Easy-to-Use Strategies to Stay Productive During Depression

Posted by Sean Williamson on March 2nd, 2020

There are times when you feel exhausted without even taking part in any physical activity. When you fall into depression, it weakens your motivation to perform even the simplest of tasks, let alone deal with difficult and bigger tasks. Depressed people have a hard time mustering up enough courage to get their work done, take care of their health and clean the mess.

According to research, different mental illnesses affect over 40 million adults in the U.S. But there is no need to fret since mental illness is highly treatable. Those who are going through depression can lose their ability to focus which leads to decreased productivity. There are several steps that depressed people can take to restore their productivity. Without further ado, let’s discuss these easy-to-use strategies.

Consider Living in the Moment

Regretting past mistakes or events and thinking too much about the unknown challenges in the future will get you nowhere. You will only end up getting overwhelmed. This habit of yours can keep you from being overly active in the present. So, what you need to do is instead is focus entirely on your present and you what you can do to make your present moment better.

When you wake up in the morning, take note of the sunshine peeking in. While driving on your way to work, don’t forget to observe nature and be grateful for the fact that you are alive and living a healthy life. Do not immediately start worrying about your pending and challenging tasks of the day at work.

Make Your Own Decisions

A majority of people with anxiety and depression usually start underestimating themselves, their capabilities and their decision-making ability. That is why they depend on others to make decisions for them.

Instead, you should trust your instincts and make life-changing decisions on your own. When you strive to make choice even as simple as deciding whether to get yourself a cake or an ice cream, you’ll stop living a miserable life. As you start gaining enough confidence to take control of your decisions, you are more likely to get back to life and you will no longer be consumed by depression.

Create a Daily Schedule

With no daily routine in place, it is easy to laze around in bed all day and take longer to recover. If you want to get out of a depressing state, it is better to take time to create a to-do list and record all your negative and positive thoughts in a journal. When you pen down your emotions on a paper, you are less likely to feel stressed out.

Not having a daily schedule will make you feel like you are flying around without any particular goal, which will ultimately lead to an increased level of stress. Creating a daily schedule will not only keep you organized, focused but it will also get you going in the morning. You can even download an app to schedule your daily tasks using high-speed internet.

Maintain Relationships

Let’s face it, depressed people usually have the impulse to isolate themselves, and they end up shutting off from their friends and family. Even though it may seem counter-intuitive, it is crucial to move mountains to stay socially connected. Allowing yourself to be a total mess around people who genuinely care about you is essential.

In case negative thoughts don’t stop entering your mind, you can talk to your friends and family about what you are going through. By going out and discussing your situation and feelings, you will feel a whole lot better and your desire to be happy again will be fulfilled. Keep in mind that only your friends and family can offer support and encouragement you need to get back to life. After sharing your emotions, you will clearly see an improvement in your productivity level.

Don’t Feed Depression

Feeding depression will only worsen the situation. If you keep overthinking about different things, you are likely to have more fears, doubts, and negative thoughts.

If you don’t want to feed depression, then you need to take time to identify all the worries and negative thoughts that are fueling your depression. Once you successfully identify those thoughts, it will be a whole lot easier for you to replace them with more positive and realistic thoughts.

Get Out of Your Room

Depression can make you isolate yourself. It says things like ‘Nobody likes you so it’s better to lock yourself in your room’ and ‘Check your social media accounts and see what’s going on in your friends’ life’ and ‘You are feeling low today so you should consider working from home today’.

Never listen to what your depression says, when you get out of your room, you will end up ticking off the tasks on your to-do list. This is more likely to give you a sense of accomplishment. Make sure you get yourself to your co-working space, nearby library or coffee shop despite what depression tells you.

Avoid Perfectionism

As they say ‘Perfect is the enemy of good’ so you must avoid perfectionism in life. When your entire focus is on doing your day-to-day tasks flawlessly, you may not begin with the tasks. People who are going through a hard time start feeling that they will fail if they don’t take action in a perfect way.

This is what prevents them from getting started with their tasks. Not only that, their depression is stimulated. Allowing yourself to accept less-than-perfect results for your efforts can increase your productivity in no time.

To Sum Up...

It is understandable that people dealing with depression have a hard time staying productive. But, by using the aforementioned tips, not only they will feel better but they will also be able to stay productive at work.