20 Tips for How to Practice Self-Care When Depressed

20 Tips for Practicing Self-Care for Depression

A self-care routine is not one size fits all but requires experimenting with different strategies to understand what works best for you. If you find it difficult to even get out of bed when depressed, start small with manageable steps to gain confidence and motivation to continue growing and feeling better.

Here are twenty tips for how to practice self-care when depressed:

1. Start With Small, Manageable Changes

To prevent feeling overwhelmed when thinking about implementing self-care for depression, it is important to start with small, manageable steps. There are many different types of self-care, and the activities do not have to be ground-breaking in order for them to make an impact. Self-care can be practiced in the little things, such as paying a bill, drinking a glass of water, or even getting out of bed just to touch your toes. Over time, you can expand on these little acts as you start to notice that you feel better.

2. Treat Yourself to a Gift for Your Mental Health

Indulging in a mental health gift can effectively enhance your mood and reduce feelings of depression. If you enjoy live music, purchase concert tickets or find local events with free live music. If you like sports, attend a professional event as a spectator or join in the fun by finding a local adult league of your preferred sport. This form of self-care is about finding what you truly enjoy and treating yourself – even on the days that you least feel like it.

3. Practice Opposite Action

The Opposite Action skill is another DBT for depression technique that challenges us to choose to respond opposite to what our biological response would activate us to do.¹ For example, it is a natural impulse when we are depressed to want to withdraw and isolate. However, the concept of “opposite action” challenges us to choose differently. When depressed, try engaging in pleasurable activities even if you “don’t feel like it.”

Opposite Action can look like watching a funny movie, connecting with someone you care about, or getting active with exercise to bring about positive feelings and thoughts. When you choose to act oppositely, you will likely notice that your emotions begin to transform.

4. Stick to a Sleep Schedule

A lack of sleep can make depression worse, so focusing on balanced sleep is a great type of self-care. There are many strategies you can implement for quality sleep, such as avoiding screens an hour before bedtime, reducing caffeine intake, and limiting naps to no more than 30 minutes per day. If you begin implementing behavioral strategies to improve sleep hygiene and still find that you are waking up tired each morning, consult with your primary care doctor to rule out sleep apnea or other sleep-related concerns.²

5. Try to Maintain a Balanced Diet

Food can make us feel energized or, adversely, make us feel lousy. And when depressed, there is a tendency to overeat or undereat. Taking small strides towards balanced eating could look like adding one more food that helps with depression to your diet per day, taking a multivitamin or supplement, or drinking one more glass of water.²

6. Get Regular Exercise

Research has shown that regular exercise relieves depression, balances our sleep, and increases self-esteem. “Regular exercise” looks different for everyone, but it is important to implement daily movement. Starting out small could look like taking your dog for a walk, practicing a simple stretch, or walking to the mailbox and back.²

7. See Your Primary Doctor Regularly

It is important to see your doctor regularly, whether for preventive care or ongoing treatment and take medications as prescribed. Often, there is an overlap between physical health and depression, and your primary care doctor can help to rule out whether depression is secondary to a physical health concern.²

8. Practice Daily Gratitude

Gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. There are multiple ways to focus on expressing gratitude, such as remembering the past, present, and future blessings and fortune. Different techniques to practice gratitude may include writing a thank you note, keeping a gratitude journal, and even meditating. Counting blessings leads to happiness and decreased depression.

9. Avoid Mind-Altering Substances

Substances such as nicotine, recreational drugs, or alcohol can make depression worse. Although it may be tempting to use drugs and alcohol to cope with depressive symptoms, substance misuse will only make you feel worse in the long run. Additionally, abusing substances can make it more difficult to implement healthy coping and self-care.²

10. Have Someone Hold You Accountable

It can be hard to ask for help when depressed, but social support and accountability are vital for overcoming depression. Depression tells us that we are alone and misunderstood and causes us to want to isolate ourselves from the world. An accountability partner proves that we do not have to heal and struggle on our own.

