I'm blown away by all the openness and good advice in this thread.
I've suffered through bouts of depression most of my life as well. Luckily, I learned a few things about how to deal with it in my younger years - not that I have always followed the process, but at least the tools are there.
Technical fields are very prone to bring out depression. We work long hours, spend a lot of time in isolation, and have little time to celebrate our own successes. Poor eating and lack of exercise add to the recipe of less than optimal mental health.
There are a few things you can do to help yourself avoid a bad mental state, and help others as well.
2. Be more social. Interact with people at work and outside of work. Include others in your day to day adventures.
3. Get more sun. It's spring time. Enjoy it.
4. Get exercise. It's crazy how quickly you can go from completely sedentary to running a 5k.
5. Get sleep. It's astounding how much of a difference regular sleep will make in your happiness, in your metabolism, and in your overall outlook.
6. Don't accept dangerous behaviors out of your peers. When you see someone working 100 hour weeks over and over again, make them stop. We all appreciate a solid work ethic. Don't take advantage of it. When you see a co-worker isolated due to workload, figure out ways to bring that person out of it.
7. Be a leader. Be healthy. Have balance. Show people what kind of a difference that lifestyle can make.
Depression is always best cared for by a professional, but not everyone is open to therapy. When you identify someone going through it, don't simply recommend seeing a doctor and move on. Be a friend.
I've suffered through bouts of depression most of my life as well. Luckily, I learned a few things about how to deal with it in my younger years - not that I have always followed the process, but at least the tools are there.
Technical fields are very prone to bring out depression. We work long hours, spend a lot of time in isolation, and have little time to celebrate our own successes. Poor eating and lack of exercise add to the recipe of less than optimal mental health.
There are a few things you can do to help yourself avoid a bad mental state, and help others as well.
1. Have a good attitude. This Ted Talk is fantastic: https://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_be...
2. Be more social. Interact with people at work and outside of work. Include others in your day to day adventures.
3. Get more sun. It's spring time. Enjoy it.
4. Get exercise. It's crazy how quickly you can go from completely sedentary to running a 5k.
5. Get sleep. It's astounding how much of a difference regular sleep will make in your happiness, in your metabolism, and in your overall outlook.
6. Don't accept dangerous behaviors out of your peers. When you see someone working 100 hour weeks over and over again, make them stop. We all appreciate a solid work ethic. Don't take advantage of it. When you see a co-worker isolated due to workload, figure out ways to bring that person out of it.
7. Be a leader. Be healthy. Have balance. Show people what kind of a difference that lifestyle can make.
Depression is always best cared for by a professional, but not everyone is open to therapy. When you identify someone going through it, don't simply recommend seeing a doctor and move on. Be a friend.