WE CAN FIGHT DERPESSION!

Tip 1: Reach out and stay connected

1. Talk to one person about your feelings
2. Help someone else by volunteering
3. Have lunch or coffee with a friend
4. Ask a loved one to check in with you regularly
5. Accompany someone to the movies, a concert, or a small get-together
6. Call or email an old friend
7. Go for a walk with a workout buddy
8. Schedule a weekly dinner date
9. Meet new people by taking a class or joining a club
10. Confide in a clergy member, teacher, or sports coach
11. Never feel that you are a burden to others
12. Be part of social activities
13. Look for support from people who make you feel safe and cared for.
14. Maybe you can make new friendships?
15. Care for a pet
16. Join a support group for depression

Tip 2: Energize & Exercise

1. Try to sleep 8 hours a day
2. Practice relaxation techniques daily
3. Pick up a former hobby
4. Spend some time in nature
5. List what you like about yourself
6. Read a good book
7. Sing, write, paint or draw
8. Watch a funny movie or TV show
9. Take a long, hot bath
10. Take care of a few small tasks
11. Play with a pet
12. Talk to friends or family face-to-face
13. Listen to music
14. Do something spontaneous
15. Play video games
16. Manage your hobbies
17. Write a book
18. Make videos and post them online
19. Travel

Tip 3: Get moving

1. Have regular exercises
2. Find exercises that are continous and rhythmic
3. Pair up with an exercise partner
4. Take a dog for a walk
5. Make new friends
6. Find a dormant talent
7. Make a new bucket list and pursue it
8. Volunteer to work at a field you are passionate about

Tip 4: Eat a healthy, depression-fighting diet

1. Avoid caffein , alcohol, transfat, and food with high levels chemical preservatives
2. Dont skip meals
3. Minimize on sugars and refined carbs
4. Boost your B vitamins
5. Boost your mood with foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids
6. Get daily dose on sunlight

Tip 5: Challenge negative thinking

The following are some of the negative, unrealistic thinking that fuel depression

1. All-or-nothing thinking – Looking at things in black-or-white categories, with no middle ground (“If I fall short of perfection, I’m a total failure.”)
2. Overgeneralization – Generalizing from a single negative experience, expecting it to hold true forever (“I can’t do anything right.”)
3. The mental filter – Ignoring positive events and focusing on the negative. Noticing the one thing that went wrong rather than all the things that went right.
4. Diminishing the positive – Coming up with reasons why positive events don’t count (“She said she had a good time on our date, but I think she was just being nice.”)
5. Jumping to conclusions – Making negative interpretations without actual evidence. You act like a mind reader (“He must think I’m pathetic”) or a fortune teller (“I’ll be stuck in this dead-end job forever.”)
6. Emotional reasoning – Believing that the way you feel reflects reality (“I feel like such a loser. I really am no good!”)
7. ‘Shoulds’ and ‘should-nots’ – Holding yourself to a strict list of what you should and shouldn’t do, and beating yourself up if you don’t live up to your rules.
8. Labeling – Classifying yourself based on mistakes and perceived shortcomings (“I’m a failure; an idiot; a loser.”)

Tip 6: Find professional help

Although one might find some recovery and comfort from using he tips above, it is of extreme importance that you seek help from a professional phychologist

Here is a list of phsychologist centres we recommend

1. Africa Mental Health Foundation
   Located: Mawensi Gardens, off Matumbato Road, Upper Hill
   Tel: 020 2651360
2. SCAD Kenya
   Tel: 0722 971672
   Email: info@scad.or.ke
3. The Raphaelites
   Located: Red Hill-Limuru near St. Paul’s University 5km off Limuru Road
   Tel: +254 722 714 300
   Email: info@theraphaelites.com
4. Masaa Home
   Located: Argwings Kodhek Road, Hurlingham, Nairobi Women’s Hospital
   Tel: 020 2724192
   Email: info@masaa.org
5. Amani Counseling Centre and Training Institute
   Located: Mwalimu National Sacco Building, 8th Floor, Along Tom Mboya Street, Opposite Ambassadeur Hotel
   Tel: 0718 225 627
   Email: cbd@amanicentre.org

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