How to Prevent Depression

Predicting Unhappiness

Pretty soon, I’m going to be less happy.

I realize that’s an odd thing to say, so let me explain.

My partner is a middle school teacher, and after a year of teaching remotely, she’s going back to working with students in person. (For those of you reading this in the future, it’s currently the beginning of April 2021.)

Meanwhile, I’ll still be working from home, so I’ll be alone a lot more often. We’ll no longer get to eat lunch together. We won’t get to take walks together during our breaks. There will be fewer hugs.

And at the same time, the ski season is winding down. Skiing is my favorite thing to do, and aside from writing, it’s the most common way I get to experience flow. Skiing has also been a nice outdoor opportunity for safe social interaction. Although COVID cases in Washington are reasonably low, I’m still not vaccinated, so I’m still not seeing friends very often (and only outdoors and with masks).

So with these two factors in the mix, I can reasonably expect to become less happy in April and May. I might still be quite happy overall, just less so than I am now – a little lonelier, a little less joyful. But there’s also a slim chance that I’ll relapse into depression.

I haven’t been seriously depressed for many years, but I know it’s a risk. It’s possible that additional upsetting events will coincide with those I’ve predicted, making what was likely to be a mild case of unhappiness much worse. Plus, for people who have experienced major depression in the past, relapse is very common – 85% will become depressed again within a decade.¹

A Proactive Response

The value of seeing this unhappiness coming is that I can take steps to mitigate it. I don’t plan to take this sitting down. Instead, I’m thinking about how I can be proactive and not be a victim of my circumstances.

I’m planning to do several things to offset the reduction in happiness. And while I don’t expect to become seriously depressed, the steps I’m taking to manage this bout of unhappiness are also effective techniques you can use to prevent depression.

Ups and Downs

First, though, I should point out that experiencing ups and downs is normal, natural, and inevitable. When things go well, we feel happy. When things go poorly, we feel bad. And sometimes we have ups and downs for no apparent reason. All of this is perfectly okay.

So the goal here is not to completely eradicate unhappiness from your life. That’s impossible. The goal is to make the inevitable bouts of unhappiness you’re going to experience briefer and less severe.

Also, the practices that make the lows less low also make the highs higher. All the things I do to prevent depression and unhappiness also make joy and contentment more common.

How to Prevent Depression and Unhappiness

Here are several of the best ways to prevent depression, as identified by scientific research and corroborated by my own experience.

Social Connection

As noted, one of the main concerns I have for the coming months is not getting enough social interaction. Spending time with my friends is a primary source of happiness for me, so I’ll need to make this a priority. Furthermore, some research has identified social connection as the most powerful to prevent depression.²

But because of COVID, social gatherings are few and far between, so I’ll have to go out of my way to make this happen. I’ve already reached out to some friends to plan hikes and park walks, and I’ve set up calendar reminders to plan more outdoor social time with friends. Plus, I’m planning to call one out-of-state friend each week to catch up.

Nature

We know that spending time in nature helps prevent depression,³ and I personally love being out in nature, so I’m planning to spend a lot more time outside. This means more park walks and hikes, with or without a companion.

Last year, I discovered that the joy of spring is in the details – noticing all the subtle ways the plants and animals in my area change with the transition from winter to summer. So I’m definitely planning to take my time when I’m outside and really pay attention to details.

Exercise and Movement

Research has shown exercise and movement are powerful ways to prevent depression.⁴ I normally get a lot of exercise, but I’ll be sure to increase this – especially because I’ll need to make up for the lack of skiing.

And this isn’t about losing weight or getting ripped – it’s about improving my brain function. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors moved a lot more than we do simply because their survival depended on it, so our brains evolved to function best when our bodies are in motion. And this means not only conventional exercise, but also lighter activities like walking, stretching, and chores.

If you’re worried about relapsing into depression and you’re not moving your body often, this might be the most important thing to do.

Nutrition

Likewise, eating well is an essential part of any depression-prevention protocol. According to the Harvard Health Blog, a healthy diet is “associated with a significantly lower risk of developing depressive symptoms.”⁵

And please don’t think you need to rigidly follow some trendy diet. Just follow these simple guidelines:

• Eat lots of vegetables.
• Don’t eat a lot of sugar.
• Don’t eat a lot of processed food.

My nutrition is already dialed in, but I’m going to keep this in mind when I’m tempted by things like sugar and pizza. And just to be clear, as with exercise and movement, this isn’t about losing weight or looking sexy – it’s about taking good care of your brain.

Sleep

Sleeping well is also essential for mental health,⁶ so I’m taking steps to really dial in my evening routine. I already don’t use electronics late at night, but I do need to stop getting myself amped up with exciting books. (The Mistborn Trilogy was incredible, but it didn’t help me get to sleep).

I’m going to continue my practices of not eating before bedtime and taping my mouth shut at night because those have proven to be highly beneficial for my sleep and subsequent mental health.

Cognitive Therapy

Researchers have also shown that learning cognitive-behavioral skills for managing thoughts and emotions can help prevent depression.⁷ So I know that I’ll need to mindfully apply those skills more often in the coming months.

If you’re unfamiliar with these methods, please read my series of self-administered cognitive therapy articles and/or find a therapist. Therapy is of course helpful when you are depressed, but if you’re someone who is prone to depression, it can also be a good idea to see a therapist occasionally when you’re feeling good.

Gratitude Journaling

I know from long experience that gratitude journaling helps me feel better, so I’m going to up my gratitude journaling frequency, and remind myself by adding an extra checkbox to my weekly to-do list.

