2020 has been a challenging and surreal year for everyone around the world. Having to somehow adapt to the onset of isolation and functioning in ways that keep us safe from getting infected has been nothing short of an uphill battle.
For the majority of people, social isolation has brought on varying degrees of anxiety and depression, and for many more, this may have been their first encounter with these mental disorders. So it’s safe to assume that it’s scary and confusing. This is why we’re dedicating this article to how you can cope and combat depression that is brought on by social isolation.
Educate yourself
We’re all familiar with the saying, knowledge is power. So when you find yourself sinking into depression, chances are, you’re not going to want to do much. What you can do is get online and search the internet for information. Try to read up on depression and anxiety disorders and understand how it really works. You’ll find it gets much easier for you to cope with a situation if you know more about the science behind it and why this is happening to you. Letting yourself go and wallowing in the depression will only give you more anxiety and make the condition worse. Look at testimonials by people who are suffering from the same thing and how they managed to get themselves out of it. This will certainly calm you down and give you the motivation to work through it.
Seek professional help
The worst thing anyone can do in these circumstances is downplay how serious depression can be. Because it is a mental illness, many people don’t give it the attention it needs and don’t bother asking for help. Some people may even be ashamed of the fact that they are depressed. This has to stop and you need to recognise the fact that this is something that you need guidance with to get through it successfully. You can find professional help online, which means you don’t have to leave home or put your health at risk by seeing the doctor at a clinic. Just make sure that you find a doctor that is certified and well-known for their reputation. Ask around or look up reviews by people who have tried their services online.
Give more value to self-care
You will be amazed at how effective self-care can be when it comes to alleviating the effects of depression and isolation. Just because you’re isolated, doesn’t mean that you don’t need to take care of yourself. Wake up every morning and change your clothes, dress up, go for a little walk or a jog. Think about doing yoga, make sure that your living space gets plenty of natural light, and eat as healthy as you can. If you want to get a little pick me up and get your nails done, do that. If you want to get your teeth taken care of, there are ways to do that too. The online evaluations at NuviaSmiles.com give you the option to see what you might need to get done for your teeth. These evaluations are carried out from the comfort of your home, and then you can decide whenever you want to go in for a consultation to maybe whiten your teeth or put in implants. Self-care is just that – you’re doing things to make yourself feel better, and it really does work, you don’t have to do it to impress anyone else. You’ll learn to have a greater sense of self-appreciation.
Communicate with others who feel the same
When you begin to feel symptoms of depression because of isolation, it is the concept of being alone and unable to venture out as you please that starts the downhill slide to depression. You can overcome this by finding like-minded people who are experiencing the same thing as you are.
There are plenty of online platforms where you can become part of a group, or even attend group therapy online to speak to others that understand and know exactly what it is you’re feeling and going through. This will do a great deal to help you cope because you’ll no longer feel alone.
Create structure within your day
When we are forced to change the structure of our movement that we had gotten so used to on a daily basis, this can be extremely disorienting. As a result, your days bleed into each other because you’re in isolation and there isn’t as much or no movement at all, and this brings on bouts of depression, without a doubt. This is why it’s so important that even while you’re at home, that you create a schedule and have structure within your day. You can still be active and workout at home, create a working area where you can have your laptop set up, set a time for walks, and set a time for dinner and talking to your friends.
Social isolation is something that no one from our generation has ever experienced. We are so used to living such high stress lives with movement and high functionality that when something like this comes along, it totally throws us. And this is why so many people have found themselves falling into depression. Make sure that you follow the tips provided here and you’ll see that you are more than capable of coping with depression and overcoming it too.
Tommy Williamson did his degree in psychology at the University of Edinburgh. He has an ongoing interest in mental health and well-being.
