As COVID-19 Concerns in Minnesota Increase,

Use These Tools to Cope with Depression

Here in Minnesota, we live in a pocket of the world that brings with it some unique wonders and unique challenges.  Our beautiful state is covered with picturesque landscapes, friendly faces, and excellent schools.  But on the other hand, we also face harsh seasonal weather changes, a tendency to tuck our feelings away from others, and with this, many can feel easily isolated.  When you add in the new COVID-19 pandemic, this can lead many to feel even more isolated and lonely.  Here, we discuss some straightforward steps to better cope with depression.  

If ever there were a recipe for worsening depression, unfortunately, COVID-19 brings with it all the ingredients needed to increase depression symptoms for many.  With the newest “shelter in place” orders from our Minnesota Governor, we are all required to drastically limit our trips away from home.  Being quarantined and stuck in your house day in and day out can easily lead to feeling very alone and stuck.  If you live by yourself or are living under the roof with a family where there is a lot of tension or dysfunction, you can feel even more detached from the world around you.    

First things first, it is important to understand what the most common symptoms of depression are. 

This way, you can be aware of what to look out for in both yourself and your loved ones.  Most people are generally familiar with the basic terms of depression and anxiety.  You likely have a general sense of what both of these moods feel like.  The easiest way to distinguish depression and anxiety from one another is to think of them like this. 

Depression tends to result in overall de-activation. 

Someone who is depressed will commonly show a decrease or worsening level of energy, appetite, sleep, motivation, self-esteem, happiness, frustration-tolerance, focus, and thoughts of death.  They may move very slowly and have difficulty getting even small tasks completed. 

Anxiety on the other hand, tends to result in feelings of activation. 

Therefore, when someone is dealing with high anxiety, they tend to have racing thoughts, rapid heartbeat, panicky/tense feelings, fast breathing, difficulty settling to sleep, and shaking.  This may cause someone to constantly be moving around, trying to stay busy, or switching from task to task. 

If you have begun to notice that you’re having a harder time getting yourself up out of bed in the morning or off the couch to do the things you need to do, this could be a warning sign of depression.  If you notice that you are snapping at your loved ones more often than usual or overall feel little pleasure in things that normally bring you joy, these are also signs of worsening depression. 

Having awareness of these warning signs can make a huge difference.  The key is creating a corresponding coping strategy for each of the symptoms of depression you notice in yourself or your loved one.  So, if you are struggling with motivation to get up and do things around the house, consider making a very basic, easy to accomplish schedule to adhere to each day and a built-in reward you can give yourself after completing it.  For instance, you can set a goal to do one load of laundry, go for a 15-minute walk, and heat up dinner for your family.  After those things are completed, you can treat yourself to a fun show on Netflix. 

Interestingly when it comes to motivation, many people feel that they have to first feel motivated before they begin an activity.  But in reality, research shows that motivation begins once we have actually started an activity. 

In other words, you likely won’t feel very motivated to start your tasks until you actually get up and start doing them.  That’s when the motivation ignites, and you will feel a stronger drive to keep going. 

Additionally, if you are feeling increasingly cut off from your connections and struggling with feeling so solitary while stuck at home, you can identify a corresponding coping strategy for this symptom.  Though we aren’t able to go be with our people like we are used to, there are unique and creative ways people are finding ways to still connect with others. 

You could talk to your neighbor from across the lawn.  You could do a video chat through Facetime or Zoom with your friends and family.  Why, you can even reignite the lost art of handwriting letters to your loved ones.  Bringing joy to others can instill an increased feeling of worthiness and joy in your own life as well.  Now that the weather is finally warming up in Minnesota, you can also take advantage of the many trails and paths throughout our state.  Though we still need to keep our distance from others while enjoying these trails, you are still getting to be around other people.  This allows you to get to interact and smile at passersby while getting a natural endorphin rush through exercising.

If you are feeling that your depression is unmanageable, or that despite your efforts at trying coping skills, nothing seems to help, it is important to get help.  Just because you are stuck at home is no longer a reason you can’t speak to a therapist.  Wellspring Women’s Counseling offers online counseling, meaning you can connect with a therapist even while home-bound, whenever and wherever it is convenient to you.  By speaking with a compassionate therapist, counseling can help you find ways to cope with your struggles and feel increased hope.