10 Natural Ways to Stop Feeling Depressed

• Life is a drag.
• What’s the point of anything?
• I’ll never be happy.

Do any of these gloomy thoughts sound familiar? It’s likely they do. The occasional case of the blues is perfectly normal, but that doesn’t make dealing with it any easier. If you allow them to, negative thoughts can fester and lead to serious depression. That’s why it’s important to take action early to bust yourself out of a slump.

While these suggestions won’t eliminate your problems, they can help you break a negative thought pattern and stop feeling depressed. If you think you might have a serious mental health problem, don’t hesitate to see a medical professional.

1. Understand the emotional cycle – Life is an emotional roller coaster. Some days you feel like nothing can stop you. Other days you feel utterly hopeless. Most of the time you’re somewhere in between. Understanding the pattern of positive and negative emotions will help you put your feelings in perspective. Next time you feel down, just remember that it’s a natural emotion that will inevitably pass. Knowing that a feeling of depression is only temporary makes it less dreadful.

2. Spend time with positive people – Nothing affects the way you think and feel more than the people you interact with. Thoughts (both positive and negative) are contagious. If you are surrounded by negative people, it’s only natural that you’ll start to think and feel the same way. To improve your outlook on life, spend time with positive people. Search them out and try to understand the way they see the world. Chances are their happiness will rub off.

3. Reflect on past success – In the wake of a colossal failure, it’s easy to forget everything you’ve ever done right. Take a few minutes to remember your past accomplishments and build yourself up. What made you successful before? What are your strengths? Frequently, this exercise will build self confidence, help you figure out what went wrong, and generate ideas for success in the future.

4. Focus on gratitude – It’s human nature to measure ourselves against those ahead of us on the social ladder. Studies have shown that people care more about being richer than their friends than actually making more money. When you consider everything good in your life and compare it to the problems of less fortunate people, the issue that’s making you depressed won’t seem as serious.

5. Change of scenery – One of the best ways to change the way you feel is to change your environment. When you get in a slump, you start to associate your problems with everything around you. It can get to the point where your environment is a constant reminder of your problems. This can be a dangerous cycle. The solution is to change things. Change doesn’t have to be radical. Cleaning up, adding more lights, or including pleasant decorations can completely change the mood of a room.

6. Break your routine - Going through the same routine, day after day, can be monotonous and depressing. It often leads to getting caught in a rut. To get out of it you need to temporarily change your routine. If you can, take a day off from work. Do something you don’t normally have time for or something you’ve never tried. In the long run, taking a day off every now and then to get out of slump will make you happier and more productive.

7. Interact with animals and nature – It’s funny when you consider how humans put so much importance on their own tiny problems. Animals don’t think this way. A little bird doesn’t mope around because it isn’t an eagle or because another bird beat it to a tasty seed. Animals live in the present moment and they show love unconditionally. Observing and interacting with them will help you get over your problems.

8. Get moving – As Johnny Cash famously suggested, “Get a rhythm, when you get the blues.” Moving to a beat makes everyone feel better. The same is true for movement in general. Hitting the gym or going for a walk will help you shed the lethargy that comes with feeling depressed. The more enthusiastic your moments, the better you will start to feel.

9. Think about the big picture – As Carl Sagan made evident with the Pale Blue Dot, we’re insignificant creatures living in a vast universe on a tiny planet. In the long run, everything we do will probably be forgotten. Some might find this depressing, but it shouldn’t be. It means that all our problems are illusory. In a million years no one will remember what you did or didn’t do. What matters is the present moment and enjoying every second of life that we’re blessed with.

10. Do something to help yourself – Above all, the best way to stop feeling depressed is to take action. What is your biggest problem? How can you alleviate it? Once you decide to stop moping and start moving forward you won’t have time to feel depressed. Action will occupy your mind and give you something to look forward to. Once you get some results, you’ll build momentum and positive thinking will keep getting easier.

Cheers............

The Victor

If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don't. 
If you like to win but think you can't, 
It's almost a cinch you won't. 
If you think you'll lose, you're lost. 
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellow's will. 
It's all in the state of mind. 
If you think you are out classed, you are. 
You've got to think high to rise. 
You've got to be sure of your-self before
You can ever win the prize. 
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man. 
But sooner or later, the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.

by: C. W. Longenecker

Handling criticism

Rather than trying to avoid criticism, expert performers welcome it. They seek out coaches and advisors who can give them constructive, sometimes even painful feedback. They then use this feedback as a guide for steady improvement.


Here are some steps you can take to handle criticism effectively:


1. Acknowledge Your Error - Acknowledging a mistake is not the same as acknowledging that you are an inferior person/a failure. If you believe the criticism is accurate, take full responsibility. Don’t blame something or someone else and don’t make excuses. If appropriate, offer a diplomatic apology: “I’m sorry that my actions led to that result. It certainly was not my intention.” Again, if appropriate, ask for suggestions on how you can improve your performance the next time.
    

