1. Get Enough Activity
People with dysthymia are chronically depressed. This depression is usually mild to moderate, and it is there all the time. Feelings of tiredness and disinterest in social activities are common in people with dysthymia, and the temptation to just stay in bed and do nothing is always present. However, laying around in bed all day, or never leaving the house, will only create a more depressed state of mind and make symptoms worse. Forcing yourself to socialize several times a week, exercise every day and engage in distracting activities as frequently as possible are essential strategies for managing the condition. It may be difficult to do this, but it will help you feel better in the long run.
2. Take Your Medicine
There are several kinds of antidepressant medications that can be used to treat dysthymia. Some of the most common of these are fluoxetine, paroxetine and sertraline, though there are many others. Antidepressant medication can lift your mood and make you feel hopeful and interested in life again. In most cases, it takes 2 to 6 weeks for this type of medication to start working, but the results are usually worth it. Also, different people respond in different ways to antidepressant medication, so you may have to try several different kinds and at different dosages before you find the one that will work for you.
3. Get Therapy
Medication for dysthymia works best when it is combined with counseling. Talking to a counselor about your feelings, the reasons for them and how those feelings affect your everyday life will help you deal with them, and may even help you overcome some of them. Your counselor will help you learn psychological tools for coping with depression and will help you raise your self esteem. When self esteem is raised, some depressive feelings naturally go away, making counseling an effective way to reduce your symptoms and improve your quality of life. You may have to see a counselor on a regular basis for many years, or even your entire life, but the constant management of symptoms that counseling provides makes it worth it to many people.
