How to Overcome Depression and Find Happiness

How to Overcome Depression
is By Learning to Rise above It

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How to overcome depression is a question that I have personally sought an answer to at various times in my life. I am aware that I am far from being alone in my quest, as a staggering number of people today suffer from this condition that can be so difficult and painful to live with.

In my own case, depression is a condition that has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. During a particularly bad episode following the death of my mother when I was in my mid-twenties, I became desperate to figure out how to overcome depression. My depression had become overpowering and all-consuming, and I felt that if I did not learn to overcome it, it would overcome me.

As a result of years of soul-searching, reading, research, sessions of therapy and medication, I did, to a large degree, discover how to overcome depression. My experiences in learning to overcome depression also led me to write a book on the topic, entitled Freedom from Shame- Overcoming the Stigma of Depression. In recent times, depression has, for the most part, become a small and manageable element of my existence, rather than being the overwhelming force that it once represented in my life.

In learning to overcome depression, I feel that it is important to understand what it truly means to overcome. The dictionary defines ‘overcoming,’ as rising above, gaining control or an upper hand over someone or something. Further meanings include struggling successfully against a difficulty or disadvantage, or to render somebody or something helpless or incapacitated.

It is vital to realize that overcoming something does not mean making that thing disappear. If we believe that the way to overcome depression is to banish the condition forever, we are setting ourselves up for a life-long struggle. Depression is a condition that is part of our physical make-up, and although it can be very successfully treated and managed, is not ‘curable.’ To overcome depression does not require eliminating the condition entirely, but rather, learning to gain control over, and rise above a potentially devastating ailment.

As we discover how to overcome depression, it is also important to remember that learning to gain control of depression and the power it can have over our lives is not a one-time, duel to the death. In overcoming depression we are not banishing it from our lives forever; we are learning how to reclaim the power that we often lose in the depths of depression. We are learning to gain the upper hand over depression, and rendering it helpless to control us and our lives.

However, like any condition in life, depression is not static. It does not remain constant, and overcoming it- keeping the upper hand, is something that requires an ongoing effort. When our lives are going smoothly, we often find that depression is easy enough to keep under control, but when we face difficult times, a serious bout of depression can be much more likely. It is in these challenging circumstances that we may find ourselves wondering anew about how to overcome depression.

At any time, the way to overcome an obstacle, difficulty, or painful condition is basically the same. Start by facing the situation head-on. Denying, avoiding, sugar-coating, or down-playing a problem in our lives will never help us overcome it. Knowledge is power, so we must begin claiming power over our lives, and our difficulties, by seeing them as they truly are in order to understand them.

Once we have accepted the reality of what we are facing, and gained understanding and clarity about the situation, we are in a much more powerful position to begin taking positive action. In discovering how to overcome depression, there are many tools and techniques available to us. I highly recommend both self-help, in the form of reading, journaling, and lifestyle choices such as exercise and meditation, and the help of others through professional therapy and support networks.

Just becoming aware that depression is creating a barrier to happiness and well-being in our lives is a great first step to overcoming that barrier. If you truly want to experience freedom from the oppression that depression so often brings, then make a decision. If you commit to working at overcoming it- not just once and for all, but on an ongoing basis, you can learn how to overcome depression.