicidal thoughts, please don't hesitate to reach out. Call 911 or the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
