When everything is closed, entertainment is banned, and having a social life is almost forbidden, it’s pretty easy to feel depressed.

A pharmacist friend told me the other day that they have never sold as many anti-depressant medicationsas they have since the pandemic.

So, if you feel depressed right now, first know that you’re not alone. Secondly, there are also a few things we can all do to start feeling better!

I’ve personally dealt with depression and anxiety in the past, and in this article, I share eight strategies that have helped me rise above depression when it was pulling me down.

Note that I’m not a psychologist and these strategies are not remedies for clinical depression, but in my experience, they can still help us feel better during the times when we feel low.

Mental Wellness Tip #1: Find a Passion Project or Something to Focus On

The first (and perhaps most important) thing I recommend doing is to find something to focus on, and more specifically, a “passion project.”

Is there something you’ve always wanted to learn or explore? It could be painting, learning to play an instrument, writing a book, becoming skilled at hula-hooping, learning to bake the most complicated dessert, or whatever else that sparks curiosity in you. It could also be a project to get in shape!

Once you’ve decided, focus on that.

Work on your passion project every single day. Go all-in, and try to become the best that you can be at that particular thing during the next two to three months.

When we focus on something, it keeps our minds busy, and we are less likely to feel depressed and experience anxiety.

Even on days when you don’t feel like it, force yourself to work on your passion project. When we feel depressed, we usually don’t feel like doing anything; but force yourself to start. Take the first step: enroll in an online course to learn to play the guitar. Watch tutorials on YouTube about how to bake a lemon meringue pie.

Feeling depressed is a bit like being stuck in a hole. To get out of that hole, we must make an effort.

The first step is always the hardest, but then it becomes easier to keep going.

Mental Wellness Tip #2: Learn Something New Every Day

You can also commit to learning something new every day. And I recommend going outside of your usual field of interest.

For example, perhaps you could learn something about plant medicine, the history of a country you know nothing about, or how to say your favorite quote or affirmation in another language.

You could watch a documentary or a YouTube video, read a blog post, or simply do a Google search.

In the evening, write down what you’ve learned that day in your journal or a notebook.

Forcing yourself to learn something new every day will keep your mind stimulated.

Plus, in a couple of months, you’ll have tons to talk about and be a much more interesting person.

Mental Wellness Tip #3: Get Out of Your Head and Get into Your Body

Another thing that helps me change my mood almost instantly is to get out of my head and get into my body. That is perhaps the one thing that helps me the most when I feel anxious or depressed.

Nowadays, I don’t feel depressed very often thanks to having a regular meditation practice. Still, I sometimes have low-mood days when I just feel like doing nothing, and even doing nothing feels terrible. When this happens, I push myself to go running. At first, I don’t feel like it at all.

But again, I don’t even think about it; I just act. I put on my running shoes, open the door, go outside, and start running. After a few minutes, I begin to feel better.

Depression and anxiety have a heavy vibe. Moving has the opposite effect: it’s very dynamic. You’ll see that moving and exercising can change your energy very quickly.

Mental Wellness Tip #4: Practice Yoga or Martial Arts

Moving your body (exercising) will help you feel better for sure, but one of the best exercises to overcome depression and anxiety is yoga.

If you’re not a fan of yoga, climbing, martial arts, or Qigong have a similar effect.

When you go jogging, it’s easy to still be in your head and thinking.

But when you practice yoga or martial arts, you’re not just moving: you are forced to focus on your body and breathing and be present.

The positive effect of those activities on our mood and wellbeing is almost magical.

Mental Wellness Tip #5: Create Music Playlists

Have you ever noticed how the music in a movie or a video influences how you feel? If you watched a horror movie without the sound, it would likely be far less scary.

In the same way, uplifting music is energizing and can very quickly put you in a good mood.

So, create a playlist with uplifting music. Listen to it first thing in the morning as you make your coffee or get ready to go about your day. It will set a positive tone for the day. Also, listen to your playlist whenever you feel down.

Music is incredibly powerful at influencing our mood and is an almost effortless way to feel better.

Mental Wellness Tip #6: Connect with People

It’s scientifically proven that social connections improve our mental and emotional wellbeing and help reduce depression.

This is probably one of the main reasons people feel depressed since the beginning of the year: isolation and the lack of human touch and connection.

If you can, try to connect with people in person. Even if you don’t feel like it, force yourself. Sometimes, when we feel depressed, we don’t feel like seeing anyone, but that just makes it worse. If you can’t see people in person, do a video call; if that’s not possible, make a phone call.

If even that is impossible, try to connect with people through online communities, like Facebook groups. You can comment on people’s posts and engage in conversations. Even just writing a thoughtful comment on someone’s Instagram post is better than nothing. Isolation is depressing.

Even for introverts like me, at some point, we still need to interact with other humans. Find ways to connect with people, whether in-person or online.

Mental Wellness Tip #7: Spend as Much Time Outdoors as Possible

If you can go outside, spend as much time outdoors as possible, especially during the day.

Exposure to sunlight increases the brain’s release of serotonin: the happy hormone.

If you can go outside in nature, it’s even better than walking in the city. Being in nature has a calming, relaxing, and grounding effect. It helps tame any negative emotion.

When I feel angry (especially when I have tech problems with some software), I force myself to go for a walk at the park, and within 30 minutes (or sometimes an hour), the anger goes away. It also works with feelings of anxiety and depression.

Mental Wellness Tip #8: Try This Meditation Technique

Meditation is, without a doubt, one of the best tools for mental and overall wellness. You can simply sit quietly and focus on your breathing for five to ten minutes.

If you don’t like this method, I have a free 10-minute meditation course about what I consider to be the easiest meditation technique.

In fact, I highly recommend trying this technique; when I experience anxiety, it’s the only one that works for me.

Meditation is the best way to train your mind to be present and achieve inner peace in the long run.