https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2016/07/11/18/27/lonely-1510265_1280.jpg

While I'm not an expert on depression I am human and have some opinions on what can be done to break out of a depression for anyone who happens to be in one. The main method I use to avoid going into depression is to focus on progress. Progress can take any form on any level or for any focus. If attention is focused on for instance learning a new language then it would be important to track progress and strive to make continuous improvements to current comphrehension and communication ability over time. If we are talking about physical fitness then progress can be tracked in a journal or a spreadsheet and the principle behind fitness progress is essentially progressive overload. Volume may be tracked and may increase over time and body composition can be tracked (lean body mass vs fat mass) to determine if progress is being made there.

In any area of life there may be room to make improvements or upgrades which can be made to the current position or state. To me to be depressed is to be in a state where I stop tracking progress and stop pursuing improvements. If I simply settle for where I'm at and what I have then to me that is the cause of depression because without progress we simply get older and deteriorate over time. To get stronger requires effort, focus, and determination. To get better at something requires discipline and to find out if I'm better I must track my gains and my losses. This goes for anything whether financial, physical, or mental.


My final advice: Never give up on yourself and always seek to improve your life in any way POSSIBLE.