It is not easy to try and balance finances with depression. For one, not a lot of people are openly talking about their mental health. Most of them prefer to keep these problems to themselves and not reach out to other people. Some are able to go through it by themselves but for most, it is a tough and grueling stage of their life.
There are a number of reasons why people go through depression. It also differs from one person to the other.
Acknowledge that there is a problem
It will be a challenge to balance finances with depression but it is not impossible. And in most problems you face, the most important first step is It sounds very easy and is quite basic but many people fail to realize it. This is because a lot of people are in denial that they are already having some serious mental health issues.
The longer you look the other way, your problem becomes more serious. Just like when you do not pay attention to your credit card debt, it does not really go away. In fact, that amount you have to pay keeps on increasing and growing every time you don’t pay it. It will only get worse with collection calls until you pay them back.
The same with mental health, you need to first acknowledge and accept that you are going through a tough time as Entrepreneur said. Once you do that, then you will be more open to your situation and consider ways how you can get out of it. If not, you will be stuck in denial and will have a difficult time moving forward and finding a way out.
Identify possible depression triggers
Before you can balance finances with depression, you need to address your mental health issues first. After acknowledging the problem, it is a good idea to try and identify what is causing your depression. This one sounds like a walk in the park, but this is one of the most challenging steps they will take for most people. Especially as WebMD shares that depression coupled with stress is a lot more challenging to deal with.
One reason is that this takes a lot of self-realization and looking at past experiences and your current situation and connecting all the dots. The insights you get from these can be important clues in helping you understand your triggers. This is important to give you the chance to get ahead of it and manage your mental health better.
Of course, you can always seek professional help and talk to a licensed therapist. They can guide and help you understand your depression a lot better compared to doing it yourself. This is a great investment for your health and if done right, can open up your understanding of mental health and give you the chance to manage it better in the future.
Work on getting ahead of your triggers
Once you identify your triggers or if you are able to narrow them down, start working to get ahead of them. But you have to manage your expectations as well. Just because you narrowed your stress triggers down does not mean you will not feel depressed anymore. This is an important stage in helping you balance finances with depression.
It will not disappear overnight. But you can drastically lower the chances of having an episode. That or you can better equip yourself when going through a tough time. Say if your depression is triggered by negative thoughts in your head, replace them with happy ones. Or go out and do something you like to get your mind focused on something else.
Take it one day at a time and you will notice some improvements. It can be fewer episodes or being mentally strong enough to handle one. Remember that this is a work in progress and it takes time to see results.
Check your circle
There are times when your immediate environment plays a significant role in your mental health. The friends that you keep around, the office culture you have, and even the relatives you choose to spend time with – are part of the circle you interact with on a daily basis. As a result, they have a huge influence on your mental health.
If the circle you belong to is always full of negativity and distrust, your mental health could suffer. You might find yourself slowly taking on the same way of thinking. Suddenly, you become a pessimist and find fault in everything and everyone around you. You tend to focus on the negative energy around you which drives you deeper into depression.
It could help if you can find people who have a more positive outlook on life. It can be joining an exercise community near your area. You might even want to take up that sport you used to love back in college. Start spending time for yourself and doing something you love. You will soon realize that you are smiling more often and that you are getting better control when it comes to negative thoughts.
Balance finances with depression by loving yourself first
In battling depression, you need to make sure that your happiness is not dependent on other people. For one, you know yourself better than any other person. You know how to make yourself happy. It is also important that you know what stresses you out. This means that you hold the key to getting that inner peace you need.
It also means that you do not have to do what everyone else is doing. What works for other people might not exactly give you the same results. So before you start copying what influencers and other popular personalities are doing.
If working out helps you clear your mind and makes you happy after, then go for it. You can even schedule that first thing in the morning so you set the tone for the rest of the day. There might be times that cooking helps you relax and put a smile on your face. Then start planning and cooking meals for your family ahead of time. This not only helps you with your mental health but planning ahead saves money as well. Find what works for you and make a conscious effort to make time for it.
You can ask for help
If you want to balance finances with depression but you feel like you do not know where to start or what to do, you can always seek professional help. As mentioned earlier, a licensed professional therapist can be a great step towards taking control of your mental health. They can help you understand your situation, identify your triggers, and even map out a way out of your problem.
However, there are other places to look for help more than just booking a schedule with your therapist. Catching up with friends and getting to reminisce about old times and laugh about them can be a good way to help you deal with depression. Visiting your folks and your old neighborhood could help remind you of how far you have come.
Instead of asking for help, why not use your time to help other people? You can choose to put in some time and volunteer in your local community. The logic behind this is that some people believe that when you help others, you are also healing yourself. It’s because of the belief that we are all connected and that we are meant to help each other out.
As you might know by now, it is not easy to balance finances with depression but you should not give up either. There are a number of ways to help you fix and improve your situation but you need to put a lot of time and effort into it.