{"id":2489,"date":"2021-05-27T17:04:40","date_gmt":"2021-05-27T17:04:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/?p=2489"},"modified":"2024-01-01T20:06:29","modified_gmt":"2024-01-01T20:06:29","slug":"how-to-stop-being-depressed-part-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/how-to-stop-being-depressed-part-7\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Stop Being Depressed&#8211;Part 7"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"has-text-align-center has-sand-background-color has-background wp-block-heading\">Depression isn&#8217;t meant to be faced alone. Maybe you don&#8217;t need a therapist, but you do need a friend.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Friend-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2490\" srcset=\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Friend-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Friend-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Friend-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Friend-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Friend.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Depression by its very nature is lonely and isolating. I personally have spent many a day sitting in my bed by myself, not talking to anyone, texting anyone, or being around anyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But depression is rarely surmounted alone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-large\"><p>There&#8217;s a reason we, as humans, don&#8217;t hatch out of eggs and fly away. We need each other. We need family. We need friends. Life was designed to be this way so we wouldn&#8217;t have to do it all on our own.<\/p><cite>melissa b. howell<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>When we&#8217;re feeling depressed, though, we rarely reach out to others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Perhaps we tell ourselves: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>&#8220;I don&#8217;t want to burden them.&#8221;<\/li><li>&#8220;I don&#8217;t want to be negative.&#8221;<\/li><li>&#8220;They&#8217;re probably busy and don&#8217;t have time for me.&#8221;<\/li><li>&#8220;I don&#8217;t want to let anyone know I&#8217;m feeling this way.&#8221;<\/li><li>&#8220;I don&#8217;t want them to think I&#8217;m weak.&#8221;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The thing is, your friends don&#8217;t want to see you hurting. They WANT to help you! Most people are compassionate and want to help carry your burdens, even a little bit. Even if it just means all they can do is listen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Talking with others who have also experienced depression can be particularly helpful. Just knowing that you are not alone is a huge comfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here&#8217;s other good news: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2015\/08\/150819083652.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">your depression is unlikely to spread to your friends<\/a>. If you&#8217;re worried about making them depressed, too, you need not worry. Your friends who are generally happy will stay that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, having enough friends with a healthy mood can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2015\/08\/150819083652.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">double your chances of recovering from depression<\/a> over a 6-12 month period. (Five or more healthy friends can produce this effect).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sometimes when you&#8217;re depressed, <a href=\"https:\/\/themighty.com\/2017\/12\/keep-friends-with-anxiety-and-depression\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">friends and family members don&#8217;t understand<\/a>. It can be painful when this happens. In these cases, it is beneficial to reach out to a professional counselor or therapist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, realize that just because one person didn&#8217;t understand, it doesn&#8217;t mean that NOBODY will understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.top10.com\/online-therapy\/free-comparison\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Here is a list of online counseling resources.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When thinking about who to talk to about your depression, think a little outside the box. If you don&#8217;t feel comfortable talking to any close friends, what about your Great Aunt Fran? She might have some wisdom to impart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What about a church leader, or another mom on the soccer team? Sometimes it feels less risky confiding in someone you&#8217;re not super close to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-large\"><p>Don&#8217;t carry the burden of depression alone. It&#8217;s not what you were meant to do.<\/p><cite>melissa b. howell<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>You could call a friend and start out by saying something like, &#8220;Hey, I need to tell you something, but you don&#8217;t have to fix it. I just want someone to listen. I&#8217;m really struggling right now&#8230;.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I know it takes a lot of courage to do this. If you don&#8217;t feel like calling, then you could text a similar message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Getting your feelings out into the open doesn&#8217;t mean you always have to talk about your depression, or that it will constantly be the topic of conversation. But it can help you feel more comfortable around your friends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You won&#8217;t be worried about letting something slip, or have to explain doctor&#8217;s appointments or medications. Your friends will understand why you might not want to get together or go out as much, and you won&#8217;t have to make up excuses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Here&#8217;s a great article on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mentalhealth.org.uk\/a-to-z\/f\/friendship-and-mental-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">friendship and mental health<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And if you&#8217;re reading this right now and you&#8217;re not depressed, but think someone you love might be, <a href=\"https:\/\/seizetheawkward.org\/conversation\/learn-the-signs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here are some ideas for starting a conversation with them.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Is there someone you could call or text right now? Give it a try. You just might feel better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Be sure to read the other articles in this series dealing with situational depression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/how-to-stop-being-depressed-1\/\">How to Stop Being Depressed&#8211;Part 1<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/how-to-stop-being-depressed-2\/\">How to Stop Being Depressed&#8211;Part 2<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/how-to-stop-being-depressed-3\/\">How to Stop Being Depressed&#8211;Part 3<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/how-to-stop-being-depressed-part-4\/\">How to Stop Being Depressed&#8211;Part 4<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/how-to-stop-being-depressed-part-5\/\">How to Stop Being Depressed&#8211;Part 5<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/how-to-stop-being-depressed-part-6\/\">How to Stop Being Depressed&#8211;Part 6<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-sand-background-color has-background\">How are you doing? No, really. How is your life going right now? <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/life-assessment\/\">Take my Life Assessment and get your Life Score<\/a>.