Hi,
I had severe depression for years. Here's a list of what helped most. You could do worse than try all of these and keep notes on which seem to be beneficial to you.
- Massive increase of self care: take supplements, especially Vit B complex as depressives often lack this; Vit D and a gentle herbal iron supplement. You could also try magnesium and something like L-Tyrosine if your type of depression causes inertia.
Require yourself to do basic good hygiene daily - a quick shower, clean teeth, brushed hair, face cleanse and moisturise, make up if you prefer how you look with it on. Put on the nicest clothes that would suit your day, whether that cosy joggers or a dress. My mantra for this morning routine was: you don't have to want to, you just have to do it.
Focus on super-healthy diet. Not on weight loss or gain, but on nutrients. I aimed for 10 fresh veg and fruit portions per day, plus nuts, seeds, pulses, fish, lean meats etc. Try superfoods. Lots of Christmas foods are seratonin boosters: walnuts, turkey, blue cheese, grapefruit juice. (Avoid these all on the same day if you are on ADs)
2.) Exercise. You just have to. It is one of the best non-invasive ways to improve mood. Only you will know which type helps you. I tried everything. There is no superior type. You don't need to start running if you prefer walking. You don't need to do yoga if it triggers emotions - swimming or a stretch class are fine. Look for variety and do something every single day. I loved: walking in nature, kayaking, weight lifting, bootcamps, yoga. I hated Zumba and found swimming a bit dull. Stickw ith what you like.
3.) Increase small bursts of fun or joy so you can sort of patch them together throughout the days, to increase the number of minutes or hours that you feel OK.For me, this meant: put on uplifting or soothing music you love first thing in the morning, and whenever prepping food. Going for walks in nature. Switching off the news and the crime dramas and instead watching reruns of comedies (IT crowd, Parks & Rec, Father Ted, What We Do in the Shadows etc) or stand up comedians routines - you can get one and two hour routines on Netflix. Watching Ted talks or listening to podcasts that were uplifting and engaging also helped (Not too many about depression - that can be a rabbit hole. More about making art or music, or changing the world in a small, positive way.)
4.) This is my favourite one: Do something new everyday. I think it massively helps the stuck neural pathways of depressive brains to reroute. I kept a private online diary where I recorded each day what new thing I had done. Start small if you like - if you are in a deep rut, you can try simple things like buying a new scent of shower gel or walking down a street you don't normally walk down, or ordering a different coffee or visiting a new cafe or supermarket. It's an experiment. You don't have to like every new thing you try. Every few days gently increase the challenge until you are very gently doing things that take you outside of your comfort zone - talk to strangers, say yes to an invitation you'd normally say no to, sign up for an online free course then an in-person one, go for a 5 mile walk then an 8 mile one etc.
Interestingly, it is this last habit that helped me most. My life-long depression hasn't returned and whenever I think it might - when I can feel its onset, I start doing new things again and it lifts within days.