The strategies are not a magical cure for depression. But they will help you get through the illness with episodes that are perhaps less intense.The first thing you experience when you manage your depression is being able to go about your day with an acceptance that depression is an illness, one that can be treated and managed. It is not a weakness or a character flaw. When you manage your illness, you do not listen to those who offer misinformed comments or unhelpful advice. This is a big relief for many people. You know that as part of the illness, your mood will change up and down, and that you will have good days and not-so-good days. You try to understand the fluctuations and patterns you experience. Some days you will wake up feeling relatively okay, and other days, you will feel absolutely down. That is the time to remind yourself even more that the down times are part of the picture and that this moment will eventually pass. This is not easy to do.When you manage your depression well, you follow the Basics of Mental Health each day.
