Depression Treatment and Recovery During a Pandemic
Each day is filled with new developments with COVID-19. If you’re like many other people, you’re watching every news report to learn more about this illness. There’s plenty of worry about your friends and family members, especially if they’re at-risk of getting the disease. It’s enough to make anyone depressed while the world waits for effective treatments and vaccines for coronavirus. Getting depression treatment during this time offers the support you might need if you’re having a hard time handling the world as it currently is.
Tips for Managing Depression During COVID-19
Your current coping mechanisms may be overwhelmed when you try to process the fact that you’re living in a pandemic. There’s a lot of crazy situations developing every day, such as the great toilet paper shortage of 2020. Both expected and unexpected developments from the virus have led to a lot of fear, confusion, and panic.
You can explore a few ways to try to self-manage your depression if you think that you just need a little bit more of an ability to get things under control. One helpful suggestion to improve your mental health is to limit how much news you’re watching on a given day. It’s important to get information about the pandemic and whether any new changes impact your life, but staying glued to your devices all day long, reading the same terrifying information over and over again doesn’t help.
Staying as active as possible and getting out into the sun, while still maintaining social distancing, can also help. People staying inside all day may not be getting enough Vitamin D, which is one of the contributing factors to seasonal depression over the winter. Getting a little bit of exercise each day, combined with the fresh air, can make staying home more tolerable.
You’re also going to want to establish a routine. You might be work from home now, or unemployed, or otherwise have your world completely changed. Even if you liked staying home before, when you’re forced to do it, it takes on a completely different feeling. Look for ways to create a schedule that you can stick to, while still giving yourself lots of leeway. It’s important to be kind to yourself during this stressful period.
Understanding When the Depression Is Severe
Sometimes no matter what you do, your depression gets worse and worse. You may be turning to substances to self-medicate, contemplating suicide, or finding yourself unable to get out of bed or do normal activities. When you’re completely unable to function, getting depression treatment from professionals is a necessary step to restore your mental health.
Getting Depression Treatment in the Middle of a Pandemic
Of course, the thought of getting depression treatment during a pandemic is its own cause for alarm. You don’t want to be leaving the house more than necessary, with every trip putting you at risk for catching the virus. While those concerns are valid, they’re not the reality for depression treatment. The facilities have clinical protocols in place to lower the risk, and inpatient treatment options eliminate all of the back and forth travel.
Depression treatment services that you can access include:
- Comprehensive mental health assessment
- Cognitive and dialectical behavior therapy
- Creative activities
- Dual diagnosis care
You’re not alone in being depressed during COVID-19. If it’s too overwhelming to manage on your own, there’s help available. Explore your depression treatment options by calling Kemah Palms today today.