Skip to main content

10 Tips to Help Relieve Depression and Heartache



Editor’s Note: This is a contribution by Julia Humphrey
“As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.” ~Johann Von Goethe
Not long ago I was completely imprisoned within myself, feeling lost without any direction. Sleeping consumed most of my time. I had brief moments when I checked in on Facebook, only to get a glimpse of others’ seemingly perfect lives with holidays, parties, babies, and weddings.

This made me more miserable, as I felt I had nothing going on in my own life.
Frustration was building within me because somewhere deep inside, the dreams that I had hidden away wanted me to start pursuing them. Easier said than done of course, but I knew that hiding under my duvet cover wasn’t going to take me anywhere.

I needed to change my negative outlook on life to a much more positive one. In this new process, I started to apply what I call the 10 “T”s to help with my feelings and fears.

The 10 “T”s to help relieve depression and heartache:

1. Trust yourself and the universe.

Know that the universe has a greater plan for us than we can ever imagine. My first authentic feeling of surrender came by reading self-help books. This gave me the first push toward believing and trusting in the power of the universe. It’s the greatest comfort knowing that you are taken care of.

2. Touch other people’s lives by sharing your personal story.

By reaching out you can help others in similar situations. Tiny Buddha and other spiritual websites helped me recognize that I am not alone with my emotions. There are people out there fighting the same type of battles who are willing to share their experiences. This kind of support system was needed in order to rebuild a healthy relationship with myself.

3. Therapy sessions are like taking an inner journey.

With my therapist’s help, it became clear to me why I acted the way I did and how I could overcome the fear, sorrow, and aggression I felt trapped with. Although professional therapy worked for me on a deeper level, the support from friends and family has been invaluable.

A previous teacher also helped me tremendously during depression. He instantly saw my full potential and became my friend and mentor. We keep in regular contact and he is a true source of inspiration that motivates me to be the person I want to be.

I encourage everyone to connect with someone they trust. Perhaps it’s your grandmother, aunt, friend, teacher, or neighbor who inspires you. Whoever it is, cherish that relationship.

4. Treat yourself (and others) with respect and compassion.

When suffering from depression and heartbreak, the last thing you may want to do is take a walk or go for a haircut. Beauty comes from inside, without a doubt, but taking care of yourself will make you feel better and stronger.

Start with little things, like moisturizing your skin with some nice smelling body lotion. You deserve the extra attention.

5. Tear down those walls that you have built up saying that you are not good enough.

I tell myself every day that I am a unique and beautiful, and I believe it.

6. Thank the universe or your higher power for keeping you healthy, safe, and alive.

I do this every night before going to sleep. It truly helps. I promise.

7. Tea and other hot drinks (not coffee) are calming.

Lighting a candle and drinking a nice cup of green tea can be such a soothing sensation.

8. Trying new things is fun.

For me, practicing guided mediations became an important part of my healing. I am still learning and loving every minute I dedicate to myself.

9. Traveling can be therapeutic, relaxing, and stimulating.

Until recently, traveling was my drug, as I would “use” it to escape from my anxiety. It seemed like a great idea for years, even though the outcome was always the same: I’d spend all my money and still feel empty, as the destination and people never made me feel complete in the way I’d hoped they would.

It took me a long time to accept and realize that serenity and peace start from within. Today, traveling is pure joy and inspiration.

10. Taking risks and chances is crucial to find a sense of purpose.

By throwing yourself out there, amazing opportunities can and will arise. I know this because it has happened to me several times.

For example, after reading the book Find Your Happy, by fellow Tiny Buddha contributor Shannon Kaiser, I suddenly felt a wave of courage to write publicly.

I’ve always dreamed of writing travel articles in English, but with English being my second language (Swedish being my first) I was scared of making grammatical mistakes.

I told myself that native English speakers could do it better than I could.

One day, after writing for fun on my computer about 2012 being a difficult year, I asked my sister (who is a photographer and writer) to post what I wrote on her lifestyle blog. She did, and a UK lifestyle magazine read it and asked to republish it online.

Since I had traveled extensively in my life (running away from my anxiety), I started writing travel articles. I am proud to announce that I am today a published travel writer. If I had never gotten out of my comfort zone and taken the risk of receiving criticism, I would not be where I am today.

This goes back to my first T: Trust. And the quote by Johann Von Goethe, “As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.”

I do; I listen to that inner voice and the guidance I’ve been given from the universe and I have felt more joy, abundance, and happiness than I thought was possible.

The same can be true for you!

Avatar of Julia Humphrey

About Julia Humphrey

Julia Humphrey is a Sweden-based lifestyle and travel writer for the UK online IDEAL magazine. She is also a recurrent guest blogger on her sister’s photograph and lifestyle blog. When she is not writing, she enjoys meditating, yoga, learning foreign languages, traveling, and connecting with new people. Connect with her @JuliaLHumphrey on twitter and at renehumphrey.blogspot.com.

Also credit to TinyBuddha

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Stargazer - Stretch Those Sides

I have been doing this pose, part of Cosmic Dance (a type of yoga, I am assuming), called Stargazer pose without knowing it is called Stargazer's pose a lot in the past. You see, sometimes, I don't follow the rules and come up with my own stretches and poses. It is fun. I have on some music, nice, soothing music or just anything I can click on. Then I go with the flow, letting my hair down. Just moving to the music...and that is when I come up with the above Stargazer's pose. This pose really stretches your sides. Keep your eyes on the outstretched hand if you are keeping it pointed to the top, as if you are waving or connecting to a higher energy from the Universe. Your arms will ache a little but hey, toned arms, here you come! :-) For those who want a bigger stretch, it is safe to slowly and gently move the lifted hand towards your back...don't overdo it, listen to your body's complaints and respect it. You don't have to prove anything to anyone, reme

Maid Side-Kick

I was kind of a little sad when I read the news about this - there will be no live-in Indonesian maids in Malaysia anymore . There are pros and cons to having a live-in maid, as with everything else, but for us, we enjoyed more pros than cons. Back then, when my kids were little, we brought in a family of maids to help with...well, just about everything, and we were like two families merged into one. They ate what we ate, we sleep, they sleep, we shop, they shop, they joke, we laugh, we joke, they laugh...for me, the maid I hired was more like a sister and side-kick to me. For that few years, I was dependent on her to mind-read my schedule and when I need or don't need help. She picked things up quickly and we ended up having lots of moments whereby we were in sync. Today, two of them are on my Facebook and we were gleefully chatting over Facebook Messenger since they've just discovered the wonders of the Internet and Social Media. Since we were more like partners in crim

Project Wolf Hunting (2022) - Film Review

Less than 10 minutes into the movie, I was already wondering why am I watching this show, and in the dead of the night.  But I was thinking to myself, I've toughened up quite a bit when it comes to things like these... Happiness , Signal , Sweet Home , Alice in Borderland , Vagabond , City Hunter , Tunnel ...these crime and sci-fi dramas and films I endured just so that I can watch my favorite actors in action...they must have really built me some mental muscles.  Usually, I am the late kind because I want to see what everyone has to say about it...so that I am prepared.  I will just present you with reasons to watch and reasons NOT to. Here goes.  REASONS TO WATCH If you like Seo In Guk , Jung So Min , Jang Dong Yoon , Sung Dong Il , or maybe even Im Ju Hwan , you might want to endure this film.  Hint : If you're a fan of Jang Dong Yoon, maybe watch it.  It's interesting. I know we have a lot of post apocalyptic world films all over the place now but this is a little diffe