Silently Suffering in Sadness:
Depression in African American Women

Empower Yourself! Tips for Dealing with Depression

Reach Up and Out for Help

You are never alone. No matter how lonely you may feel there is always SOMEONE out there who can help. If you don’t have a supportive network of friends or relatives that can help even just by listening, call a hotline (see our list of resources), go to a spiritual institution and ask for guidance or an ear just to listen. A good first step is to talk to your doctor or to a qualified mental health professional, a pastoral counselor, guidance counselor or local mental health association.

Rest
 According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, lack of sleep was more closely associated with depression than with either arthritis or cancer. 1 Therefore, GET SLEEP! There are remedies for sleeplessness like:

Relax
Sometimes just turning off the computer, cell phone, and the task master inside of your head and taking a long, luxurious bath can ease a lot of the tension away.

Rejuvenate and LAUGH LAUGH LAUGH!
There is nothing like a giant belly laugh that shakes the blues away. Hysterical movies, a call to a funny friend, or changing your hairstyle to something TOTALLY DIFFERENT and can really be energizing!

Rev it up!
Lifestyle factors including diet and exercise can impact depression, SO GET MOVING AND REV IT UP! Regular exercise such as walking, running, swimming, or other aerobic activity causes the brain to produce more of the chemicals that combat depression. Exercise also can make you look better, which in turn raises self-esteem and decreases depression. Increasing the amount of Vitamin B3 (niacin) in the diet also has been found to bring relief from depression. Good dietary sources of niacin include oily fish such as salmon; chicken; dried peas and beans; whole grains; and seeds. 2

Medication and Therapy
Don’t be afraid to use medication for depression. If your car wasn’t working properly, you would take it to the mechanic and get it fixed. Getting counseling or taking antidepressants are resources that can help you get through a clinical depression. Talking to a professional therapist can provide objective insight and skills to problem-solve. Often using medication will lift the fog of depression so that you are able to assess your situation more clearly and function better. It is not a sign of weakness to ask for help.

Remember who you R!
Plan for your future – and remember who you are. You didn’t get this far by not knowing how to make it. Daily survival is an accomplishment, more than we often give ourselves credit for.

Remember:
YOU ARE POWERFUL.
YOU ARE STRONG.
YOU ARE AN INNOVATOR.
YOU ARE A SURVIVOR AND A THRIVER!

 

Yes I Can! Daily Affirmations to
Guide Your Journey to Wellness

I BELIEVE I am worthy of joy and love and happiness!

I KNOW that all things are temporary – good and bad, and this too shall pass.

I HAVE FAITH that when GOD closes a door, somewhere a window is opened.

I AFFIRM the trueness of this moment, no matter the feeling, no matter the situation, no matter the justice or injustice of it. IT IS and that is all that there is.

 

References:

1 Chapman, 2004

2 Blackwomenshealth.com

 

 

 



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