Depression is Not a Life Sentence
If you or someone you care about is struggling with depression, know this, depression can be beaten and you are in the right place! Hope is one of the first things to go when struggling with depression and if there is one thing I hope to achieve in this article, it is to convince you that there is a very high chance that you can beat depression and live a long fulfilling life of enjoyment. This article will unpack depression, talk about the benefits of treatment, and what the best treatment for you might look like. This article contains an Amazon affiliate link.
What Depression Does to Us
Depression can feel like one of the most debilitating health issues we can face. It will wipe out all your energy, motivation, feeling of resiliency, and joy in life. It eats away at your relationships and can reduce life to a “walking death”. Much of this is caused by the negative thought patterns we get stuck in, the lens through which we see life is dark, and grey despite the reality. The good news about depression, however, is that despite the many debilitating challenges, it is something that many of us can overcome and has one of the best recovery rates of any mental health disorder, with, of course, the right treatment!
In fact recovery from a major depressive episode ranges from 56% to 80% (differentiating between clinical and functional recovery). There is always variation in results from study to study but if interested in reading more about this check out this article published by JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), which highlights the rates of remission for adolescents diagnosed with major depression. One article I read even claims that rates of recovery are between 70% and 80% which is amazingly high when we think about it.
That translates into 7 or 8 out of every 10 people diagnosed with major depression will have some degree of recovery. A major piece of the recovery from depression is treatment compliance, which is often a real challenge for people struggling with mental health disorders and is likely a very big piece of the puzzle for that 20%-30% of people who don’t recover. Where do you want to fall in this recovery spectrum? Are you of the mindset that depression just happens to you and you are at its mercy? Or do you believe that you can create some change for yourself and overcome this life obstacle?
Depending on how you answer the above questions, will likely determine the outcomes of your treatment.
Living Proof
The road out of depression won’t be easy but it can be done with two simple steps and I am living proof that they can work for you too. I am not just preaching here as a mental health professional, I speak from lived experience. When I experienced a pretty severe episode of major depressive disorder about 15-20 years ago, my life was literally turned upside down (yes, hence the name of my blog ;).
What got me out of my depression is actually pretty simple, therapy and exercise. I attribute my personal success in conquering depression to these two super important strategies, which research just so happens to back up as well. Therapy and exercise, plain and simple, will create the opening for change in your life. It will be the catalyst for change which will begin the process of realigning your approach to life and creating the life that you want.
Through therapy, I gained understanding and through exercise, I gained physical relief. These two strategies combined gave me the energy, the strength, and the courage to make the changes I needed in my life and where I was able to begin my recovery. And I think you too can find success with these two strategies as well, as it is not just true for me but for thousands of people who have beat depression and come out on the other side victorious.
It Is Up to YOU
Although you may think it is not up to you, I am here to tell you that you are in control of your recovery, and understanding that depression may happen to you but that it doesn’t own you, is a really important place to start. Starting from this place of understanding will also, likely change the way you approach your treatment which will impact your recovery. However, it does need to start with a willingness to take some important first steps and welcome the possibility of change in your life. Those changes may be big and small but one of the best research-based ways to beat depression is through exercise!
The Best Treatment for Depression; Exercise
Finding time to exercise even in the best of times is challenging, throw in a bout of depression or another mental health challenge and it will make it that much more difficult. Furthermore getting caught in the vicious cycle of depression as we can see illustrated in the info-graph here makes it all the more challenging. Once we start to experience the onset of depression our energy gets lower and lower which reinforces the negative feelings that come with depression, which then reinforces the low energy and so on. Finding a way to interrupt this cycle should be a focus in therapy but you can also find your own tricks that will work for you to get yourself out of this cycle.
Sometimes when you are feeling so terrible, the thought might dawn on you, why not… if exercise is going to feel as bad as everything else with some hope of relief afterward, it might be worth a try and see where it gets you? At times we might feel like we are unable to really do much of anything, but we can get outside and put one foot in front of the other. Just taking a short walk can bring some relief and open up the possibility with more intentional physical activity next time around. In fact, research indicates that it only takes 30 minutes of physical activity or exercise 5 times a week to see results. Can you commit to that?
