WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU'RE DOWN/DEPRESSED.

The first instinctual thing your body would make you do when you're down or depressed is withdraw into a shell.

Depression has many definitions, depression can be a state of feeling very unhappy and without hope for the future or a feeling of sadness or a type of mental illness that causes long periods of unhappiness.

Being down from time to time is a normal part of life but when emotions such as hopelessness and despair take hold and won't go away then depression sets in.

Depression can best be described as living in a black hole or having a feeling of impending doom, feeling lifeless, empty and pathetic.

Depression can be caused by social factors, mental/psychological factors. When all things look like they're spiraling out of control and nothing seems to be working for you depression tends to set in, loneliness and low self-esteem also play a notable part.

As much as you want to withdraw  into a shell, not talk to anyone and just be alone while you are depressed and unhappy, it is important to know that withdrawing into a shell for too long is not quite helpful for your mental health because overtime if you don't come out of your shell, you'll become numb and start to see hopelessness and helplessness as a normal feeling.

When depressed, there are things you can do to help yourself and make yourself feel better when you're down/depressed. 

Firstly, It is important to know that the feelings of helplessness and hopelessness that you feel is not the reality of your situation even though that's what you feel like at the moment it does not truly define your situation.

Another important thing that you actually need to do when you're down or depressed is to recognize that you have a problem and reach out for help from loved ones around you and if you can find no one, you may need to seek for help from a mental health professional by going for therapy and you won't be able to do all these if you do not admit that you have a problem.

Understanding the underlying cause of your depression may help you overcome the problem. But sometimes you can't place a finger on the actual cause of your depression because there are various situations that surround you at the moment; past trauma, low self-esteem and other frustrating situations that you can't define. At this moment the simple act of talking to someone face to face about how you feel can go a long way in helping you deal with your feelings. The person you talk to doesn't have to be able to fix you if you feel you're broken, he/she just needs to be a good listener; someone that can listen to you without being distracted or judging you.

You also have to practice the habit of self-love as depression brings about self-loathing so you need to be intentional about loving yourself, eat healthy, take a short walk, put on some music and dance around, indulge yourself in hobbies you used to like or pick up new ones, spending time to admire nature can also help you to get rid of the feeling of hopelessness. Do things that make you happy, make yourself happy even when you feel you do not deserve to be happy cause even in that state you sincerely deserve to be happy.

Journaling and drawing your emotions can also be helpful as it will help you expel your feelings.

At the end you just want to feel better; you want to be rid of the feeling of hopelessness, helplessness and emptiness that is contained inside of you. Feeling better takes time but that does not mean it is unachievable, you can get there by making positive choices for yourselves and you have to be intentional about them. Also be reminded that isolation is not an option when you're feeling down or depressed because it only fuels depression.