Everyone’s different. But the thing that really turned me around from someone curled into a ball of depression and hopelessness to sitting up in bed was light therapy.
Bright light therapy (aka white light therapy) is often recommended for people with major depressive disorder with a seasonal pattern (aka SAD) or sleep disorders.
More research is still needed, but evidence suggestsTrusted Source it may have the potential to help people with depression and have antidepressant-like qualities.
Sitting in front of the light for a few moments is necessary to get your “dose,” meaning there’s no need to jump out of bed immediately.
Don’t be afraid to turn to someone else for help
If your depression is more severe or not being able to get out of bed is becoming a chronic problem, don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Do you live with someone? Do you have a friend or co-worker on the same work schedule as you? Don’t be afraid to ask them to be a part of your routine.
If you live with someone, ask them to come in and wake you or maybe sit with you. It can be anything.
Or reach out to a co-worker, if you’re comfortable with that. Someone on the same work schedule may be able to call you when you need to get out of bed in the morning. Five minutes of encouraging wake-up chatter can put you in a better mood for the day ahead.
Most people are compassionate and open to helping. You don’t have to share your entire mental health history for them to understand something is going on. Just acknowledging it’s a difficult time can be enough.
Bright light therapy (aka white light therapy) is often recommended for people with major depressive disorder with a seasonal pattern (aka SAD) or sleep disorders.
More research is still needed, but evidence suggestsTrusted Source it may have the potential to help people with depression and have antidepressant-like qualities.
Sitting in front of the light for a few moments is necessary to get your “dose,” meaning there’s no need to jump out of bed immediately.
Don’t be afraid to turn to someone else for help
If your depression is more severe or not being able to get out of bed is becoming a chronic problem, don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Do you live with someone? Do you have a friend or co-worker on the same work schedule as you? Don’t be afraid to ask them to be a part of your routine.
If you live with someone, ask them to come in and wake you or maybe sit with you. It can be anything.
Or reach out to a co-worker, if you’re comfortable with that. Someone on the same work schedule may be able to call you when you need to get out of bed in the morning. Five minutes of encouraging wake-up chatter can put you in a better mood for the day ahead.
Most people are compassionate and open to helping. You don’t have to share your entire mental health history for them to understand something is going on. Just acknowledging it’s a difficult time can be enough.