Four Ways Writing on Depression Has Taught Me More About Coping

Lately, I've taken strides to write more about depression. Depression is a common chronic mental health condition and I consider writing about the disorder to be one of my top priorities. I've debunked myths about depression, authored content advocating for suicide prevention, and covered treatment options for people living with persistent or treatment-resistant forms of the disorder. 

While writing, I've changed, learned, and understood my own depression in ways I never had before. One area I've learned a great deal about is coping. Nowadays, people are shifting away from focusing solely on coping. However, learning to survive the symptoms of depression remains a top issue in society. 

Many amazing things have happened since I started writing more about depression that have helped me realize the significance of coping. Now, I'm choosing to share these takeaways. I hope to help readers understand the most important concepts surrounding depression self-management. 

While writing on depression, I've had to overcome symptoms. Often, it seems like the more challenging and lengthy the piece, the more likely I am to experience symptoms while writing. Experiencing these symptoms has forced me to experiment with a wide range of coping skills that require little energy and can be completed at my desk. 

The list of coping skills I've tried while writing is extensive and has helped me realize that almost any activity may prove effective. I've learned to practice positive self-talk, I've browsed the Web and completed research to relax, I've looked for professional opportunities to regain hope, I've journaled about my thoughts, I've taken continuing education courses to keep my mind sharp and clear, and I've developed a habit of drinking plenty of coffee and tea so that my mood and ability to concentrate is enhanced. 

All of these coping skills are suitable for depression. The more I write, the more I've accepted the value of having a huge toolkit. Simply knowing how important this is helped me write the blog post Depression 101: How Not to Wreck Your Mood, a piece that depended on my knowledge of that activities that worsen one's mood. Writing this post forced me to understand that a lack of coping skills is why so many people with depression engage in self-destructive behaviors. In this case, writing about depression taught me more about coping by opening my eyes to the abundance of unhealthy, and healthy, coping skills, as well as the consequences and benefits of practicing both. 

I remember the article 9 Lesser-Known Myths About Depression, Debunked took longer to write, which meant more time straining my mental muscles in total, uninterrupted solitude. More often than not, my writing on depression reflects a solitary pursuit. Writing alone has consistently revealed to me the psychological benefits of solitude. 

Uncovering the value of being alone while writing on depression has yielded more insight for me on coping than I thought imaginable. Coping works best when carried out in a controlled environment, a place where one can reflect on their thoughts and behaviors without distractions. While writing, I've learned that peacefulness derived from spending time alone is a valuable benefit of coping with depression. 

Writing on depression has helped me improve my problem-solving skills while learning how that skill can be applied to coping. Through writing, I've learned that problem-solving puts you in the driver's seat of coping and moves you from passive observer to active participant who is fighting to manage.

Coping and problem-solving go hand-in-hand. When symptoms become severe, the way to manage requires an acknowledgement of what's experienced (the problem) combined with ideas for management (the solutions). Coping means using creativity to brainstorm solutions while breaking down symptoms to understand their effect on one's mood, emotions, and thoughts. 

Understanding how problem-solving skills aid coping played a major role in my ability to write the article, Why Seasonal Affective Disorder Feels Worse As You Age, a piece that required me to grasp the significance of the problem (each year, adults feel like their seasonal depression is worse). To complete the article, I focused primarily on the problems, including cold sensitivity, low Vitamin D levels, loneliness, brain atrophy, and slow metabolism. However, acknowledging that people need to prepare themselves for winter served as a solution to these problems. As far as learning about coping, my problem-solving hat proved helpful. There was no way to write the article without accepting that effective coping, especially during the winter, could only happen after exploring an exhaustive list of issues. 

Writing well comes down to sticking to a routine. I've had to learn how to show up every day, while symptomatic, at the same time and work without distractions. Much of my time is spent drafting, editing, and revising content, and I spend hours a day researching, reading, and studying behavioral health. Over time, I've noticed that having a writing routine provides the same psychological advantages as having a self-care routine.  It distracts me from negative thoughts and feelings, which helps to improve my mood while reducing stress and alleviating my anxiety. 

The role of routines was on full display while I was writing the article The Right Way to Support A Suicidal Person. Such a piece required me to understand the importance of restoring order in someone's life (like with a routine) while maintaining some sense of stability while offering people with suicidal thoughts support. Having this mindset was more influential than I thought and helped me learn that coping requires us to regain control over our thoughts, which happens to help many people seek support when they're suicidal. 

Writing on depression has been an emotional, exciting, mentally rewarding experience. I've learned more about coping with depression following the publication of each story. Notably, I uncovered an extensive list of coping skills while learning to embrace the idea that spending time alone, by itself, is one of many helpful strategies. 

In the future, my increased awareness of coping will help me write better articles that connect with readers who are struggling to manage. By realizing the problem-solving nature of coping, I've learned how important it is to break down symptoms so that they become more manageable. This, in turn, will improve my ability to present complex coping skills while revealing both problems, and solutions, surrounding the concept of living with depression.

Finally, writing on depression taught me about the significance of having routines when coping. With depression, being organized and in order are highly important, and I hope that my future stories will deliver the importance of that truth. 

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