6 tips for fighting the effects of depression

Depression can have all sorts of effects on you: from your mood to your cognitive abilities, it can slow you down in so many unexpected ways. Here are a 6 handy tips to help treat the symptoms of this disease.

When you're feeling down, it can be hard to think of anything nice to say about yourself. That's when talking to someone you trust can really help.

• Consider writing down what your significant other or friend tells you. Instead, you could ask them to send it in an e-mail or letter that you can read whenever you need a boost. Positive affirmation in an email goes a long way to remind you of your self-worth and is no way egotistical or boastful, no matter how much you may believe it might be.
• Think of it this way: if you physically fell and injured yourself, and someone offered to help you up, would you feel any less of a person for accepting help? Likely not. Asking for an email or letter is the same thing.

Get together with a rowdy group of friends, make a date to go see a comedian with your spouse, or just watch a funny movie by yourself. All of these things can help perk you up when you are feeling down, so try and make it a weekly event.

• According to the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation, laughing is the body's natural stress-release mechanism.

Remember those cards in your old Monopoly game? You can either rifle through your game closet and pull out one of the real cards or get an index card and write "Get out of jail free."

• Add just below that, "This card may be used to remind me that I'm only human and humans make mistakes. I'm now off the hook!"

Give yourself a break and don't expect perfection. It's okay to occasionally screw things up because everyone makes errors. It's how we learn, grow and a natural part of being human.

Chronic stress isn't good for anyone. Depression is a common response to stress, and depression increases the risk of heart disease.

• Look for a stress management class in your neighbourhood, which may help you start to feel better. Your family doctor can help point you in the right direction.

If you're suffering from depression, you may find it difficult to deal with on your own. There are professionals you can turn to for help and advice when the situation becomes too much to handle by yourself.

• Ask you doctor for a referral. Speaking with a trained professional can help you deal with the effects of your depression and can also help you find an approach to fight it long-term.

Sometimes there's nothing better than talking with someone who understands what you're going through. Through online discussion boards, you can find people who share the very same challenges you're facing. For many people, there's also a certain comfort in the anonymity associated with being part of an online community.

• You could create your own blog and post how you are doing each day, or take part in an existing one.
• Either way, you'll have a place where you can go whenever you need some support or if you simply need to vent.

The advantage to joining an established blog is that it will likely already have a following, versus if you start your own which may take some time to gather a core group of members with whom you can have a discussion.