An accountability partner can be a natural support, such as a friend or family member. However, an accountability partner can also come from a more formal and professional relationship, such as a therapist, spiritual leader, etc. Creating a network of support partners and accountability is an effective way to practice self-care and build resiliency.³

11. Try Journaling

The idea of composing a complete “dear diary” entry can feel daunting for those experiencing depression. However, journaling can be kept simple and is a beneficial way to release our inner thoughts and emotions onto paper. It’s a misconception that entries have to be long, elaborate, and daily, but rather, it is great to start small. You use journaling to track your moods, write a “win” for the day, or answer other journal prompts for depression for additional guidance.

12. Create a List of Positive Affirmations

Depression is often marked by negative thought processes and low self-esteem, and implementing positive affirmations can hold a lot of power to change the way that we feel. If you find it challenging to identify a positive affirmation for yourself, try starting off with a “neutral” affirmation such as “I am doing the best I can” or “I am learning how to take care of myself.” You can also make this activity fun by writing the affirmation on a sticky note or decorative index card and placing these around your house as random reminders throughout the day. With this practice of self-care for depression, you will slowly start to notice a difference in your thought patterns and overall mood.

13. Make a Self-Care Box

A self-care box is a box where you can put items that will bring positive thoughts and feelings and contribute to the practice of self-care. Several different items can be placed in the box that may fulfill a different category of self-care care, such as a bath bomb for physical self-care, tissues for emotional self-care, or a list of positive affirmations for spiritual self-care. Keeping a self-care box for depression can create an easy go-to pick me up on really difficult days.

Here are some ideas for items you can put in your self-care box:

• A journal with prompts for depression highlighted
• Relaxing essential oils and/or herbal teas
• Positive affirmation cards
• Photos of happy memories or supportive loved one
• A gratitude list
• Your favorite book
• A list of light-hearted movies to watch

14. Maintain an Active Social Network

A common symptom of depression is withdrawal and isolation from others. This can leave us feeling lonely or even abandoned in times of low and depressed mood. Try to establish or reestablish connections with trusted friends or family members to improve your sense of community. Feeling less alone in your struggle with depression can lead to quicker relief of symptoms and a reduction of shame about how you’re feeling.

15. Find a New Hobby

Trying something you’ve always wanted to try can be a great self-care option when feeling depressed. When we’re experiencing depression symptoms, we tend to feel poorly about ourselves and our abilities to do anything well or right. Getting excited about a new hobby can improve your mood by giving you something to look forward to during the day. It can also provide a sense of mastery or capability in a new skill, which can give you a boost of self-confidence.

16. Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness is an extremely effective tool to manage depression and care for yourself. Mindfulness practices for depression range from quick thought exercises to longer meditations; different approaches will work better for different people. Try using your five senses to connect to your current environment when feeling out of sync. Deep breathing exercises, guided meditations, intentional eating and movement, and journaling are all options to engage in self-compassion.

17. Take Regular Screen Breaks

Excessive screen time, especially on social media, can distort our views of ourselves and reality. Giving yourself time away from screens and/or taking a social media break can help calm your thoughts and get out of your own head. Decreasing screen time will also help regulate your sleep-wake cycle, which is crucial for self-care and mental health. Instead of being on your phone or computer, try going outside, reading a book, or engaging in a hobby you enjoy.

18. Spend Time in Nature

Connecting with nature can be an effective way to practice self-care and decrease depression symptoms. Exposure to daylight is great for regulating your circadian rhythm and neurotransmitters like serotonin. Being outdoors also provides a lot of opportunities to practice mindfulness and grounding techniques, decreasing the amount of time your thoughts can stray into depressive territory. Pairing any activity with nature is great for improving gratitude toward your body and the environment in which you live.

19. Limit Any Stress & Triggers That Are Within Your Control

Many depression triggers can be outside of our control, and those that we can control can feel difficult to approach. However, tapping into our capabilities to manage our stressors will provide a sense of power and increase self-confidence. Try decreasing time spent with people who cause you distress or setting boundaries about conversation topics that cause discomfort. Practice integrating positive self-talk in your mind to combat stressful or triggering thought patterns. Avoid substance use to decrease any harmful impacts they may have on your mental health.

20. Talk to a Therapist or Counselor

Self-care practices can decrease depressive symptoms and increase our resilience. However, sometimes it may be important to seek treatment for depression from qualified mental health professionals. If your depressive symptoms have persisted and make it challenging to manage work, school, home, or relationships, it may be time to seek professional support.