5 ONE-MINUTE Habits to Beat DEPRESSION

The simplest, fastest, easiest things to do when you're depressed.

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Mental health resources:

Contents:
0:00 - Depression and habits
2:44 - Before you start
4:17 - 1: Clean
5:29 - 2: Go outside
6:24 - 3: Interact with life
7:12 - 4: Complete one task
8:21 - 5: Treat yourself

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For information purposes only. Does not constitute clinical advice. Consult your local medical authority for advice. The information in this video was accurate as of the upload date, December 14, 2022.

If you or someone you know needs help immediately, you should take one of the following actions:
- go to your nearest hospital emergency room

[drali]

What habits help you deal with depression?

[nmrunlk]

I have Major Depressive Disorder and have been lying in bed every day till about 3:00pm. Today I cleaned out my kitty's litter box & put in fresh litter & swept the bathroom floor. I take better care of her than myself. After watching this wonderful video, I'm going to force myself to take a shower.😊

[NicoleCtirad]

I suffered severe depression and mental disorder 18 years ago as a teenage. Got diagnosed with cptsd. Spent my whole life fighting cptsd. Not until my wife recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly. 6 years totally clean. Never thought I would be saying this about mushrooms.

[vandna.guliya]

1. Clean
2. Go outside
3. Interact with a living being( people, pets, nature)
4. Complete one tiny task
5. Treat yourself- shower, sing, buy flowers, draw, etc

[BryceEdwardBrown]

Going outside at least once a day truly makes a world of difference, especially if you work at home

[GenerationX]

It's a relief to hear someone who isn't pushing medication and drugs for depression like 99% of American doctors and therapists do.

[lovelyshirl]

I struggle to get out of bed every single day...and most days I lose the battle. It's now 5 pm and I'm still in bed. Everything is black. The pain is unbearable. I no longer know where to turn. I don't have money for treatment and I struggle every day with thoughts of suicide, even though I am familiar with the devastation it leaves in its wake. I've struggled with depression for 53 years now and I feel alone and broken and damaged from it all. This has helped me to write it down.

[natalieciftciogullari]

Something that has helped me is calling the depression out for what it is. In my support network, if I'm around them, I will say "I've dipped" and that is understood by those close to me, to mean "I am feeling hopeless/ out of it/ down/ unmotivated etc". And that's when we will start do some healthy habits (many mentioned in this video).

Another thing, a tough pill to swallow was accepting motivation would only come from action and not vise versa. So I've been working for years to change the way my mindset when it comes to my depressive episodes. A therapist once told me "depression is the overwhelming feeling of hopelessness". Take that with a pinch of salt, but it's helped me reframe in those "dips". It's sitting with those negative thoughts and countering them. For everytime the thought pops into my head (here's some examples) "this is never going to end" to "it did last time" or "what's the point in anything" to "I don't need to know the answer right now, but we can find it later" etc. It's about being kind to myself and accepting my brain, body etc sometimes has an unvoluntary off switch. And finding these things, habits, people who can remind me there is still a switch and it'll turn back on eventually.

Last thing that has really helped me get out of the guilt spiral which often happens during or after a depressive episode- generally, we are alot kinder to loved ones than we are ourselves. For every thought or feeling you have about your situation/ depression, imagine it's coming from a loved one. How would you respond to what they're saying? What comfort or advice would you give? Now, say that to yourself because you deserve to love yourself as much as you love those around you.

Obviously, I'm not a professional and I'm just sharing some lil things I've picked up along the way. I've struggled with mental health issues for the best part of ten years. It's only in recent years I've been able to start implementing healthy habits along the way. It was really tough at first. But the more practice I put into it, the easier it got. I hope this helps someone to know mental health isn't something you "get over" or "win the battle of"- it's something you can learn to live with and still be successful in things you want (family relations, career, school, being happy etc). Enough essay writing😂 hope you're all okay!

