Depression – Friends

Transcript

Oftentimes when people are depressed, they’ll just want to stay in bed all day and not talk to anybody. The problem is that actually perpetuates depression. Instead, it may be good to go schedule meeting up with one friend during the day, just plan to have one interaction with another person. The more you interact with people, the better you will feel. When we interact with people, we get certain neurotransmitters that go through our brain that make us feel better. When you’re feeling depressed, it may be natural to feel like I don’t want to talk to anybody and avoid all social contact. That’s the exact opposite of what you need to do in order to feel better. Social support and social contact can really help to improve your mood and increase your likelihood of getting out of a depression. If you can just schedule one meeting with a friend or a family member a day, you’ll notice that you’ll start to feel better and you’ll be able to schedule more and more until you’re able to climb out of that depression. Of course, if you’re feeling depressed, you should always seek the help of a mental health professional. If you’re feeling depressed, you may find yourself binge watching movies or TV shows or sitting at home eating all day or sleeping on the bed. Those are all signs that maybe it’s time to start talking to a friend or getting out once a day. It can often be helpful to talk to friends about what’s going on with us because they understand us well. They can help us learn what we’re doing and what we need to be doing in order to feel better. They may come up with suggestions on, hey, maybe if you try this, you might feel a little better, but keep in mind that talking to a friend is not a substitute for talking to a mental health professional. If you find your depression is lasting for most of the day, nearly every day, it may be time to consider seeking the advice of a mental health professional.