Managing Symptoms of Depression

If you struggle with depression, you know how miserable it can be to have to deal with the variety of symptoms that go along with it. You probably find that some symptoms are a lot harder on you than others. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to help manage many of the symptoms of depression.

In this program, each of the symptoms of depression will be presented, along with tips on how to manage them.

First, there are some important things that you should keep in mind...

1. Be patient with yourself. Don’t expect too much from yourself right away, or you may set yourself up for disappointment and negative thinking that can make you feel worse.
2. Feeling better takes time. Don’t allow yourself to get upset if you don’t see improvement in your mood right away. Also, don’t be discouraged if you see some “backsliding” in your progress. Feeling better may involve “two steps forward, one step back.”
3. Identify daily patterns in your mood. Some people find that their mood is more depressed early in the day, while things seem better in the afternoon. Your pattern may differ, but learn what times of day are best for you. This will allow you to plan some activities when you feel best able to handle them.

You can click through the “back” and “next” buttons below to move through the information one symptom at a time, or you can select a specific symptom in the menu bar on the left-hand side.

Depressed Mood