And I will also throw in my personal plug for getting outside as an additional benefit to exercise. If your physical activity gets you outside the benefits will be that much greater, as time outside in nature is also proven to have positive effects on our mental health as well. However, if getting outside during the winter months or with COVID restrictions creates a barrier, there are some other solutions.
This past winter I invested in a smart trainer which I was able to hook up to my road bike and created a stationary road bike experience. 
Of course, there are lots of other apps and routines that we can find on youtube, if those can work for you then that is another great way to build in some exercise right within the walls of your home. Two secrets to making your physical activity routine sustainable are to keep it simple and make it enjoyable. This is why I decided to make the investment and get a smart trainer. I love to bike and wanted to also make use of the resources (my road bike) that I have and use it during the winter months. I can build in an easy 20 or 30-minute ride in the morning before work or when I get home in the evening. It is there when I am ready and don’t need to get suited up to brave the cold.
Exercise is not just a good form of treatment for depression but it will also help you fight off a whole bunch of other health issues that can come with depression, such as, weight gain or loss, heart disease, inflammation, sleep issues, chronic pain, or sexual health issues to name a few. As we know the benefits of exercise are:
- body confidence
- better sleep
- better sex life/drive
- more focused, increased concentration
- more energy
- will naturally combat health issues such as diabetes and high blood pressure
These positive outcomes will in and of themselves begin to interrupt the vicious cycle of depression. At some point you will need to ask yourself some hard questions, revisiting the questions I asked above; Do you believe you can create change for yourself? And what are you willing to do about it?
At times we need to ask ourselves those hard questions, if what I am doing is not working then I need to change something. We know that change is hard and often quite scary, however, if we know that what we are doing today is not working, then what are the alternatives? You don’t need to know the answers right away but with that one simple honest answer, along with the good therapy you need, the answer will begin to reveal itself.
The Best Treatment for Depression; Therapy
I talk a lot about the benefits of therapy and again, it’s not just because I am a mental health professional who knows the research and that it is proven to be one of the best forms of treatment to beat depression. It is because I also saw the enormous benefit it brought to my life when I was at my lowest and, quite honestly even through times where I was doing quite well and just needed a little extra support.
Having a therapist who gets you and understands the challenges you are going through, who can help you strategize and bring awareness to the patterns in your life is essential to create positive change in your life.
I will offer a word of caution around hopes and expectations for therapy. The act of going to therapy will not alone create the changes you seek, you need to be an active participant and engage in the process. All too often I have had people sit in front of me and not at all prepared to think about what is going on in their life or what they would like to focus on. If you want to get the most out of therapy then you need to come prepared and ready to dig into the hard stuff. It will often feel worse before it feels better, but if it doesn’t hurt, it probably is not helping much, as is true in the world of fitness, so it is true in the world of mental health, no pain, no gain.
If you are struggling to find a good therapist, I have paired up with Online Therapy.com which offers therapy virtually to people around the globe. I have included my affiliate link here where you will get 20% off your first month. I know that it has been difficult to connect with a therapist these days so hopefully, this is a viable option for you or your loved one. Another resource would be your primary care office that should have a list of professional mental health therapists that they can refer you to as well.
I often say going to therapy is not just a sign of illness but of wellness. After all, we go to see our medical doctor once a year and no one thinks twice about that, if we want to stay healthy in body and mind, we need to take the steps to keep ourselves in that good health. Especially if you are someone who has battled depression or another mental health challenge.
Other Treatment Options, Medication
When speaking about treatment for any mental health disorder, medication, of course, is often part of the discussion. The decision to try medication and include that in your treatment regime is an individual decision and one that will be made with your doctor. Medication has its place and may be an important part of a person’s treatment, however, medication alone will not cure someone’s depression. Medication along with therapy and exercise will increase the chance of positive treatment outcomes dramatically.
In Closing
If you or someone in your family has battled depression, what were your best forms of treatment for depression? What strategies did you find to be most effective? Leave a message below or send me an email at meredith@upsidedownflan.com
If you found this article helpful, please share it with a friend or family member on social media. Thank you and till next time… keep on trekkin’….
