Discouragement and sadness are mood states Which are characterized by presenting a state of dejection and unhappiness that causes a deterioration in The relationships with others, leisure activities that previously caused pleasure and general health.
The World Health Organization Estimates that about 350 million people in the world suffer from mood disorders. In some cases, These disorders end with the suicide of the one who suffers.
Being depressed for most of the day and having some of the following symptoms in mind may be indicative of having a Depressive disorder , But it does not necessarily have to be this way.
Decreased interest and pleasure for almost everything
Poor appetite or overeating
Low self-esteem
Fatigue
Insomnia or Hypersomnia
Lack of concentration Or difficulty making decisions
Feeling hopeless
Feeling worthless or culpability Excessive or inappropriate
Thoughts of death and / or recurrent suicidal thoughts
Symptoms interfere significantly in the life of the sufferer
The professionals of Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry are the only authorized to diagnose this type of disorders, so it would be a serious That you will self-diagnose a depressive disorder by fulfilling some of the criteria we have shown.
7 Tips for Overcoming Discouragement and Sadness
1-Exercise your body
Incorporating physical exercise into your day-to-day routine is one of the first steps you can take if you want Improve your state cheer up .
There are many ways to exercise your physique, so finding the one you like most will only be a matter of time. Maybe you like to go to aerobics classes in a gym, run For a park, biking on a mountain near your house, join a league of your favorite sport a couple of days in Week, etc.
If you are constant, whatever activity you practice will help you to improve your mood thanks to several sources of gratification.
First because you will see how your performance improves day after day: each time you will be able to run longer without getting tired or it will take less to make your route By bicycle, for example. That will increase your motivation, you self-confidence And your satisfaction.
Your own body will also be an important source of gratification, because whatever level you are in at the moment, sport Tonify your muscles and thanks to it will reduce those small discomforts you can have in areas like the back. In addition, who does not provoke Satisfaction seeing how your muscles harden?
At the brain level there are also changes during and after physical activity to help improve your mood. Thank you Exercise is stimulated by Release of endorphins , A substance generated by the organism itself and which produces a sense of well-being and an effect analgesic.
2-Take care of your food
Having a balanced diet is essential if you want to have good health, both physical and psychological.
There are foods that promote the segregation of certain substances that can improve your mood Such as tryptophan , Magnesium, acid Folic acid or different vitamins, which in turn are related to other chemicals in your own organism such as Serotonin , Dopamine wave Noradrenaline, largely responsible for your mood.
However, the aim of this article is not to conduct an analysis of precursor foods for this type of substances, but to make You should try to take a healthy and varied diet that includes fish, red meats, vegetables, nuts and vegetables and that is farthest away Possible food junk to which we are so exposed today.
Another reason why you should carry a healthy diet is to maintain control of your body weight. A bad nutrition Can make you win Weight, which can affect the self-esteem and trust. In addition, if you get used to eating in an unhealthy way, later it will be much more difficult to healthy diet.
3-Enjoy your hobbies
Spending time to enjoy doing those things that you love can greatly help you to improve your mood. Go to the movies, go out with your friends to Have a good time, watch a competition of your favorite sport, etc.
It is normal that, when you are in a very low mood, even doing what you like becomes an overexertion, because in those moments you do not You feel like doing nothing In this regard, one of the many psychological tools that can help you is setting goals, explained with Detail in point number 7.
At first you may have to make an extra effort to take the time to spend some of your hobbies, but soon it will become An important source of well-being.
4-Ask for help
Many people who are going through a bad time make the mistake of not asking for help. Sometimes they do it for fear of letting others know about their Fears, insecurities or discomforts; On other occasions, all the stigmas that still exist today related to mental illness Do their job and prevent these people from asking for help.
If so far you have not asked for help, either for the reasons we gave in the previous paragraph or for others, it is time for you to do so. Start with a Someone close to you is a very good step, although it will not be the only one.
Your loved ones will always try to help you and your words and advice will go in that direction. However, in most cases, it will be necessary to A psychological work with a qualified professional.
5-Let yourself want
Try to stay close to those people with whom you have a greater relationship. Your support and esteem are necessary to improve the state in which you You find.
