For those of who you don't know what depression is like, imagine a weight on your back that slowly grows heavier every day.

At first, it's not that bad, but then every day it just gets harder and harder to move, get out of bed, much less engage with the world.

On top of that, instead of a little voice saying, "it's going to be okay, you can get through it" you have a voice that says, "what's the point? Nobody cares anyway, nobody is going to help you."

And, what feels so obvious to you, seems to be oblivious to everyone else around you.

That you are in pain, and it takes every ounce of effort just to get out of bed.

You look around and your friends don't seem to feel this way or your family for that matter.

You don't want to say anything because you don't want to be even more of a burden, but you want all of them to know at the same time.

Depression isn't experienced exactly the same by everyone, but hopefully, you get the idea.

For someone who's never had depression, it can be difficult to understand how oppressive it can truly feel.

But, however oppressive it feels, you can fight back against depression.

It isn't a life sentence, and things can and will get better.

Today we'll be looking at some of the best tools at your disposal to fight against depression starting today. 

1. Use Your Voice

The first tool to fight against depression is to use your voice.

This is arguably the most difficult step for people to take.

As I mentioned above, when you're going through depression your self-talk is truly terrible (we'll address that later, don't worry).

When you feel miserable about yourself the idea of talking about it just sounds even more pathetic.

Plus, you don't want to be a "burden" to anyone else, and telling someone how horrible you feel when there's nothing they can do about it definitely seems like the kind of thing that constitutes being a "burden."

I put that word in air quotes because the truth is, you aren't a burden, period.

You are a human being and your family and friends care deeply about you.

Chances are they have noticed, but haven't been sure what to say and don't want to make things worse.

Fight against depression, use your voice, and tell the people who care about you what's going on.

If you can't bring yourself to tell family and friends then reach out to a mental health care provider today.

Talking about depression is one of the best, most proven methods of overcoming depression.

Life doesn't have to be this hard.

Start fighting back.

2. Self-Talk

Our second tool to fight against depression is, as hinted at earlier, self-talk.

We tell ourselves stories about ourselves all day every single day, and they aren't pleasant stories.

Add depression to that and they aren't pleasant stories.

The negative self-talk needs to stop.

Our subconscious latches on to the stories we tell ourselves so if you're constantly telling yourself you aren't worth anything, then your subconscious is going to make that true.

I'm not saying you need to start telling yourself there's nothing wrong and the world is full of sunshine and rainbows.

But you need to stop the negative self-talk.

Start with being neutral; instead of saying things like "see this proves that I'm lazy" say "I'm more tired today."

Depression is an experience that you are going through, it is not WHO you are.

If you were going on a road trip you wouldn't say "I am a road trip" you'd talk about the experiences you had on the road trip.

Well, depression is that road trip, it's something that's happening, and it is not essential to you as a human being.

But, the more you talk to yourself as if it is WHO you are, then those thoughts become more of a reality and your mind begins to think only in those terms.

If you can change your thoughts about yourself, you can change your experience.

3. Mindfulness

Our third and last tool to fight against depression is mindfulness.

This ties very neatly into the second tool to fight against depression.

After all, you can't alter your self-talk until you're mindful of the self-talk you naturally engage in.

But mindfulness isn't just about noticing your self-talk.

It's about noticing all your thoughts, and noticing the world as it is, without judgment.

When you start to notice your thoughts, you start to notice how fleeting and temporary they are.

You also notice how much damage you are causing to yourself by all the harmful thinking you're doing.

But, again, the goal isn't to get down on yourself for having those thoughts, it's just to notice in a non-judgemental way what you're thinking and how often.

Then you can start to alter those thoughts.

Likewise, using mindfulness to observe reality without judgment creates space to enjoy life in a different capacity.

When you learn how to observe life without judgment by simply being aware of your judgments you decrease your negative thinking while simultaneously increasing your positive experiences.

Again, depression is not who you are, it's something that's happening that you are experiencing.

Our thoughts heavily contribute to the type of experience we're having.

To fight against depression, be aware of your thoughts, notice them without judgment an notice the world as it is, also without judgment.

Conclusion

Depression is an oppressive weight that isolates and self-defeats.

It consumes thoughts and feeling in a black hole of self-doubt.

Fight against depression by using your voice.

Speak up to your friends and family, or reach out to a mental health counselor today.

Talking about it helps in tremendous ways.

Fight against depression by challenging your self-talk and being mindful.

The way we think and judge the world directly impacts the way we think and judge ourselves, and vice versa.

Our thoughts are powerful, powerful things.

Depression can be overcome by using these tools.

Take your life back, fight against depression, and live the life you want.