How to Get Out of a Depressive Episode
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Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD
During the course of our lifetime, It’s normal to experience a temporary funk or periods of sadness. However, a chronically low mood marked with diminishing functioning over a significant amount of time may be pointing to depression.
The DSM-5 classifies depression (or major depressive disorder) as a mood disorder that causes a persistently depressed mood characterized by feelings of sadness, hopelessness, emptiness, or loss of interest or pleasure.
These changes are accompanied by several other symptoms such sleep and appetite changes, being agitated or slowed down, difficult thinking or concentrating, feelings of worthlessness, and even thoughts of suicide. If someone has experienced an onslaught of these symptoms over a period of two weeks, this can mean they’re in the midst of a depressive episode.
Depression can often be misunderstood, stigmatized, and thus untreated so it’s common for feelings of hopelessness to persist. Therefore, it’s important to recognize the telltale signs of depression to manage the disorder sooner. Then, you can take the steps to deploy scientifically sound tools to get out of a depressive episode.
How to Know If You're Experiencing a Depressive Episode
Depression is one of the most prevalent mental disorders across the world. Depression is a medical condition that needs treatment—it’s not a sign of weakness or failure. There are many contributions to depression including trauma, stressful life events, genes, substance abuse, and other mental health problems.
A 2020 study reported an estimated 21.0 million adults in the United States have had at least one major depressive episode, which represents 8.4% of all American adults. The prevalence of a major depressive episode was highest (17.0%) among individuals aged 18-25.
In the beginning, symptoms of a depressive episode may be experiences as just feeling blue, fatigued, or "stuck." Learning how to discern between a run-of-the-mill down day or just feeling blue and depression is important for knowing when to seek help.
To qualify as a depressive episode, individuals must experience a depressed mood or loss of interest along with four to five additional symptoms almost every day, all day, over a two-week period. Experiencing the following symptoms can make it difficult to function.
Common depressive symptoms include:
Lack of motivation, exhaustion, and fatigue
Excessive thoughts of worthlessness or guilt
Suicide ideation or recurrent thoughts of death
Lowered self-esteem
Isolation
Little interest in or poor self-care
Feelings of irritability, annoyance at little things
Impaired decision-making
Difficulties focusing on the task at hand
Agitation, restlessness, and anxiety
Sluggish, slowed cognitive processing
Sleep issues with insomnia, or excessive sleeping
Changes in appetite with under-or overeating
Some types of depression can also present with the following:
Leaden paralysis where the body may feel heavy, fatigued, or weighed down
Sensitivity to rejection
Unexplainable physical or mental aches such as headaches, cramps, and tension
Psychosis (delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking)
Related: Physical Symptoms of Depression
How to Get Yourself Out of a Depressive Episode
When you are in the throes of a depressive episode, it can be difficult to leave the bed much less actively improve the situation. People often report experiencing these symptoms for weeks, months, or even years before recognizing the symptoms as a form of depression.
In addition to the crucial step of seeking professional help, here are a few strategies you can do on your own to help you out of a depressive episode.
Take Stock Of Your Self-Care
Studies have noted declining self-care behavior can be considered a predictor of depression. Inversely, people with healthier self-care are correlated with lower levels of depressive symptoms.
Take an inventory of how often you’re giving yourself care and compassion on a daily basis. Are you alert and interested in changes in your mental and physical health? Are you aware of your emotions, and can you process them adequately? Are you taking good care of yourself? Are you doing activities that bring you joy just for the sake of it?
Working on these self-care pillars is essential to optimizing your physical and emotional health.
Move Your Body
Being physically inactive is a common risk factor for depression and anxiety. In treating major depression numerous studies show physical exercise has been proven to help prevent, ease, and treat the symptoms.
Regular exercise is good for your body, helping with strength and fitness, but it is also helpful for your brain and nervous system. During acute levels of exercise, your body releases neurotransmitters such as endorphins and dopamine which help increase your experience of pleasure and sense of wellbeing.
Related: What Is the Link Between Exercise and Depression?
Be Intentional About Quality Sleep
Sleep quality is an important indicator of well-being. Self-reported sleep disturbances are present in 80% of patients with depression. Getting a balanced night’s rest—not too much or too little—is a great way to manage your depression and have more energy. Seven to eight hours is recommended for optimal health.
On top of proper rest, having enough sleep can help with attention, cognition, memory formation, and emotional regulation, If you’re having trouble with sleep, practice good sleep hygiene with consistency. This could look like putting away electronics, journaling before bed, and creating a relaxing bedtime routine to wind down.