With them you can share time enjoying hobbies that you have in common, you can distraer spending a pleasant time in your company and you can Relax and share your feelings and experiences when you need it.
Although it is understandable that in many moments what you want is precisely to be alone, we should encourage you to make an effort to share your Time with the people who love you.
6-Face the sources that generate discomfort
What you must to get away to the maximum possible is those people who make you feel bad and They do not give you anything positive . They are usually people Which you have close to for a long time because one day were considered friends, although now the relationship is not at all beneficial.
In other situations it will be much more difficult to get away from this type of people, for example, in the case of having a boss who treats you with contempt and who Makes you feel underappreciated or co-workers with whom you do not like to be because there is bad atmosphere and very little companionship.
Learning to face situations and people that cause you discomfort will be very beneficial throughout your life, since it is something you can Use repeatedly. A good job with your psychologist will guarantee success in this regard.
7-Mark Your Goals
All the points we have explained so far can help improve your mood, but it is normal that if you are going through a bad time Do not you want to do sport , Nor to devote time to your passions or loved ones or other activities that could help you.
We know that this is one of the main difficulties you can encounter; That is why the last point of this article is intended to explain, in In a very brief way, what the goal-setting technique consists of.
Goal setting is a psychological tool that allows Set goals More suitable to each situation. Mark some goals Concrete will give you that motivation you need to do things that will help you to be better.
Also, as you get the goals What do you propose? self-confidence Will increase and you will enter into a very positive dynamic with which you will start to operate in a much more effective way.
As with any psychological tool (and as highlighted in one of the previous sections), it is very important that you use it under the guidance And supervision of a specialist. However, we leave 6 tips for you to start experimenting with using goal setting.
Must be specific
It is important that you ask yourself what your goal is, why you want to achieve it, and what you need to achieve it.
The objective"I want to be better"would not be worth it, because it would not be specific enough. An example of a specific goal that might work for you is "I have to force myself to go a couple of times a week to the gym, because although I know that at first I get lazy, then I feel very good."
They must be measurable
That the goals that you mark are measurable is essential, because it is what allows you to check objectively whether they have been achieved or not.
For example, instead of asking yourself the goal of"getting more exercise"(which would not be a specific goal) you should ask yourself the goal of"I will go 3 Days a week to the gym"(which it is).
Must be achievable
If you set unattainable goals, in addition to not achieving the goal you are looking for, you will damage your self-confidence and your motivation to achieve it.
Following the example above, it would not be appropriate for you to consider doing physical exercise 5 days a week, this is very difficult for you, either for you Work, other responsibilities or because it is too much for you. Consider attainable goals and, as you go over them, you will increase Its difficulty.
Reaching them must depend on you
Your goals must be solely up to you. It would do little for you to set yourself an objective that depends on other people.
A very clear example of this is found in the field of sport, where many athletes pose the goal of"being headlines", when that does not It is up to them, for it is the coach who decides. In this case, it would be much more appropriate to set the goal of"striving to the maximum in all The exercises that the coach raised me."
Must be relevant to you
The goals you set yourself should be really relevant to you. It is not enough that you know that you should get it for your health, for example, but you should To really love him
So, it would be of no use if you write on your wish list"I want to be able to quit because it is very harmful to my health"if you You know that you will not because you want to continue smoking.
Must have a deadline
Setting a deadline to meet your goals will help you not procrastinate to infinity. Of course, you must be realistic and consider the objectives In the right time: neither too early nor too late.
Bibliography
- Moderators of the relationship between exercise and mood changes: gender, exertion level, and workout duration, Psychology & Health 19.4. (2004): 491-506.
- Nutrition and depression: A review of the evidence by Harbottle, Lynn, Schonfelder, Nicola ( Journal of Mental Health 17.6 (2008): 576-587 ).
- Russo-Neustadt, A.A., R.C. Beard, Y.M. Huang, and C.W. Cotman. (2000). " Physical Activity and Antidepressant Treatment Potentiate the Expression of Specific Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Transcripts in the Hippocampus Rat Neuroscience, 101, 305-312.