Do you struggle with persistent sadness, helplessness, insomnia, low energy, or loss of interest in the things you enjoy? It might not be just an off mood. You might be struggling with depression.
If depression is a part of your everyday life, you’re definitely not alone. And since the pandemic began, more people are suffering than ever before. According to last month’s data from the CDC’s Household Pulse Survey, 22.8% of survey respondents reported struggling with depression.
At MyComputerCareer, depression and anxiety symptoms are the two most prevalent mental health concerns that some students experience during their academic program.
Depression can be triggered by numerous things, but certain factors can make a person more susceptible to depression than others. If you are younger than forty, have a family history of depression or have been through a traumatic event, you may be more at risk.
Luckily, there are effective treatment options for depression. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has been found to be especially effective at helping with depression because of its focus on solution-oriented thinking and building coping skills.
CBT helps build effective mental wellness skills like mindfulness, which is an approach to redirecting the mind’s focus away from stressful thoughts and toward relaxation and being in the present moment.
The great thing about mindfulness exercises is that they can be done anytime, anywhere and just take a few minutes. Next time you start feeling depression symptoms coming up, try the below mindfulness basics:
- Focus on your senses: instead of your thoughts and feelings, focus on your breathing, heartbeat and other physical sensations
- Breathe: lay or sit down, breathe in for a count of four and out for a count of six. Repeat at least three times
- Accept your world: embrace sights, sounds, feelings and thoughts in an open, non-judgemental way
- Be kind to yourself: think the positive thoughts about yourself that you would hope your best friend would think about you
If you’re struggling with depression, don’t wait to get the mental health help you need. A professional counselor can assess your mental health to determine what treatment plan would work best for you to relieve your depression. Learn about your depression symptoms so that you can take control and move forward in your life, on your terms.
If you’re currently a student, take the first step to get help by calling to ask about our free Counseling Services at 800-633-3353 or email counseling@mycomputercareer.edu. Please note, this service is only available to currently enrolled and active MyComputerCareer students.
Not a MyCC student but interested in learning more about our IT training program and the associated perks like Counseling Services? Take the first step here today.