Caring for Yourself After Depression

We all go through little episodes of depression at times, even those of us involved with horse therapy and equine therapy have times of gloom! Here are 4 ways to help care for yourself after these episodes. 

"1. Continue your treatment.

Coleman stresses the importance of continuing your treatment for at least a few months after your depressive episode is over.

He writes, “The window of six to nine months after a depressive episode is particularly critical, and to be on the safe side I often encourage depressed clients to consider the first year after an episode to be a time of heightened risk for relapse and recurrence.”

(Relapse means having another depressive episode within six months of the first one; recurrence means having another episode after six months.)

Research shows that continuing your treatment can reduce both. He also suggests talking to your treatment providers about how you can prevent relapse.

Interpersonal psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy may be helpful in reducing relapse, he writes. Psychotherapy after an episode is valuable because it can help you cope effectively with stress and build resilience.

Also, if you’re taking an antidepressant, don’t stop abruptly. Always talk to your doctor first about discontinuing medication because stopping cold turkey, as Coleman explains, can have serious side effects.

2. Seek help sooner rather than later.

If you start experiencing symptoms of depression again, don’t wait to get help until you meet full criteria for the disorder, Coleman writes.

He encourages readers to think about the early signs of your depression, which can clue you in on what to look out for. Pay attention “to the number of symptoms, their severity and duration, and their effect on your life.”

This doesn’t mean that you need to fixate or hyper-focus on how you’re feeling. Everyone has a bad day. As he put it, “Just have a low threshold for resuming treatment.”

3. Don’t isolate yourself.

Maintaining positive relationships is important. Coleman cites one study that found that just being part of a sports team protected some individuals from depression.

4. Practice self-care.

“When you’re recovering from depression, it’s especially important for you to have some routine in your life,” Coleman writes.

He clarifies that this doesn’t mean leading a boring life. It simply means taking good care of yourself, which includes getting enough sleep, eating nutritious foods and exercising. (Here’s one study on the importance of moderate exercise for reducing relapse.)

If you’d like to learn more about Coleman’s book, check out our review on Psych Central."

 

Source:http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/07/10/4-tips-for-caring-for-yourself-after-a-depressive-episode/

Pegasus equine therapy brings counseling to individuals as well as groups! 

Please support us by Liking our page at…. Horse Therapy! 

 

Getting Over It

Though it may seem like a slightly odd post for an equine therapy website, this can be great advice that hits close to home with a lot of people going through horse therapy. 

"Relationship breakups are tough. They are emotionally exhausting, and can be incapacitating at times. For some who begin to dwell in regret and sadness, breakups can even spiral into depression. Even the breakups that make the most logical sense are still emotionally painful. And in fact, it is the emotional — not logical — part of ourselves that causes us to dwell in these relationships that we may logically know are not healthy for us.

While a grieving period is expected after a breakup, as breakups are a form of loss, it can be easy to get caught in an emotionally harmful pattern if we don’t actively push ourselves forward in our lives.

So how do we emotionally get through a breakup and also move forward in an emotionally healthy manner?

 

7 Tips for Getting Over a Breakup

1. Make plans.

Social interaction is one of the keys to moving forward after a breakup. Isolation often leads to being consumed by emotions and thoughts that exacerbate our sadness and upset. Schedule plans in advance to see friends or family at least a few times during the week and weekends, especially if you live alone, and be sure to follow through with them. If you feel you don’t want to be around anyone, which can be common after a breakup, this is the time to act opposite of the urge. Push yourself to interact with people and prevent a pattern of loneliness and depression.

2. Be aware of the rebound.

Breakups often are a time of intense emotional vulnerability. We are seeking stability. When we feel we can’t internally create it, it is quite possible to engage in unhealthy new relationships that cover up healthy relationship grieving.

While at first the replacement relationship brings a sense of euphoria, the unresolved emotions from the previous relationship often return, creating a more complicated and confusing emotional environment. If you find yourself falling into a new and exciting relationship too soon, you could be experiencing a rebound.

3. Participate in hobbies.

Hobbies are a positive way to keep from dwelling in sadness and forming negative patterns. Whether it’s doing a puzzle, going to museums, gardening, bowling, reading, or whatever it is you enjoy doing, allow yourself to create time and space for them. Be sure to include social hobbies as well as individual ones.

4. Keep up daily self-care routines.

It is also important to remember to take care of your daily needs when dealing with a breakup. Go to the gym, jog, swim, walk, cook, etc. Some may feel less motivated to grocery shop, prepare meals, eat, or shower after a breakup. These may require some extra effort at times, but push yourself to continue your daily routines as before.

5. Don’t overwork.

Some might say that throwing yourself into work is a great distraction from a breakup. However, overworking often is an emotionally avoidant behavior. Overworking may allow us to avoid sadness or loneliness because we are busy; however, it creates an imbalance in our lives as well as a negative pattern that can be tough to break. (Decreasing the work to regain more personal time later becomes difficult.) Work as you would normally work, and reserve those other hours in the day for self-care, hobbies, and social plans that you’ll hopefully be continuing or increasing into your week.

6. Set a daily time limit for grieving.

Each person grieves a loss differently. There is no actual time limit for grieving. However, there is a difference between healthy grieving and dwelling in regret and sorrow. Some could spend months consumed by guilt and sadness if we allow ourselves to.

As we move forward, it is still important to acknowledge our pain and other emotions we may feel as the result of a significant breakup. Set a time each day that you will allow yourself to reflect, feel, and process your relationship loss. Setting a timer is helpful for this. I would recommend no more than 20-30 minutes a day, and have an activity scheduled to immediately follow this time.

7. Seek professional help.

Some people feel ashamed and embarrassed that a breakup is consuming or impacting them, especially when the ex-partner is considered “not worth it.” But breakups are painful! We put time, effort, hope, emotion, and much more into our relationships.

Seeing a therapist to process the residual emotions and thoughts is a healthy way to deal with a breakup, especially if you’re feeling guilt, regret or starting to dwell in sadness.Breakups are rarely going to be easy; however, with healthy tools and motivation, we can heal."

Source: 

Pegasus equine therapy brings counseling to individuals as well as groups! 

Please support us by Liking our page at…. Horse Therapy!