If your sleep is not improving, seek assistance from your doctor to explore your options.
Related: How to Identify Depression Naps
Practice Mindfulness
When you’re in a depressive episode, it’s easy to wallow in negative thoughts and emotions. Mindfulness, meditation, and breathing exercises can be a way to fend off stress and anxiety and focus your brain back on the present moment. You can also apply mindfulness to your creative pursuits which could involve activities like drawing, journaling, painting, singing, playing, and dancing.
Biologically, meditation has a positive, notable impact on certain physiologic functions. Practicing meditation can influence brain structure, brain networks, preserve the homeostasis of the autonomic nervous system, and even influence how our genes operate.
Practicing mindfulness can also lead to a perceptual shift. Your thoughts and emotions are no longer seen as overwhelming events but rather a moment in time that helps with perspective and calmness.
Related: Cognitive Distortions and Thoughts in Depression
Eat Nutritious Foods
In recent years, research has shown a Western diet heavy in processed or fried foods, sugar, refined grains, and alcohol is positively correlated with depressive and anxiety symptoms. A 2020 study found consuming processed foods can contribute inflammation in the body and cause a cascading effect on your immune system, potentially increasing the risk of depression symptoms.
The same research found strong evidence that a healthy diet with moderate caloric restriction can help improve depressive symptoms. A 2019 study found eating a healthy diet rich in fruit, vegetables, fish, and lean meat can help reduce clinical levels of depression.
Related: The Experts Agree: What You Eat Can Directly Impact Stress and Anxiety
Go Outside and Feel the Fresh Air
One of the signs of depression is finding it hard to get out of bed, and it may feel like a Herculean effort to complete basic tasks. If you’re neglecting the outdoors and staying inside more, it can disturb your sleep and circadian rhythm and contribute to Vitamin D insufficiency.
There may be a relationship between decreased Vitamin D levels and depression. Although research remains scant, there’s been increasing research that Vitamin D can play a therapeutic part in alleviating depression. However, its benefits are widely known in promoting immune function health, cell growth, and maintaining healthy bones.
To get out of a depressive episode, adequate exposure to natural sunlight can help fulfill your daily Vitamin D quota. Embrace nature therapy, feel the sun on your skin, and take a short walk around the block to change your environment.
Lean On Loved Ones
When you’re depressed, it’s easy to isolate and shrug away attempts to hang out with people. Or you may be around people and still feel alone. However, humans are innately social creatures. If the quality of your social support has fallen to the wayside, it may reinforce depressive symptoms and create more feelings of loneliness, guilt, shame, and alienation.
Reaching out and making plans with your support system is a pathway to improved self-esteem, resilience, and love—all of which contribute to positive mental health outcomes. Decades of research have proven higher social relationship quality with your community was associated with lowering stress levels and depressive symptoms.
A Harvard Study of Adult Development ran a long-running study on happiness and found personal connection creates mental and emotional stimulation—which are mood boosters—and helps counteract isolation. The Harvard researchers noted that relationships are a powerful predictor of happiness and life satisfaction.
Related: Loneliness and Mental Health Distress Have a Cyclical Relationship
Find Gratitude and Laughter Where You Can
There’s promising scientific evidence that gratitude can improve cognitive and emotional well-being. One gratitude intervention studied was the use of a gratitude list where you list three to five things you are grateful for daily over a couple of weeks. Practicing gratitude can help increase positive affect, subjective happiness, life satisfaction, and reduce depression symptoms.
Studies have found humor can be an important coping mechanism to fight off depressive symptoms and anxiety. When you’re depressed, it’s hard to find fun in anything. Even so, it’s still good to seek out pleasurable activities like watching a hilarious stand-up act, cuddling with a pet, indulging in a feel-good movie, listening to music, treating yourself to a hot bath, or ordering your favorite meal. Whatever you like to do for joy.
Seek Professional Help
Once you’ve noticed signs or symptoms of depression, talking to a mental health professional will be a crucial step. A trusted therapist can identify patterns, help with emotional regulation, treat depression with effective therapeutic interventions like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). It may also be important to get an evaluation from a psychiatrist to see if an antidepressant or other medications may be an important part of your treatment.
If you notice signs of depression, seeing your primary care doctor for a physical checkup can help determine whether or not there may be medical contributions to your symptoms and help you with the progress of diagnosis and care for your depression.
Related: How to Find a Therapist
Depression can take a significant toll on the quality of your daily life. Taking these tangible steps can help you get out of a depressive episode.
