Improving Mental Wellbeing

This may feel counterintuitive, and it can seem like the opposite of what you should be doing. However, experiencing depression is a very human response. It can be influenced by many factors, including genetics, brain chemistry, hormones, life experiences, and environment.

One thing I often notice is how Western culture leaves very little space for depression. There is a strong expectation to keep moving, stay productive, and push through. While this mindset may be helpful for survival and achievement, it is often unhelpful when someone is depressed. It can lead to a harsh internal dialogue, such as “I should be doing better”, “snap out of it”, or “get a grip”, which can deepen shame and keep the depressive cycle going.

Working towards acceptance does not mean giving up or resigning yourself to feeling low forever. It means acknowledging where you are right now, without adding self-criticism. When trying to accept your depression, it may be helpful to:
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• Gently notice and question self-critical thoughts, rather than taking them as facts.
• Acknowledge that you are going through a difficult period, and that this can happen to anyone and is not a sign of weakness.
• Hold the understanding that movement forward is possible, even if it happens slowly and in small steps.

When depression takes hold, people often stop challenging themselves in everyday ways. Withdrawing, slowing down, and pulling back can feel far easier, and as mentioned earlier, this can sometimes be a necessary response. However, remaining withdrawn for too long can allow depression to settle further and shape how you see yourself and your abilities.

Gently reintroducing small, achievable goals can help begin to shift this pattern. These goals do not need to be ambitious. Simple tasks such as getting out of bed, making the bed, washing the dishes, or driving to work can help re-establish a sense of movement and agency. Over time, repeated small actions can support changes in mood and outlook by rebuilding routine and self-trust.

One helpful addition is to consciously acknowledge when a task has been completed. This might feel unnecessary or even uncomfortable at first, particularly if the task seems minor. However, taking a moment to recognise your effort and offer yourself a quiet sense of acknowledgement can be important. Practising this consistently can help counter the self-critical patterns that often accompany depression and gradually make self-encouragement feel more natural.

Improving your quality of life is not something that can be done for you by someone else. Support from a professional, such as a counsellor, can be an important part of managing depression. Counselling can offer a space to better understand your experiences and to explore the thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that may be maintaining the depression. However, change tends to be most sustainable when there is some personal willingness to engage, reflect, and try things differently over time.

Taking responsibility in this context does not mean blaming yourself for feeling depressed. Rather, it involves recognising where you still have some influence, even if it feels limited. This might include staying connected to aspects of life that existed before the depression, such as work, routines, or interests, as these can help maintain a sense of structure and continuity.

At the same time, it can be helpful to reflect on when the depression began. Sometimes it is linked to ongoing pressures, patterns, or situations that are no longer supportive. Gaining awareness of these factors can help you make thoughtful decisions about what may need to change, pause, or be let go of as part of your recovery.

Alongside taking responsibility for aspects of life that existed before the depression, it may also be helpful to consider introducing something new. Depression can narrow routine and reduce variety, and gently expanding what you do can support mood, structure, and a sense of engagement with life again. This does not need to involve major change, and it is often most helpful when approached with curiosity rather than pressure.

Some people find the following approaches useful:

• Physical activity - ​​This does not have to mean enjoying the gym or exercising intensely. Gentle, regular movement can support mental health by adding structure to the day and influencing mood. Finding a form of movement that feels manageable is usually more important than the type of exercise itself.
• Taking up a hobby - Activities such as swimming, crafts, pottery, archery, creative groups, or shared interests can offer focus and enjoyment. Many hobbies also involve other people, which can help reduce isolation and create opportunities for new connections.
• Reading - Reading can provide a temporary shift away from depressive thinking, whether through fiction or more reflective material. Some people find novels absorbing, while others prefer books that help them better understand depression and ways of coping.
• Spending time outdoors -  Depression often leads to withdrawal and staying inside. Making a small effort to get outdoors each day, even for a short walk, can help break this pattern and support overall well-being. Consistency is usually more important than duration.

Looking after basic physical needs can be particularly difficult when you are depressed, as eating and sleeping are often the first things to be disrupted. However, there is a well-established connection between physical and mental health, and caring for one can have a supportive effect on the other.

It can be helpful to begin by gently noticing your current eating patterns. This includes both what you are eating and how regularly you are eating. When someone is depressed, there can be a tendency to either eat very little or to eat for comfort without much awareness. Simply bringing some attention to this, without judgement, can be a useful first step.

Sleep is another important factor that depression often affects. Changes in sleep can vary widely. Some people find they sleep for long periods and struggle to get out of bed, while others experience disrupted sleep or difficulty falling asleep despite feeling exhausted. Sleep and mental health are closely linked, and it is a complex area that deserves careful consideration. As a general guide, adults often function best with roughly six to ten hours of sleep, while teenagers may need closer to eight to ten hours.

These are my five practical suggestions for managing depression. I hope you find them supportive and relevant, and you are welcome to share them with others who may find them helpful. You may also find it useful to read my thoughts on understanding and improving anxiety, which explores how anxiety can show up in daily life and ways of responding to it more constructively. In addition, I have written a local guide to well-being activities in Weston-super-Mare and North Somerset, which looks at how connection, routine, and engagement can support mental health.

​George Fortune Counselling - Integrative Humanistic Counsellor.
Telephone & Online Counselling.
Face-to-face counselling.

Book: Life's Three Fires: A reflective guide for understanding yourself, others, and the space between.

​This post was one of the first I wrote about anxiety. If you are interested in a deeper and more detailed understanding, you can read my new and expanded article here: "What causes anxiety: A deeper look at why you feel overwhelmed"

The first thing to note is that anxiety is a normal part of life and will affect all of us in different ways at different times. The cause of your anxiety may not be fully clear, or the reason for your anxiety may actually be very clear to you, such as a traumatic experience, having many stresses in life or significant life events like divorce. Whatever the reason, hopefully after reading, you are more knowledgeable of the symptoms associated with anxiety as well as understand ways to reduce your anxiety and improve your mental wellbeing without the use of medication.