Where To Go When Feeling Depressed | 9 of The Best Places You’ll Love
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When you feel depressed, it is lonely, and you might ask, “Where To Go When Feeling Depressed?”
Depression is isolating; as someone who struggles with depression every month, the week before my period, I understand the feeling. These tips will help you feel less alone and get you the help you deserve.
This post is all about Where To Go When Feeling Depressed!
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What Is Depression?
From personal experience and seeing it in others, depression is losing interest in things you used to love. Nothing feels good anymore, and doing anything can be difficult.
Simply put, depression results from psychological, physical, and situational factors. Almost none of which you can control. But you can control how you deal with it and how you treat others despite it. Clicking on this article means that you are already taking a step to grow and feel better, which is amazing.
Here is a great article from Psychology Today that talks all about depression.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/depression
You might suffer from a lack of sleep or increased anxiety. There are almost infinite side effects from depression that all take different approaches to tackle.
If you feel like you will hurt yourself or others, please call 988, which has so many people there to talk and help you through a difficult situation. You deserve to feel okay and safe. The war is in your mind, so others might not see that you are struggling. Don’t take that as you aren’t struggling. It just means that you are getting stronger each day, not weaker.
There are many resources for everything that is hard in your life. There is always another move, so never give up. Depression is just a season in your life that you will look back on and know how strong you are because of it.
What Can You Do When Feeling Depressed
There are a million ways to tackle your depression that will help you immensely. Some simple places to start are to clean up your living space because you deserve to live in a clean and sanitary environment, talk to a friend or loved one because you deserve to feel love and comfort, and get out of bed because you deserve to live a life even when you feel like stopping.
Take a few moments and journal about whatever situation you are in and write everything that is stressing you out. Then cross out anything you can not control and work on the things you can control.
Find a comfortable and safe space. This is why cleaning your room or even just your bed can feel amazing. Taking control of something like this is important because it can give you confidence to control other things.
Take advantage of the better days and moments of clarity to pick up, do a laundry load, and shower. These moments may be few and far between, so prepare yourself for when it is worse by taking care of your future self. These are basic necessities that should trump everything else. Also don’t forget to drink some water and eat something easy. Buy a big pack of water bottles and keep a trashcan by your bed for when you finish one. Then buy a ton of protein bars and prepared frozen meals so you have something to keep you satiated.
What You’re Really Here For|Where To Go When Feeling Depressed
Therapist’s Office: This is a great place to start because they will have resources and guidance for your specific needs. If you can’t afford a therapist or cannot get out of bed, text a loved one and tell them your situation or feelings.
Sit outside, journal if this isn’t an option, and work through your feelings. Keep asking yourself “Why?” to every one of your feelings and see if they are fundamentally based on something that shouldn’t matter.
This is my favorite journal if you are interested:
Support Groups: This could look as simple as attending Church or finding a nearby free class you joined. Find new people to talk to and enjoy learning about others.
This can be such a scary step, but it does have to be mentioned because it can be transformative. Some people even go to AA because it is such a nonjudgmental place where you can talk.
Outside: Take a step outside and relax. If you have a balcony or a park nearby, go there. Even just sit in your driveway and read. Outside helps immensely.
It must be something with the sun that helps with depression so much because you can’t be sad after spending all day outdoors. This study says that Physical Activity outdoors helps way more than physical activity indoors or no physical activity at all. Try mowing or walking as something productive while you’re outside.
Have you spent a weekend at the lake or beach? How did you feel afterward? Probably amazing (unless there was family drama). This is for a reason. The sun and fresh air is so refreshing and healing.
Yoga or Meditation Centers: Mindfulness is a great way to cope with depression, and a yoga studio is a great place because they guide you on being mindful.
If you can’t afford a yoga class, watch YouTube videos and listen to meditations. These tips will help you in your everyday life when trying to be mindful. Mindfulness is amazing for mental health because you can really focus on your feelings and work through them easier knowing exactly what they are.
Art Galleries or Museums: A museum is AMAZING for working through a tough spot because it is quiet and introspective. Take your mind off your emotions and feel what the art tells you.
Learn something new and enjoy a quiet walk surrounded by beautiful art or educational content. Take a moment to look at each piece and think about what it means. Read all the title cards and look things up. Take your time, and don’t rush it.
Animal Shelters: Volunteering can be great for your mental health because you are giving back to your community and doing something for others. But especially with animals, you can enjoy spending time with them and get love back.
There is a reason dogs are emotional support animals and what they bring to sick children in the hospital. Dogs are loving and kind and will make you feel special.
Finding love in a pet can keep you going if you need a little boost.
Bookstores or Libraries: Books are an insanely good escape from reality that will help you find comfort in characters you will never even know in real life.
If you go the fiction route, find happy books like romance novels. Anna and The French Kiss is like being on happy pills the whole read-through. Enjoy a life outside of your own and maybe find some advice you didn’t know you needed.
You could go the self-help route and read some books about self-reflection and mental health. These are also some great resources that will give you guidance that only a professional is able to give.
Community Centers or Churches: Community centers are a place many people go to find, well, community! Look into a local community center that will have events and activities planned.
They will also have resources available that might be just what you need in your life. If you are underprivileged, I would HIGHLY suggest going to a community center and talking to someone who can find you exactly what you need.
A church is also a great place to find community if you feel lonely. Find a church that is either the Church of God or another accepting denomination if you are not religious. Those Churches are more likely to accept you and give you the community you deserve.
At Home with Loved Ones: Loved ones know you best! Spend time with people who add to your life and not detract from it. Find the people who make you feel loved and supported when you leave, and stay away from the ones who make you feel like crap.
Set boundaries with loved ones so your relationship can be happy and healthy on both ends. If they are unaccepting of these boundaries, they are not the people you should be around.
Welp, Those Are The Insanely Good Places To Go When Depressed
This post was all about places to go when feeling depressed.
Find people in your life that are going to be helpful and encouraging for your journey. Find a buddy that will go on a walk or to a museum with you so you don’t have to be alone. Maybe that means you set a timer and walk together for 20 minutes without talking so that you can be together without any pressure.
Remember to call 988 if you feel suicidal or 911 if you feel unsafe in your home situation. These resources are there for a reason, and you shouldn’t feel ashamed to take advantage of them.
