Depression is one of the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, that’s why even after the lockdown phase, there are still a lot of Americans who suffer from depression. Even those individuals who have already returned to their pre-pandemic lives still feel significantly depressed.
It can take a while to recover from depression, especially if you experience a significant incident in your life such as the pandemic. The impact could even be worst for those who contracted the disease and suffer the symptoms of COVID-19.
If you are still experiencing depression, there are ways to cope and manage with the condition like any other American who suffers from it like you.
Coping With Post-Lockdown Depression
Suffering depression isn’t something that you take lightly. Once you start experiencing depression or anyone you know is suffering from depression, you should find ways to help yourself or others cope and overcome such a condition.
After the lockdown, American who is still suffering from depression or have developed depression as a result of the changes they have undergone have found ways to cope with their mental health conditions:
Seeking Professional Help
The number of Americans seeking help from mental health professionals continuously increased even after the pandemic, as per the survey conducted last April 26, 2023. Seeking professional help is the number one way people do to cope with their depression.
It can be a visit to a psychiatrist or a psychologist. You can also schedule a visit to your psychiatrist as soon as possible if you experience depression. Aside from yourself, no one can help you overcome post-lockdown depression better than mental health professionals.
Taking Additional Supplements
Supplements have become a part of our daily health routine. We take vitamins and minerals as supplements to compensate for our deficiency. So, Americans suffering from depression add folic acid and vitamin B12 to their daily supplements.
Research found that individuals suffering from depression have low vitamin B12 and plasma like the red cell folate. To help decrease the symptoms of depression or even get rid of it altogether, you should start taking vitamin B12 and folic acid supplements.
Vitaming B12 can cost you $3.00, while a standard folic acid tablet cost: $0.26. You can acquire these supplements at an even lower cost if you get a discount coupon from prescription discount companies. A little additional cost on your expenses for a huge help with your depression.
Focusing On Things They Can Control
Another thing that Americans do to lessen the effect of depression is focus on the things they can control rather than dwelling on things they don’t have control over. By doing so, you won’t be punishing yourself by feeling bad about things that you don’t have control over in the first place.
Determine what things you can control over and what are those that you don’t. Only dwell on the controllable things and let whatever you can’t control go its natural course, whether it benefits you or not. Then learn to accept things as it is.
Exercising Regularly
Exercising has long been an effective way to cope with depression. What you need to know is that post-lockdown depression isn’t different from the usual depression experienced by many.
It has been noticed that many Americans have become more physically active after the pandemic. One reason behind this behavior is to fight depression. If you haven’t been physically active, you should start engaging in physical activities that will help your body release serotonin which aids the feeling of depression.
Engaging On Hobbies
Doing the things you enjoy the most help you feel relaxed, calm, and happy, which is very helpful in managing depression. Boredom often worsens the depression symptoms, which could lead to suicidal thoughts and attempt.
That’s why Americans engaging in hobbies have seen an increase after the pandemic, as it is one of the ways they do to lessen the effect of post-lockdown depression. Do the same. Start looking for a hobby you enjoy and see how it helps your brain forget the bad things that trigger your depression.
Signs of Post-Lockdown Depression
The signs of post-lockdown depression are just similar to a usual depression with a few inclusions. Below are the symptoms of post-lockdown depression that you should watch out for:
- extreme sadness
- fatigue
- feeling hopeless and listless
- anxiety
- agitation or restlessness
- loss of appetite
- reduced weight
- insomnia or too much sleeping
- thoughts of death or suicidal thoughts
- withdrawal from social interactions
- little to no reaction to others who are infected or died from COVID-19
- uninterested in resuming normal daily activities
- finding no reason to recover
- fear of acquiring COVID-19
Watch out for these signs, and when you notice that you’re experiencing some or all of them, schedule an appointment with your psychiatrist immediately.
In Conclusion
Depression is something that is always around and inevitable to acquire. Whether you like it or not, you’ll experience depression at least once. However, some may have a major depressive disorder, while others only experience mild depressions that usually goes away on its own when things start to work out for you.
However, if you think that your condition is getting worst, you should start following what the majority of Americans are doing to help themselves manage their depression, whether it is mild or severe.
This content is brought to you by the FingerLakes1.com Team. Support our mission by visiting www.patreon.com/fl1 or learn how you send us your local content here.