Low activity level serves to increase depressed feelings, which then inhibit activity further. To break this cycle, schedule daily exercise that is appropriate for your lifestyle and conditioning level. In other words, get off your back . It is easy to make yourself depressed by being overly harsh and critical. Analyze your social behavior .
Many depressed people are lonely and isolated.
By learning new social skills and assertive communication, you can often get needed support and stimulation. Even though depression is common and there are many self-help strategies available to you, you need to take care. If your depressed feelings persist over an extended period of time, if they become very intense and accompanied by suicidal feelings, or if they continue to hamper effective performance and productivity, you should get some outside help. The author, Kathy Zamostny , is a staff psychologist at the University Counseling Center. This article was originally presented in the Commuter Connection, a production of the Office of Commuter Affairs .