It's important to understand the chemical effects of alcohol on the depressed brain. I have the habit of turning to the bottle when I am having a rough day, as drowning out my mind with a bottle of wine often seems like the most tempting, albeit unhealthy, coping method. The societal glamorization of alcohol increases temptation, bombarding me with pubs and beautiful billboards which claim that the best way to relax is with several pitchers of beer. However, the chemical effects of alcohol are damaging to the depressed brain, and I’ve learned that a bad day plus a drunken night equates to an even worse morning.

I’m Tiffanie Verbeke and I am the new co-author of Coping with Depression. I’m a freshly-graduated Interpersonal Communication Studies major, coffee addict, avid runner, and music enthusiast. I also pretend to be a good painter (which is an excellent coping mechanism). I have learned and experienced many challenging, wonderful things in my lifetime, but one of my most significant adventures has been learning about my brain. I was officially diagnosed in college with severe depression, anxiety, and mixed state bipolar disorder—a lovely combination of barriers to achieving optimal mental health.

Depression can make it difficult to set emotional boundaries with people in your life. Many people I've met who suffer from depression, including myself, suffer from difficulties being assertive enough to look after their own emotional wellbeing but setting emotional boundaries is important in depression.

Distress tolerance is important for depression sufferers and depression caregivers. These skills can be vital in showing a depressed person that they are accepted even when they are suffering. Here's why distress tolerance is important for depression and why we need distress tolerance skills.

Engaging in creative activities can relieve depression because the process can be relaxing, engaging and enjoyable (Exploring The Link Between Creativity and Mental Illness). The end result is often satisfying, too. We often forget to make time to be creative, but our we can find depression relief with creative activities.

Implementing extreme self-care for depression in your life could be a vital tool on the journey to recovery from depression. Find out more about how the art of extreme self-care could be a transformative experience for your depression recovery journey and beyond.

I know it’s predictable at this time of year, but I think it’s worth talking about some coping strategies for surviving Christmas with depression. Here are some ideas for how you can help minimise stress and prevent depression relapse over Christmas.

We all know that exercise can help combat depression, but did you know that finding the right exercise for depression is also important? The type of exercise you choose for depression has an effect on how beneficial it may be for your mental health, so it’s important to carefully choose the right exercise for depression.

Preparing for the winter when you have depression is an important thing to do, since so many of us suffer from the winter blues. We're in the fall right now, so this is a good time to start planning ahead for the cold days and long dark nights. It's time to prepare for winter depression.

Traveling with depression can be helpful and even healing, but it can also be stressful. Travel stress, or spending a lot of time in close proximity with other people and being out of normal routines, can sometimes provoke a worsening of depression symptoms. Here are some tips on travelling with depression.