How to Overcome Depression?

Depression and Black WomenMental Health
Written By Deseray Wilson, LMHC

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Depression is more than feeling sad. Depression impacts every part of your life, and is a serious medical illness that affects how you feel, the way you think, and how you show up in your daily life. Depression can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease your ability to function at work and at home. Women (of all races) are 2x more likely to develop depression, and black women are at greater risk of not getting help due to cultural stigmas related to mental health disorders.

If you want to learn how to overcome depression, you first have to become aware of how depression shows up in your life. Depression expresses itself through different emotions
and behaviors.

If you’re struggling with depression you might notice that you feel:

  • Thoughts of death or suicide

  • Sad, low moods

  • Anxious

  • Empty, feeling worthless or guilty
    Irritable

  • Restless, trouble sleeping or sleeping too much

  • Feeling helpless or hopeless
    Pessimistic

  • Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once
    enjoyed

  • Changes in appetite — weight loss or gain unrelated
    to dieting

  • Loss of energy or increased fatigue

  • Increase in purposeless physical activity (e.g.,
    inability to sit still, pacing, handwringing) or slowed
    movements or speech (these actions must be
    severe enough to be observable by others)

  • Difficulty thinking, concentrating or making
    decisions

If you’ve ever suffered from depression, you understand how overwhelming it can be. People of all ages, even children, can be depressed. Fortunately, there are ways to overcome your condition!

Risk Factors for Depression:

According to Psychiatry.org, there are several factors that can impact how you may develop:

  • Your brain's chemical makeup: Differences in certain chemicals in the brain may contribute to symptoms of depression.

  • Genetics (is it in your family?): Depression can run in families. For example, if one identical twin has depression, the other has a 70 percent chance of having the illness sometime in life.

  • Personality traits: People with low self-esteem, who are easily overwhelmed by stress, or who are generally pessimistic appear to be more likely to experience depression.

  • Environmental factors: Continuous exposure to violence, neglect, abuse or poverty may make you more vulnerable to depression.

Here are a few strategies to overcome your depression and reclaim your life…

  • Talk about it. If you find yourself unable to concentrate on anything, have lost your appetite, or are over-eating, try talking to a family member or trusted friend. Because you’re depressed, you may not be able to get the help you need alone, so enlisting someone you trust is important.
 Don’t feel embarrassed to talk about it. Chances are the people you confide in will know more about depression than you think.


  • Seek professional help. Many people avoid this for what they feel are good reasons: “My insurance won’t cover it,” or, “I can’t afford it.” In today’s society, this is simply untrue. Many insurance companies do offer compensation for depression treatment because it’s widely known as a serious medical condition. Plus, they aren’t allowed to release treatment information to your employer.
 Even if you don’t have medical insurance, many mental health centers or hospitals offer treatment free or on a sliding scale based on your income so that it can be affordable. Seek out help for your depression - it’s the best thing you can do!


  • Medication: Black and brown peoples relationship with the medical world has been one built on mistrust and lies. Often time leading to the refusal of medical intervention, even when it is clear that it is needed. Medication management is highly recommended, if even for a short while. As noted above, chemical imbalances could be contributing to your depression and medication is prescribed to help modify one’s brain chemistry and stabilize your mood. A combination of both therapy and medication has been found to be the most effective treatment for depression.

  • Connection: Isolation and withdrawal are common symptoms of depression. Behavior activation is a practice of tapping into behaviors that counter depressive symptoms. So stay connected to friends, family, or support systems who can support you with going against the urge to isolate and withdraw.

  • Exercise. Surprisingly, exercise can help you feel better. The energy your body gets from yoga, walking, jogging, swimming, and fitness center exercise will help you immensely. The endorphins released during exercise can bring relief from your depression and give you the motivation to fight it. 
Enlist a friend if you don’t want to exercise alone.


Using these tips can help you fight your depression, but the most important one is to seek professional help. A good therapist can suggest more techniques to help overcome your depression. Take these tips as suggestions and add your own creative spin to best suit your needs.

No advice can replace a full examination by your doctor. Depression comes in many forms and determining a plan of treatment for your individual needs is required.

If you’re concerned about medication and side effects, there are also many homeopathic remedies available today that you can discuss with your health professional. Make a list of your concerns and share them during the exam. This way you’ll be actively involved in choosing a treatment plan. With a good treatment plan overseen by your doctor, some support to bolster your spirits, and true determination, you can overcome your depression!

Did you find this helpful? Let’s keep the conversation going. Here’s how you can connect with Anxious Black Girls™.

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Deseray Wilson, LMHC

Deseray is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who’s committed to helping Black women learn how to lighten the load. When she created Anxious Black Girls, her mission was to create safe spaces where Black women could break generational patterns that normalize stress, overworking, overthinking, unhealthy relationship patterns and the lack of empathy for self, so they have the capacity to develop healthy habits and relationships, accept help, and feel empowered to live freely in their greatness without the burden of having to figure it out on their own.

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