How to get out of (and prevent) depression slump fast

You feel completely out of energy. Don’t want to get up in the morning. Nothing tastes good. Everything irritates you. Emotions swell up easily. Can’t remember when you last had that big belly laugh. Welcome to the depression slump. I consider myself a fairly positive and energetic person. Yet, when I fell into the slump, I fell deep and fast. A series of events happened one after the other that pulled me down. A close friend revealed she’s struggling with depression. That really put a heavy weight on me. I felt hopeless in what I could really do to make a difference for her, who lives so far away. I got into a car accident. Without a camera or a witness, the report came out blaming me for the most part. I started having some body aches that wouldn’t go away. Got into a big fight with my husband. I felt alone and sad. I started doubting myself. I felt like I was drowning fast in a deep, dark, and cold ocean. If you’re feeling like this, there are things you can do to help get out of the slump. Incorporating below tips to your daily life will help prevent falling into another one. Build the healthy mind muscles to quickly toss out negativity before it affects you. 

Step 1. Separate what is outside vs inside of your control. This was a game changer for me. I realized what I was feeling really sad about were mostly outside of my control. They were things about past, future, and other people. Car accident already happened. Have absolutely no control over how much insurance will charge me. How my friend navigates her depression challenge is something I can’t control either. The only thing I can really control is how I react to all these negativities right at this moment. I can decide to keep feeling depressed today or snap out of it. 

Ray Jefferson is an American government official and retired military officer who served as Assistant Secretary of Labor. After graduating from West Point, he was in Okinawa to test stun grenades. When he pulled a pin out from one of the grenades, he immediately realized he got a defective grenade. In split seconds, he had to decide what he should do with a defective grenade in his hand. To not hurt anyone around him, he decided to press the grenade against his thigh and it exploded. He lost all of his fingers and most of his palm on his left hand. He severely injured his thigh. At this time, he thought his life was over. Despite this, he got through this very dark period in his life by compartmentalizing it. Instead of thinking about future, he focused on how he can get through the next 24 hours. He focused on the present. He focused on what he knew was within his control. When you feel the negativity creeping on you, just ask yourself: “is this outside of my control?”. Focusing on now will give you a great mental and physical relief to get over this slippery depression slope. 

Step 2. Accept yourself as who you are. The inner critique in us knows exactly when to start talking inside our heads. Mine is shaped like a monster and whispers “you’re not good enough”. It hurts me to realize that my strength is not what I was hoping it to be. I was feeling really sad because the world didn’t seem to value what I am good at. I felt like a failure. Then I realized, wait a minute, that’s just all my saboteur talking. That’s all just in my head. What is failure anyway? Why am I letting this saboteur define who I am? I decided then to just accept me as a complete whole self including both my strengths and weaknesses. For the things I’m not good at, I’ll work closely with those who can complement my skills. This is me, and I am enough. I love every part of me. 

Richard Branson, a British business magnate, who co-founded The Virgin Group dropped out of high school because his dyslexia held him back. Dyslexia is a learning disability that impacts how a person reads, spells, and learns a new language. This didn’t stop him from becoming who he is today. In fact, he says “dyslexia was a blessing in disguise”. He made his weakness, dyslexia, his superpower. This led him to develop his strengths in creativity, big-picture thinking, empathy and interpersonal skills. At an early age, he quickly embraced his full self to achieve his dreams. Do not let your inner critique pull you down. Accept your weaknesses, and think of ways to develop and leverage your strengths because the world needs people with your strengths. 

Step 3. Get active. When I fell into the slump, I didn’t want to get out of bed. I had pre-arranged workouts and meetings that I dreaded going. These turned out to be life savers. It forced me to get fresh air, open myself up with others, and get my mind off to something other than the depressing negative self-talks. Every time I got physically active, I felt the heavy weight melt away from my shoulder. Find what you enjoy doing, and commit to it on a regular basis. You will be surprised how you will immediately feel better. 

After a month of much inner struggles (mostly in my head), I welcomed my birthday. Every message, text, and post all felt extra special this year because of the depression slump I just went through. If you’re feeling depressed, remember it’s mostly due to things that are out of your control. Let those go and focus on today. Focus on what’s completely within your control. Be kind to your beautiful self and go out of the house to get some Sun. Today is absolutely a gorgeous day. 

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