The 10 Best Ways To Beat Dysthymia – Part 2
Welcome to the second half of my post about beating dysthymia. If you haven’t read part one covering ways 1-5, please feel free to do that here. All done? Great, let’s begin! Of course there are not just 10 ways to beat dysthymia; there are probably hundreds and different things will work for different people. That said, I can only speak from my personal experience so if you’re struggling, these are the 10 things that worked for me. Please feel free to pop your own tips into the comments.
6) Therapy
I can’t talk about any mental health problem without mentioning therapy. To be honest, I found therapy a bit of a mixed bag. There are lots of different therapists and lots of different therapies, finding the right type of therapy and a therapist that is compatible with you within your budget can be a huge challenge. I’m lucky in that in the UK, the NHS will pay for certain types of therapy. However, the downside is that gives you less power to choose the therapist you’re paired with.
Feeling miserable, the majority of days can take a huge toll. Having therapy to explore the root of your issues, as well as challenging destructive thought patterns can be invaluable. I believe that the majority of people could do with regular therapy. We live in a fucked up world and having someone impartial to talk it through with would be a massive benefit so if you have any form of depression or anxiety and have never seen a therapist, I would recommend you at least give it a try.
7) Take Baby Steps
I cannot stress this point enough. I have explained in my other articles about depression that when you feel depressed, simple tasks conceal like climbing a mountain. If you have formulated a plan or a list of ways to beat dysthymia, that is fantastic but you need to keep your goals realistic. If the steps on your plan will take too much physical, mental or emotional energy. The likelihood is you simply will not do them. If you don’t do them, you’ll feel like a failure which could actually make your dysthymia worse.
Whatever you choose to do, make it small. Make it so small that it’s easier to do it than not to. For example, I suggested eating colourful foods in part one, so rather than promising you will eat five different types of vegetables and fruits every day start with just eating one every day. If you want to eat the rainbow you still can; eat a red apple on Monday, an orange on Tuesday, some blueberries on Wednesday and so on. Build up gradually and don’t try to do more than one thing per day at first. Slow and steady wins the race.
8) Set Boundaries…
If you’ve discovered you need at least two hours alone per day to deal with your illness then don’t let anybody take it away from you. Similarly, if you find you feel better after eight hours sleep, don’t let well-meaning friends or family members persuade you to stay up later than you should. Once you found your ways to beat dysthymia guard those things with your life. Do not feel like you’re being selfish, you’re trying to stay healthy and you need to do what is right for you
9) …But Don’t Cut Yourself Off
I know this might seem to contradict point 8 but I promise it doesn’t. I understand the impulse to spend time alone when you’re feeling depressed. You barely have the energy to go on breathing, let alone interacting with other people. BUT, and it’s a big but, it’s important to still connect with the world. As with any form of depression, dysthymia can lead to faulty thought patterns, and it’s important to have other people around to challenge these thoughts.
Secondly, even if you’re not expecting it, a hug from a loved one, or a particularly hilarious joke from a friend, can unexpectedly lift your mood. Trust me it’s far easier for the illness to get its closing when you shut yourself off. By all means take time alone for yourself if you need it, but try to make sure you spend time with someone else at least once every other day.
10) Give Yourself A Break
I would go so far as to say that this is one of the most important ways to beat dysthymia. We are all so hard on ourselves. We talk to each other in a way that we would never dream of talking to someone else. We are often mean, and even borderline abusive. I beg you, show yourself, the same kindness that you would show to others. Understand that you’re human and you won’t always get it right. You will make mistakes, miss goals, and even sabotage yourself, but it is normal!
When mistakes happen, talk kindly to yourself; forgive yourself. Imagine you were talking to the person you love most in the world. If they had done what you’ve done, what would you say? Would you be mean or cruel to them? No? Then don’t do it to yourself. Learning to give yourself a break and love yourself is crucial when you’re looking for ways to beat dysthymia.
Being kind to yourself is so important I chose to put it at the end of the article. I want it to be the last thing you read so hopefully it will be the thing you’ll take away from it. You will never improve yourself from a position of hate, only from love.
Hang In There
I know that dysthymia is an awful illness, I’ve suffered from it since I was fifteen. I hope you find my ways to beat dysthymia useful, but if you’ve found other things that worked please let me know. This blog is a resource for folks who suffer from mental health problems and I want to gather as much information as I possibly can. Let’s all work together to kick dysthymia’s ass!