If you’ve never tried this, just grab a notebook and jot down a few things you’re grateful for. I also like to note what I’m proud of myself for doing and something I’m looking forward to.

Focus on Meaningful Work

One of the most important things you can do to cultivate joy in your life (and ward off depression) is to pour your energy into meaningful work. Don’t get lost in “the shallows” of email and social media and the news. Instead, focus on doing deep work in pursuit of goals that are truly important to you.

For me, this is very much a work-in-progress. Lately, I’ve been feeling a little scattered; I took on too many projects at one time to really focus on any of them. So I’m going to double down on my deep-work routine and focus on the one project that is truly most important to me.

Use Your Signature Strengths

On a related note, researchers have also found that using your signature strengths on a regular basis leads to greater life satisfaction.⁸ So if you haven’t already identified yours (free, science-based test here), you should. Doing work that matters while using your personal strengths is a powerful recipe for preventing depression.

Running a Full-Court Press on Yourself

All of these depression-prevention techniques add up to what I call a “full-court press.” In basketball, this is a strategy used by underdog teams to compete with more talented teams. In the world of mental health, running a full-court press means doing everything you can to give yourself the best odds of being happy.

However, please don’t think that adopting a “do everything” strategy means you have to do any of the things I’ve described perfectly. You don’t have to do all of them. You don’t have to do them all the time. And you don’t have to do any of them perfectly. Every step you take in the right direction is helpful because when it comes to preventing depression, everything counts.

The Value of Predicting Depression

Although you can use the strategies detailed above all the time to maintain strong mental health, they will be most useful at times when you see unhappiness looming on the horizon.

When you can predict that a mental health crisis is coming, you can prepare for it. And if you prepare well enough, you can prevent it from happening in the first place.

Prevention is easier than treatment.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” –Benjamin Franklin⁹

It is much easier to prevent depression than to treat it. This is because depression makes it harder to take good care of yourself and harder to do the very things you need to do to feel better.

Depression often leads to a loss of energy and motivation, leading to inactivity.¹⁰ And just as taking action can create motivation, inaction tends to further reduce your energy and motivation.

Since nearly everything you would do to make yourself feel better involves taking action, it’s common for people with depression to fall into what psychologist Magnus Nordmo calls “the cycle of inactivity.”¹¹ Depression can prevent you from taking positive action, which prevents you from feeling better, so you remain depressed.

Therefore, it’s best to prevent depression from happening in the first place. And your best chance of doing that is looking ahead and predicting when and why you might become depressed.

If you can see it coming, you can prepare.

Last year, in the spring of 2020, just about everyone was caught off guard by COVID-19 and the ensuing lifestyle changes. And as a result, mental health has suffered greatly.

I, myself, became mildly depressed, which was as surprising to me as the pandemic itself. I’ve long utilized many of the self-care practices detailed above to strengthen my mental health. But despite these preparations, the storm still caught me off guard.

This time around, because I see it coming, I’m in a better position to weather the storm. I’m actively expanding my self-care practices and more deliberately engaging in the activities that make me happier before things get worse. That way, I’ll be able to prevent the coming bout of unhappiness from turning into depression.

What about you? If you look ahead, are there any storms on the horizon?

If you can predict an upcoming period of unhappiness, you can do as I’ve done and plan for it.

Last-minute prevention is still helpful.

Sometimes, you can see unhappiness coming a mile away, and you can do things to prepare ahead of time. More often, you’ll get caught by surprise.

But you probably won’t go from just fine to severely depressed overnight, and this creates an opportunity to catch yourself. Pay attention to the early warning signs that mean you’re in a downward spiral, and take proactive steps to prevent your unhappiness from turning into a full-blown episode of depression.

The warning signs can be different for everyone, but some common ones are fatigue, irritability or anger* (particularly if you’re a man), trouble concentrating, and feeling disinterested in things you normally enjoy.¹²

Unfortunately, these don’t get your attention like a smoke detector will, but they can be just as life-saving, so be on the lookout for them.

And when you are unhappy and you see depression coming your way, don’t take it lying down. You can take action, you can get help, and you can help yourself prevent it.

*If you’re struggling with anger, please read 8 Unconventional Anger-Management Strategies.

¹ Sim, Kang, MD, et. al. “Prevention of Relapse and Recurrence in Adults with Major Depressive Disorder: Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses of Controlled Trials.” International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology. February 2016.

² “Social connection is the strongest protective factor for depression.” Science Daily. August 14, 2020.

³ Jordan, Rob. “Stanford researchers find mental health prescription: Nature.” Stanford News. June 30, 2015.

⁴ Ducharme, Jamie. “Can Exercise Prevent Depression? Here’s What the Science Says.” Time. January 25, 2019.

⁵ Tello, Monique, MD, MPH. “Diet and depression.” Harvard Health Blog. February 22, 2018.

⁶ “Sleep and mental health: Sleep deprivation can affect your mental health.” Harvard Mental Health Letter. March 18, 2019.

⁷ Muñoz, R. F., Beardslee, W. R., & Leykin, Y. “Major depression can be prevented.” American Psychologist. 2012.

⁸  “Character Strengths and Well-Being/Happiness.” VIA Institute on Character.

⁹ Matteo, Anna. ‘An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth a Pound of Cure.’ VOA Learning English. March 14, 2020.

¹⁰ Smith, Benedict. “Depression and motivation.” Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences. June 3, 2012.

¹¹ Nordmo, Magnus. “Self-help for depression 2: Behavioural Activation.” May 8, 2018.

¹² “Depression Symptoms and Warning Signs.” HelpGuide.