LiveWell Peer Tony shares what he does on a daily basis to live well, offers some wisdom about goal setting and building self-compassion, and describes how participating in LiveWell peer support groups has benefitted his mental health.
"I reached out to a LiveWell peer for support... I felt relieved, validated, and accepted."
What is one thing you MUST do on a DAILY basis to reduce depression symptoms, manage your mental health, or live well? And why?
Talking or communicating with someone daily helps me reduce depression symptoms. Although I enjoy spending time by myself often, if I spend too much time alone then I can feel lonely, disconnected, and sad and can spiral downward.
I feel supported when I talk about mental health with peers and safe people.
What is one LiveWell Strategy you use on a daily basis to manage your moods? And why?
My favorite strategy is Do What You Can When You Can: Accept the ups and downs of managing your moods. Go at your own pace. Trust yourself through your unique process of change and growth.
It's my default strategy when I'm having a rough moment. When I feel angry, sad, and hopeless from failing, I can always succeed at doing what I can when I can. It is a way that helps me practice self-compassion.
How has participating in LiveWell peer-support groups positively impacted your mental health?
For me, it helps to talk about mental health challenges in a safe and nonjudgmental space with peers who can relate and understand.
I was in a situation recently where I voiced my opinion when I usually keep thoughts to myself. My thought was met with an opposing view. I felt anxious and upset because I thought I might be criticized. I reached out to a LiveWell peer for support. During that conversation I realized that I'm not wrong for having an opinion, thought or preference. I felt relieved, validated, and accepted.
If you were to share one piece of wisdom or inspiration with a peer starting out on their own depression treatment or wellness journey, what would it be? And why?
Break up what you want into small steps. Set very small goals and celebrate the victories when you accomplish them. Give yourself credit. They all matter and they all add up. This was particularly helpful to me when I felt stuck. The small successes gave me some forward progress and after a while I built some momentum.
Join Tony and the rest of our LiveWell Peers in challenging the stigma of depression by sharing your story today.
LiveWell Peer Emily shares how she lives well with depression, offers some wisdom that she's gained along the way, and describes how participating in LiveWell peer support groups has benefitted her mental health.
"This group opened me up to exploring healthier ways of coping, how to reach out for help, and has set me on my own path to continue Living Well."
How do you live well with depression?
I live with my depression by acknowledging that it is there -- that it is not something that is my fault or makes me "less than" in any way. Accepting it as a part of me, but not all of me has propelled me forward into the happier, healthier life I want to live.
How has participating in LiveWell peer-support groups positively impacted your mental health?
I found LiveWell during a time when I had pushed a very important person to me out of my life due to my struggle with depression. I decided at that moment that, while I may not be able to have them in my life anymore, I was going to change 'me' so I would never be that angry, empty person again.
At my first LiveWell meeting, the facilitator shared a powerful experience very similar to my own. The validation I felt after their share was something I had never experienced and was the first time I felt seen as my whole self, the good the bad and the ugly, not just the person I projected to friends and family.
This peer group has positively impacted my mental health in that I have learned that I don't have to walk on eggshells when trying to discuss my depression. My peers showed me that internalizing my (emotional, mental) pain does not get me where I want to be, but rather lightyears away. This group opened me up to exploring healthier ways of coping, how to reach out for help, and has set me on my own path to continue Living Well.
If you were to share one piece of wisdom or inspiration with a peer starting out on their own depression treatment or wellness journey, what would it be? And why?
My small nugget of wisdom for those out there starting their wellness journey is to know healing is not linear, but you do have to start somewhere; and I hope you find LiveWell and the strategies as helpful as I did and still do.
Secondly, live as authentically as you can, even if it isn't pretty all the time -- you'll slowly find yourself where you want to be.
Join Emily and the rest of our LiveWell Peers in challenging the stigma of depression by sharing your story today.
In the midst of all the headlines about the increasing prevalence of depression during the Covid-19 pandemic, I'm here to share some good news with you. There is an affordable, sustainable, and effective solution to the problem of increased rates of depression combined with a lack of mental health care providers: peer support.
Peer: (noun) one that is of equal standing with another; one belonging to the same group
Does Peer Support Help With Depression?
Yes! Peer support has been shown to effectively decrease symptoms and relapses of depression.
In fact, research shows that peer-led interventions score better than psychotherapy for depression recovery!
Some of the benefits of peer support for depression recovery include increased...
Hope,
Self-Efficacy,
Empowerment,
Engagement, and
Quality of Life.
Peer support has also been shown to increase engagement and reduce disparities in mental health care among Black and Latinx Americans who face systemic racism within, and historical exclusion from, the mental health care system.
What Is Peer Support?
Peer support puts mental health treatment into the hands of the community.
A peer support group is a supportive community of people with shared experience, who are dedicated to giving and receiving support. Peer support groups provide opportunities for inspiration, connection, emotional support, skill-building, and resource-sharing.
A common sign of depression is a tendency to socially withdraw or isolate, which is only compounded by the ongoing pandemic. But, research shows that continued isolation will only make symptoms worse. A peer support group offers a unique opportunity to combat isolation by staying connected to people who actually get it – people who recognize the strength it takes to just show up for yourself and others, especially when you are experiencing depression.
Where Can I Find a Peer Support Group for Depression?
There are different types of peer support groups and it can be helpful to try out a few to see which one is right for you, as depression treatment is not one-size-fits-all.
At the LiveWell Foundation, our free peer support groups emphasize the shared experience of resilience that comes with living with depression. All of our support groups are facilitated by volunteer peers who come from diverse backgrounds, professions, and geographic locations.
In addition to offering peer support and connection, LiveWell groups are uniquely designed to also teach people the skills they need to better manage their own depression treatment and ongoing mental health self-care.
Peer-led interventions that are educational and skill-based have been shown to produce even better outcomes than groups that are just focused on support.
All skill-based groups rotate around the LiveWell Strategies©: ten evidence-based strategies that are proven to help people reduce symptoms and relapses of depression.
Since the onset of Covid-19, the LiveWell Foundation has provided more than 400 online support groups to peers from all over the world.
Check out one of the many LiveWell peer support groups and help us to increase the power of peer support for living well with depression.
