I'd like to discuss ways you can protect your mental health while we cope with depression because World Mental Health Day is Wednesday, October 10, 2018. Depression itself is stressful enough on our brains, but then certain outside factors exist that can make things worse. How can we avoid, or limit, these stress-inducing situations and people that can worsen our depression? I've discovered some strategies that protect your mental health and work for me, and I'd like to share them with you.

I wrote my first post for "Coping with Depression" one year ago. This year has now come to an end, and I’m writing my last post a "Coping with Depression" co-author. Today, I’m sharing with you a fear I’ve overcome, what I’ve learned this past year, and encouragement for those suffering from depression.

Why do fall activities help depression? For many of us, myself included, our depression causes us to feel as if life is merely one long, monotonous trek we have to muddle through; days turn into weeks that turn into months that become seasons, and before we know it, another year has passed without our truly noticing or caring. One way this is evident is when we no longer enjoy the holidays or seasons that we used to enjoy. So, how can we find pleasure in favorite seasons or activities again? How can we keep depression from interfering with our pleasure? We have to actually make a plan for fun fall activities with depression.

It's difficult to cope with depression. I have dealt with depression for most of my life. While at times it seems that we are helpless to combat this mental illness, the truth is that there are things we can do to help us cope with depression. Here, I give my best advice on coping with depression.

Should you share your suicidal thoughts? How will the choice to share affect your depression? Whether we face suicidal thoughts or have had one or more suicide attempts, the decision of whether or not to share these experiences affects us and how we deal with our depression. 

When we’re depressed, we often lack the motivation to do things. We may lack the motivation to do difficult tasks or we may even lack the motivation for basic self-care, such as showering and eating well. Here is how to get motivated when feeling depressed.

Many of us with depression struggle in social situations. Simply finding the motivation to leave the house can be difficult enough; then, add to that the pressure we feel to interact with others. Just the thought of it is exhausting and terrifying. For example, I often expect my depression to cause awkward moments in social gatherings, which in turn makes me nervous and thus it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. This is not how I want to spend my time with friends and family and I imagine you all feel the same. So, what are some undesirable social tendencies our depression may cause and how can we break the cycle of these unwanted interactions and become more comfortable in social situations?

Is it really possible to build self-confidence when you have depression? Yes, it can be done. While the challenge is greater for those of us with depression, it truly is within our ability to build up confidence within ourselves. Now that we know building self-confidence is possible, let's find out how we can start working towards that goal today.

Many people have obsessive thoughts when they're depressed. For me, this is the absolute worst part of depression. Having "pure obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)", I deal with intrusive thoughts and obsessive thinking on a daily basis. Learning how to cope with these obsessive thoughts while depressed has been the biggest challenge of my life. In this post, I share what obsessive thinking looks like for me as well as a video on what to do when caught in an obsessive thought storm. 

Although we share a depression diagnosis, each of us is still an individual with unique interests; therefore, when we're feeling depressed, it's important to find hobbies and activities that work for our specific personality types. So, what are some suggested activities, and how do we discover which ones might work for us? Also, how can participating in these hobbies and activities help us when we're feeling depressed?