Last Thursday, The Biden administration announced new plans saying that they released guidance that will allow millions of kids to make it easier to get access to mental and physical health services at school. According to CNN, “The announcement specifically impacts the tens of millions of children who get their health care through Medicaid, but all school-age children will benefit from the change because the new guidance makes it clear that schools can use Medicaid dollars to hire additional school counselors, nurses and social workers who could treat all students. More than half of kids in public school get their health care through Medicaid and CHIP programs.” It was also mentioned that we have a mental health crisis in our country, particularly with our children, which I definitely agree with, but I feel like adults are being left out.
Don’t get me wrong – this is a huge accomplishment.
I truly believe that everyone should have easy access to mental and physical care, but unfortunately, it is way too costly for most people to get help, especially if they want to get medication or see a counselor. I am very excited to see the kids in our country getting more help when it comes to their mental health, but since we are not helping adults yet (we definitely need to work on that!), I wanted to do my part in helping as much as possible.
If you feel depressed, get help if possible, but if you are unable to get professional help for whatever reason, these tips on how to get out of feeling depressed, might be a decent starting place to get you walking in the right direction again. Hang in there, I know that you can do this and know that you are so important! And I also want to say that while there isn’t a quick fix as in “Boom, you’re cured and will never again be beset by the blues,” there are techniques that can help lift the emotional paralysis and ruminating that often accompany depression. Both of which make it much more difficult to focus on the behavioral changes that are necessary to prevent a relapse. Luckily, there are ways to punch holes in the curtain of unrelenting darkness. Here are a few tips on how to get out of feeling depressed:
Pinpoint when you started feeling this way, if possible
To be straightforward, this is the most beneficial when you talk about it with someone else because sometimes, it is hard to see all the ins and outs of your situation. Have an outsider’s point of view, if possible, to make this easier on yourself, and when you start looking at your life and your depression, try to pinpoint when you started feeling this way, if it is at all possible. This can be very hard, but if you are able to find out what triggered your depression (if it was something at all), you might be able to work slowly towards removing that from your life and learning coping techniques to deal with your anxiety and depression, while also giving you tips for adding more joy into your life.
Like I said, this can be challenging, especially if nothing specific triggered your depression, but I do feel like if you are able to see what scenarios or people bring out feelings of anxiety or depression, you can slowly work on improving these feelings.
Here is how you can spot you are depressed or just sad.
Depending on what you find, you might have to make a big change in your life. A switch in jobs, new friends, or maybe even a move. Something as simple as decluttering could potential help, as well. If you do have to make a big change, don’t do it yourself. You are already under enough stress, so get help. Movin’ is a great example of a company that goes above and beyond to help. They can help with moving heavy items, furniture assembly, storage, commercial moves, residential moves, and so much more. They are even gun safe movers Salt Lake City. The company has a 4.9 star rating on Google and a 5 star rating on Facebook!
Know that you can only control what you can control
Something that I learned a while ago is that you can only control what you can control. Genius, right? If you focus on things that you cannot control, you will get angry, sad, or anxious, and there will be no way to help these feelings. Why? Because they will continue to go on – and you cannot stop them from happening. Know what you can control in any situation and learn how to let go of what you cannot control. Things happen and sometimes, there is nothing you can do about them. This might seem simple, but when you implement this into your daily life, it really takes work and time, so build up to it. But, when you learn how to just let go of the things you cannot control, it can do wonders for your mental health, anxiety, and/or depression!
Make plans
While you do want to remove yourself from negativity and say “no” to events and activities that do not bring you joy, you also want to make sure that you are not secluding yourself, or making yourself say “no” to all events, especially the ones that will benefit you mentally and or/ physically. When a person is depressed, usually the only place he or she wants to be is in bed, preferably under the covers with the shades drawn. Lifting up the phone to hear a friendly voice, much less having plans outside the bare minimum (work, school, grocery store) feels way too difficult.
The Internet has made it dangerously seductive to keep to oneself. Studies show that limiting social media to approximately 30 minutes a day decreases depression. It’s a catch-22 that when you are depressed the last thing you feel like doing is getting out of the house. But it’s essential and very beneficial to make the effort to take a shower, get dressed, take a walk, go to the gym, and socialize.
Closing Words
I don’t have all of the answers and I do hope that one day, we will see more support for children AND adults who are battling with depression, anxiety, or other mental health struggles, but for now, do what you can, and if possible, try talking with someone. It helps so much!
Thank you MoversBoost for the collaboration. MoversBoost is a digital marketing agency providing website design, SEO for movers, and Google Ads management.
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