2. Take Corrective Action - After you’ve heard the other person out completely, and listened to any suggestions for improvement, state/communicate your eagerness to improve in the future. If appropriate, describe any actions you will take at his time to counterbalance your previous error. 

3. Acknowledge the other person’s motive - Thank the other person for the feedback and make sure to state how valuable you consider it. This demonstrates your ability to use criticism as a way to improve – an essential quality of a leader. In addition, let the other person know that you are open to receiving his or her feedback in the future. 


Even when you don’t care for the style in which criticism is presented, be thankful that the other person is willing to give you feedback, and along with it, an opportunity to improve.

It's called Mindset

As I was passing by the elephants, I suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg.

No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from the ropes they were tied to but for some reason, they did not. I saw a trainer nearby and asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away.
    
"Well," he said, "when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it's enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.

"I was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn't, they were stuck right where they were.
    
Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before? 

Wise say, “Your attempt may fail, but never fail to make an attempt.”

A Smile

A smile costs nothing, but gives much-
It takes but a moment, but the memory of it usually lasts forever.
None are so rich that can get along without it-
And none are so poor but that can be made rich by it.

It enriches those who receive, without making poor those who give-
It creates sunshine in the home,
Fosters good will in business,
And is the best antidote for trouble-
And yet it cannot be begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is of no value
Unless it is given away.

Some people are too busy to give you a smile-
Give them one of yours-
For the good Lord knows that no one needs a smile so badly
As he or she who has no more smiles left to give.

                                                                                                                               cheers

Your Life: A Life Worth Living

Do not complain that life is hard
That it is full of suffering and pain
Do not cry that life is full of difficulties
That your life has become a bane

Life is hard but is worth fighting for
There is a bit of pain but a lot of gain too
Obstacles come to make you strong
To give you strength and teach you all along

Do not let your days become a bore
Do not let your life become a routine chore
Do not spend your time in regret
Thinking of the things you could not get

Do not keep thinking about the past
You never know how long your life will last
Leave behind a legacy that will long last
Go out there and have a blast

Enjoy the rain and the sunshine
Take joy in all the little things
The bigger picture in life is important
But the little things make life pleasant

Do not go around with a gloomy face
Spread joy and happiness at any place
It does not matter if you are not successful and rich
Through your love and joy make the world rich

More than earning money and fame
Make achieving happiness your chief aim
Success and money will come and play a part
But chase your dreams and follow your heart

You get to live your life only once
Do not throw it all away
Even in the face of grieving and misgiving
Know that your life is always worth living

cheers

Learn from Failure

Learn from Failure: How It Increases Your Chances of Succeeding

Learn from failure, you probably have heard it all from articles, stories and books.

This article is to drive home some key points about learning from failure. Lessons you probably are very familiar with but need reminder about. Or if you are new to this thing called failure then it will serve as a springboard to better success.

You hear stories about failure. You hear stories about success. You hear how failure is the mother of all successes. Yet, you are still fearful of failure. As if it is a black mark that will appear in your report card of life if you did fail. And fail you will, if you are like the rest of us mere mortals. Does that mean you stop trying?

1. Take The Risk and Pay The Price
Nothing ventured, nothing gain. You have to be willing to take the risk venture beyond the comfort zone regardless of what area you are in to gain some form of success. Think about the entrepreneurs, scientists,leaders and businesses which took the path less trodden and how they were rewarded handsomely.

If you are willing to pay the price with the risk you take, then the returns may just surprise you. But, but what if I fail, you ask.

2. It’s OK to Fail, Really. 

Yes, it’s OK to fail. The adage we learn from failure is true. Be open with your mind, eyes and ears. The lessons are there for you to understand and do better next time. Think about what you have done right, what you can do better and what you should stop doing. That is one of the easiest ways to analyze how to learn from failure. One side point, in cases like these I dislike to use the word failure. Setback is my preferred word.

3. Experience is the Best Teacher

Think about this, if you do not fail in any of your endeavor, how do you learn to be better? How do you become wiser? People say experience is the best teacher. If you accept that to be true then you need to accept failure as one of the many lessons you gain from experience. So, you get to learn from failure. It’s that simple. Think about failure as lessons paid in the journey of life.

4. Freedom to Fail

Allow yourself the freedom to fail if you want to learn from failure. When you are too cautious, you do not allow yourself to take any risks. If you are safe all the time, then you are not giving yourself the opportunity to learn from failure. Give yourself the freedom to fail and see how the lessons of success open up for you.

5. Fear of Failure

The fear of failure may not necessarily be bad as it propels you to succeed. Some people use it as a motivating factor to ensure they succeed. As long as you do not get paralyzed into inaction and limit your appetite for taking risk, I believe the fear of failure as a propelling factor can be of good use.

6. Welcome Failure

There can be no success without failure. You should welcome failure as an opportunity to learn and you will learn from failure. The fees for learning from failure may seem too high sometimes, but in the long run you will somehow discover it a worthwhile price to pay. 

Cheers