<\/strong> You&#8217;ll get customized suggestions and links to resources to help you optimize your home and your brain based on your score. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/life-assessment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Click here now to take your Life Assessment!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-large-font-size\">Pin me!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Depressed-part-7-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Depression isn't meant to be faced alone. Maybe you don't need a therapist, but you do need a friend.\" class=\"wp-image-2495\" width=\"512\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Depressed-part-7-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Depressed-part-7-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Depressed-part-7-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Depressed-part-7.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Depression isn&#8217;t meant to be faced alone. Maybe you don&#8217;t need a therapist, but you do need a friend. Depression by its very nature is lonely and isolating. I personally have spent many a day sitting in my bed by&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/how-to-stop-being-depressed-part-7\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2490,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[21,22],"tags":[24,25],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Stop Being Depressed-Part 7 - Melissa B. Howell<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Depression isn&#039;t meant to be faced alone. Maybe you don&#039;t need a therapist, but you do need a friend.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/how-to-stop-being-depressed-part-7\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Stop Being Depressed-Part 7 - Melissa B. Howell\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Depression isn&#039;t meant to be faced alone. Maybe you don&#039;t need a therapist, but you do need a friend.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/how-to-stop-being-depressed-part-7\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Melissa B. Howell\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-05-27T17:04:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-01-01T20:06:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Friend.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Melissa\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Melissa\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/how-to-stop-being-depressed-part-7\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/how-to-stop-being-depressed-part-7\/\",\"name\":\"How to Stop Being Depressed-Part 7 - Melissa B. Howell\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2021-05-27T17:04:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-01-01T20:06:29+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/#\/schema\/person\/201264718337fafbaa28133f17f8d730\"},\"description\":\"Depression isn't meant to be faced alone. Maybe you don't need a therapist, but you do need a friend.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/how-to-stop-being-depressed-part-7\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/how-to-stop-being-depressed-part-7\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/how-to-stop-being-depressed-part-7\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to Stop Being Depressed&#8211;Part 7\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/\",\"name\":\"Melissa B. Howell\",\"description\":\"Home and Life Coach\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/#\/schema\/person\/201264718337fafbaa28133f17f8d730\",\"name\":\"Melissa\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f5f32c4745b983620c7685939de2f47a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f5f32c4745b983620c7685939de2f47a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Melissa\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/author\/melissa\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Stop Being Depressed-Part 7 - Melissa B. Howell","description":"Depression isn't meant to be faced alone. Maybe you don't need a therapist, but you do need a friend.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/how-to-stop-being-depressed-part-7\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Stop Being Depressed-Part 7 - Melissa B. Howell","og_description":"Depression isn't meant to be faced alone. Maybe you don't need a therapist, but you do need a friend.","og_url":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/how-to-stop-being-depressed-part-7\/","og_site_name":"Melissa B. Howell","article_published_time":"2021-05-27T17:04:40+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-01-01T20:06:29+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":1800,"url":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Friend.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Melissa","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Melissa","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/how-to-stop-being-depressed-part-7\/","url":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/how-to-stop-being-depressed-part-7\/","name":"How to Stop Being Depressed-Part 7 - Melissa B. Howell","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2021-05-27T17:04:40+00:00","dateModified":"2024-01-01T20:06:29+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/#\/schema\/person\/201264718337fafbaa28133f17f8d730"},"description":"Depression isn't meant to be faced alone. Maybe you don't need a therapist, but you do need a friend.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/how-to-stop-being-depressed-part-7\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/how-to-stop-being-depressed-part-7\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/how-to-stop-being-depressed-part-7\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to Stop Being Depressed&#8211;Part 7"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/","name":"Melissa B. Howell","description":"Home and Life Coach","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/#\/schema\/person\/201264718337fafbaa28133f17f8d730","name":"Melissa","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f5f32c4745b983620c7685939de2f47a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f5f32c4745b983620c7685939de2f47a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Melissa"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/melissabhowell.com"],"url":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/author\/melissa\/"}]}},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Friend-600x400.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Friend-600x600.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Melissa","author_link":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/author\/melissa\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2489"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2489"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2489\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2541,"href":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2489\/revisions\/2541"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/melissabhowell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}