Dealing with losing your usual surroundings with pre-existing depression

Hello everyone,

most of us have already found themselves in the position, when you have to move to a different city or maybe even a different country. When this happens, we have to leave everything behind, that we got used to while living there, our friends, neighbors, favorite places, maybe even favorite local food stands or restaurants there. This can take a huge toll on a person suffering from depression.

Although the surroundings of a person can be a huge negative influence for a person suffering from depression, there can also be something that helps them to keep going. That can be a good friend, a family member, a favorite place or even a smell.

The depressed person might end up feeling lost, alone and regretting the change of the surroundings.

It’s always hard adjusting to change, especially if it involves a huge change in our usual way of living.
If you have a new job, you will have to adjust to the new working environment, the new work colleagues, new boss, etc.
You have to get used to the new apartment or house and find the motivation to either renovate or get furniture, etc.

But the hardest part is finding the motivation and the courage to connect with new people and actually go outside, besides going to work, grocery shopping etc.

As always when dealing with depression you will have to make an effort yourself to get better and not get caught up in a downward spiral.
You need to fight the loneliness. Normally people would say: Okay, but that is impossible, because a depressed person knows, it is hard to get yourself to connect with new people.

So how do you fight the loneliness?
Easiest approach:
Start slowly, start by staying in contact with your friends from your previous town or country. Thanks to technology nowadays, we are not stuck with writing letters or paying enormous sums of money to call people abroad anymore. We can have videocalls, we can chat with many different programs, worst case scenario you can write emails. But it is way easier to stay in contact nowadays, this can be the first step to not give in to loneliness.

After feeling less lonely, you can slowly adjust and get used to your new environment, find new favorite restaurants, maybe a park or lake you are fond of.
Take a walk, look at your new surroundings, take in the new smells and start by looking at your neighbors from afar once in a while. (Don’t stalk them or stare at them, just try to greet them once in a while) The more you get used to them, the easier it will be to approach them and start a conversation and maybe build up a friendship.

In my experience the easiest way to connect with new people are your work colleagues (unless you are self employed, that is a different scenario, then you should maybe try connecting with your neighbors), you definetly have topics to talk about connected to work. That is an easy ice breaker to get a conversation started.

If you are a dog owner, walk your dog and get to know other dog owners, maybe in a park or a other place where dog owners gather around where you live.

Connecting with other people will not only help you with your loneliness, it can also help you get used to your surroundings, because those people already have their own favorite places. They can help you find your way around town, or wherever you moved to.

As I have mentioned, this post is about a huge change of the surroundings in connection with pre-existing depression, which means while you are dealing with all the additional changes, you are still stuck dealing with the symptoms of the depression itself.

Do not get discouraged, find the best ways to help yourself!!!

Here are some links to posts, that I believe will be helpful to deal with the symptoms and make it easier to deal with depression and how important communication and honesty is. (I will also be adding the links on depression while in a relationship, in case the depressed person is in a relationship, some of the things mentioned can also happen in marriage):

• Methods to stop the cycle of sorrow (This post adresses how you can deal with certain symptoms of depression, offering different ways you can help yourself)
https://steemit.com/depression/@rashia/methods-to-stop-the-cycle-of-sorrow-depression

• Self Isolation (Self Isolation is a serious symptom of depression, do not give into self isolation when you just moved. You do not want to stuck with habits connected to the new living environment that will encourage you to self isolate!)
https://steemit.com/depression/@rashia/self-isolation-a-major-symptom-of-depression

• The power of music with depression (Music is a huge part of most peoples lives, but it is also very powerful. It can change our mood, but we can also make use of that to pick ourselves back up!)
https://steemit.com/depression/@rashia/the-power-of-music-with-depression-and-my-memories-of-the-past

• Guilt during Depression (Guilt can also be a huge issue for a person suffering from depression, that is why I include it here as well!)
https://steemit.com/depression/@rashia/guilt-during-depression-and-examples-of-situations-that-lead-to-guilt

• The importance of honesty when dealing with depression (It’s not always easy to communicate correctly and directly with our friends and family members when dealing with depression, especially when there is a distance between you and your friends or family)
https://steemit.com/depression/@rashia/the-importance-of-honesty-when-dealing-with-depression

• The “wall“ around the heart (Everyone who is dealing with depression can end up having to deal with this kind of emotionless situation)
https://steemit.com/depression/@rashia/the-wall-around-the-heart

• The power of the mind (Feeling understood can help with depression as well, but I have also experienced alot of people overerstimating themselves or undererstimating the power of their mind, we should be cautious when messing with our own heads)
https://steemit.com/depression/@rashia/the-power-of-the-mind-danger-growth-or-protection

• Depression during a relationship Part 1 (This part adresses the issues of dealing with pre-existing depression during a relationship)
https://steemit.com/depression/@rashia/depression-during-a-relationship-part-1

• Depression during a relationship Part 2 (This part adresses the issues of dealing with depression developing during a relationship)
https://steemit.com/depression/@rashia/depression-during-a-relationship-part-2

I hope these links will help you in general, but also lessen the symptoms so you can adjust better to your new environment!

Take care and be strong!
Have a lovely day!