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Depression in Corona times: 8 tips that can support you through the crisis
Depression during Corona times:
8 tips that can help you through the crisis
The Corona crisis shows how quickly an established normality can be paused and created structures can be disrupted. Instead of social contacts, loneliness, being alone, and also existential fears are currently on the agenda for many people. What long-term effects the Corona pandemic will have on the mental health of each individual cannot be said today. But one thing is certain: there will be consequences, and no one should face them alone! The following eight tips can sustainably help you to get through the crisis and depressive symptoms well.
Times of crisis like the current Corona pandemic present special challenges for both people with and without depression. Prof. Ulrich Hegerl, Chairman of the Board of the Deutsche Depressionshilfe Foundation, explains: "In depression, everything negative in life is perceived as magnified and brought to the forefront, including worries and fears about the coronavirus." As a result, it is more difficult for people with mental illnesses to actively cope with measures that restrict everyday life (such as social distancing). Below you will find eight simple tips that can be easily integrated into your daily routine and with which you can counter depressive symptoms in the long term and effectively.
This does not necessarily require a radical reversal of your life rhythm or style. What is important is not to overwhelm yourself and to stay within the areas where you feel comfortable. Otherwise, frustration quickly sets in when things don't work out – and that is the opposite of "doing good".
Tip 1: Develop routines
Structure your day or your week precisely and create new routines – for example, starting with getting up in the morning, followed by meditation, regular work and meal times, and simple things like a walk, reading, watching a series, or relaxation exercises before going to sleep.
The deliberate repetition of a specific activity at the same time ensures that new connections and links between different neurons and nerve cells are formed in your brain. In short: new synapses are created in the brain. The more often you repeat a particular thing, the more you strengthen this connection. The result: your new routine is carried out completely unconsciously and effortlessly. Your brain doesn't have to keep wondering what comes next, but can switch off or focus on other tasks. This minimizes recurring challenges and releases an incredible amount of energy!
Tip 2: Stay active
For everyone who is not under quarantine, the rule is: get out into the fresh air – and during daylight! Whether it's a long walk, a jog, or cycling, activities outside the home can be a good distraction for you and bring out the happiness hormone serotonin. An increased serotonin level in the body and brain has been proven to have a positive effect on your mood. However, vitamin D is also needed for the production of the happiness hormone. In addition to supplements, your body can easily absorb the useful vitamin through the sun's UV radiation – so get out of the house, enjoy the sun, and let the happiness hormone work!
Tip 3: Stick to bedtimes
You feel exhausted and would rather spend the day in bed? A longer lying time and extended sleep periods promote an increase in exhaustion and depression. Therefore, you should not stay in bed longer than usual, go to bed earlier, and also avoid lying down during the day – a fixed daily schedule from Tip 1 can help with this.
Tip 4: Keep contacts
It is no secret that regular contact with other people is important. Even if you are working from home or in quarantine, there are various ways to maintain social contacts. Besides the classic phone calls and video chats with family and friends, you could, for example, also organize a digital game or cooking night – which is good not only for you but also for your loved ones. To make the everyday break especially effective, you might want to avoid (not suppress) the topic of the coronavirus and distract yourselves with other subjects.
Tip 5: Take care of yourself
You give your profession or your worries the required attention – so why not also your body? Even small wellness breaks can work wonders when it comes to relaxing and reducing stress. A trip to a spa is currently not possible, but also not necessarily needed. Following the motto "feel-good time in your own four walls": Conscious care routines in the morning and evening give you time to plan the day and reflect on it or to perform small mindfulness exercises and short meditation sessions. For example, when you work your skincare into your skin after a stressful day, you can clear your mind and prepare your body for a restful sleep.
Tip 6: Keep a diary
A depression journal cannot heal, but it can help: When writing, we engage with things that deeply occupy us internally – with fears and desires but also with our own experiences and events. It doesn't matter which writing method is used. What is important is to pause in order to regain one's own stability. Psychologists also use journals as a supplement for some therapies, as it has been shown that recording thoughts can have a positive effect on mental illnesses and that writing has the power to alleviate depressive symptoms.
Tip 7: Use reputable sources of information
Facts reduce worries and feelings of fear, so you should only use reputable sources to inform yourself about various topics. Especially in the current times of crisis, where new news about the course of the Covid-19 pandemic seems to appear hourly, an overload of information can quickly become overwhelming. Consider limiting your news reading to once or twice a day.
Tip 8: Seek (preventive) help
If initial depressive symptoms appear due to the Corona crisis or your depression worsens as a result, you should not hesitate to ask for help. Depressive symptoms are diverse and should be taken seriously. It is a difficult time, so you should seek support in good time – for example, through online services from counseling centers or in conversations with a telephone helpline or specialists. A visit to the therapist counts as a doctor's visit and can also be attended during the nationwide contact ban. In addition, many practices offer telephone or video consultations.
Telephone and digital support services:
If you yourself or relatives and friends are affected by mental illnesses, you can find support services here:
- At your trusted general practitioners and specialists
- Telephone counseling: (0800) 111 0 111 or (0800) 111 0 222 (free of charge)
- Helios Corona Hotline: (0800) 8 123 456
- Online Forum: https://www.deutsche-depressionshilfe.de/ or https://www.diskussionsforum-depression.de/
- Email counseling for young people: https://www.jugendnotmail.de/