[amysinger]

Thank you Dr. Ali! I LITERALLY achieved my PhD One minute at a time! with many of the same techniques. There is a terrible Adam Ant vampire movie that is clearly about addiction, but my favorite part is that it turns out the cure for vampirism... is to just start being a human again... just start eating good food and sleeping like a human... Everytime I feel myself slipping into the pit, I remind myself to just go through the motions until it happens, just start acting like a human and I will turn it around.

[cosmicmuse]

When you have anxiety along with depression, it becomes much worse to overcome it. Hopefully this helps.

[rajjai]

So refreshing to hear a therapist talk about their depression so openly. Thank you for being brave

[thatswhatisaidCA]

I'm 60 (retired) and in a dark hole for 4 years now (realized it started as deep sadness, so I'll see your other video after this 😁), just starting to come out, getting more balanced emotionally using a lot of these things you've mentioned. It's a struggle every single day and it's been hard and a long haul (my dr suggested it might also be from aging and/or menopause, but that's been 10 yrs now) but it IS getting slightly easier and more "good" moments happening (phew!). I appreciate this video, thank you; you really do have to feel the lows and then work on it as often as possible - it does get easier. I now set an alarm in the morning so i don't sleep too long (which makes me feel like I'm wallowing or wasting my time), get out of bed and do my personal cleaning, do makeup and hair and get out of my pajamas into "ready for the day" or "ready to go out" clothes (i plan the next day - a very simple easy one - just b4 bed). Makes a big difference, it is 99% of the time, so it's starting to become a habit. Just sharing. Thanks!

[markillsley]

I agree with you, I suffered with this and social anxiety, undiagnosed for more than two decades while self medicating with alcohol and fighting depression, I fixed myself in the end by going for a walk, Just being among people stopped me from feeling so alone and I found that I would have moments of clarity, My mum asked me to build her a table so I reoccupied my mind and planned the build of this table down to the last detail, I obsessed about every detail, bought the tools and materials needed and just built it because the blueprint was in my head, find something you used to enjoy be it cooking or being creative and make it happen, The walking and better choices will help you lose weight and improve your self image.Find a purpose learn a skill and get up and move forward.

[lionel]

What you describe is a mild depression not a severe one. Trust me a severe one is not about bad mood, it’s about wanting to disappear 😢
Having said that all good advice. I think cold showers, hardcore exercises, talking to people, hyperventilating work too

[SearchOfSelf]

You're amazing! I'm having a hard time with depression, and I'm so happy that your suggestions are manageable and do-able. It's so easy to feel like a failure when you need to be doing massive amounts of stuff. It's quite freeing to realize that it's the little things that can make the most impact ♥

[LAStars-sratS]

I’ve seen many vids from trained professionals giving advice but I’d say yours is the most helpful.
Depression often goes hand in hand with overwhelm and sometimes, one minute is all you can accomplish without, yet again, feeling like a failure. 👍

[EdelweisSusie]

Best video on depression I’ve ever seen - succinct, honest and easy to achieve tactics. Can’t thank you enough.

[lj]

I had been seriously depressed for months and couldn't get out of it. I saw this video and said to myself, What the heck, why not? I picked one tiny task that even didn't take a minute. (I watered a wilting plant). The next day I did that twice. I broke the overwhelming sink full of dishes into "wash one cup". I did it each day. I kept doing little things, like not taking a shower, just washing my face. until one sunny day I had enough energy to do two tiny things. The more I kept doing little things, the more I felt like I must be getting a little better. And I did. And I didn't even blame myself for not doing everything. It wasn't fast, but slowly each day was a little better instead of the same depression. Slowly I did more and more little things until I was acting and feeling almost normal. I'm not quite back to normal, but I'm enough normal to go to bed feeling like I did some good things. Thanks much more than one word.

[rubin-healmysocialanxiety]

Action leads to motivation, counter-intuitive but it's the truth and beyond important to grasp. Thanks for sharing Dr. Ali!

[nicholaslogan]

I feel like these are great for people who feel occasionally depressed. But when u wake up in this state i dont know how u could ever do this.