In short
When you feel depressed, meet a basic need, ask someone for support, and contact a clinician if symptoms persist, worsen, or interfere with daily life. Make activities small enough to attempt with your current energy. Self-care can support treatment. Suicidal thoughts or difficulty staying safe call for immediate help.
1. Make the next action small enough to start
When you feel depressed, meet a basic need, ask someone for support, and contact a clinician if symptoms persist, worsen, or interfere with daily life. Make activities small enough to attempt with your current energy. Self-care can support treatment. Suicidal thoughts or difficulty staying safe call for immediate help.
Choose something concrete: drink water, eat an easy snack, or sit somewhere more comfortable. If getting a meal feels impossible, ask someone to bring food. If a shower is too much, washing your face may be manageable. Adapt the action to your energy, mobility, and circumstances.
Depression can affect energy, concentration, and the ability to begin things. Tell a clinician if ordinary tasks have become difficult, especially if you are struggling to eat, drink, or care for yourself. You can ask for help with the practical steps of contacting a service.
NIMH describes depression as a condition that can change how a person feels, thinks, and manages daily activities. Feeling depressed is a reason to take your experience seriously, even before a clinician determines its cause. The steps below are practical supports you can adapt while arranging an assessment.
2. Tell one person what support would help
Choose someone who usually responds with care. You might say, "I have been feeling low and ordinary things are getting difficult. Could you check in with me or help me make an appointment?" You do not need to explain your whole history in the first conversation.
A specific request gives the other person something useful to do: sit with you while you make a call, bring a meal, or accompany you to an appointment. If someone minimizes what you say, consider another trusted person or a health professional. Their reaction does not decide whether you deserve care.
If asking feels difficult, draft the message without sending it yet. Read it back and remove anything you do not want to share. A simple request such as "Could you help me find a clinician?" is enough. You can also ask the person to stay on the phone while you contact a practice, rather than asking them to speak for you.
3. Try a small behavioral activation task
Behavioral activation is a treatment approach that helps people reconnect with meaningful activities and reduce patterns of withdrawal. It works with the possibility that action can come before motivation. A Cochrane review of behavioral activation found evidence of benefit for adult depression, while noting limitations in the certainty of the evidence. For a small practice, choose an activity connected to care, connection, or enjoyment. Sit somewhere comfortable with a drink, reply to a supportive message, or listen to a familiar song. Notice what was possible and how you felt afterward. Feeling unchanged does not make the attempt pointless. Our Behavioral Activation Planner worksheet can help you organize a manageable plan. Use the worksheet alongside professional care when treatment is needed. If every task feels overwhelming, bring that difficulty to a therapist so the plan can be adapted. A useful planning question is what makes the activity hard to begin. For example, calling a friend may feel too demanding, while sending a message asking for company feels possible. Cochrane describes behavioral activation as scheduling meaningful activities and examining situations where changes could help. A worksheet is a practice aid; the research on treatment does not establish that completing a worksheet alone will relieve depression.4. Give sleep, daylight, and movement some structure
Try keeping a reasonably consistent wake-up time and making room for rest. An accessible form of movement, such as stretching or a short walk, can be part of the day without becoming a fitness goal. NIMH recommends regular meals, sleep routines, and activity as ways to support mental health.
Opening the curtains or spending time outdoors may offer a simple daytime routine. Ordinary daylight is different from prescribed bright-light therapy. If your mood repeatedly worsens in a particular season, tell a clinician. NIMH describes light therapy as one treatment for winter-pattern seasonal depression, with precautions for some medical conditions and medicines.
Choose one change that fits your housing, work schedule, and physical health. Advice that assumes you have a quiet bedroom, safe outdoor space, or spare energy may need substantial adjustment. Ask for help finding a version you can actually use.
5. Reduce demands and keep a short record
Sort tasks into what is essential today and what can be postponed or shared. Sending a brief message that you need more time may be more useful than pushing through until you are exhausted. You can protect your energy without waiting for a formal diagnosis.
If it helps, keep a simple note of mood, sleep, appetite, and anything that was harder than usual. Write brief, factual observations rather than verdicts: "I missed lunch and stayed in bed" gives a clinician more to work with than "I am useless." Skip tracking if it becomes another source of pressure.
For depression journal prompts, keep the focus concrete: What was difficult today? What basic need needs attention? Who could help with the next task? Stop or change the approach if writing turns into repeated self-criticism. You can bring a short note to an appointment without keeping a daily journal.
6. Arrange professional support
Contact a primary care clinician or a therapist who works with depression. Say what has changed and how it affects daily life. NIMH advises seeking help for distressing symptoms lasting two weeks or more. You can seek help sooner, particularly when symptoms are severe or worsening. A clinician can assess depression and other explanations, including physical health problems or medication effects. Tell them about any periods of unusually high energy or much less need for sleep. Treatment choices depend on the whole picture and may include psychotherapy, medication, or both. Do not change prescribed medication without discussing it with the prescriber. If useful, complete the Depression Test, a PHQ-9 screening and bring the result. The result can support a conversation; diagnosis requires a clinical assessment. A low score does not override serious distress or remove your reason to ask for care. For the appointment, bring the short version of your story: what changed, when you first noticed it, and which parts of daily life are affected. You can read from notes or hand them over. Ask the clinician to explain the next step in plain language and write down who to contact if symptoms worsen while you wait for follow-up. If cost, transport, or the process of booking is blocking you, name that barrier when you call. Ask whether the practice can suggest a community clinic or another accessible service. If you are offered a waiting list, ask what support is available in the meantime. If a service does not respond, ask a trusted person or your primary care office to help contact another provider. For cost barriers, see therapy cost and lower-cost options. Our psychology versus psychiatry guide explains provider roles. The psychology concepts hub offers related mental health information. Ask how you and the clinician will review whether the care plan is helping, what difficulties to report between appointments, and what alternatives are available if the plan is hard to follow. NIMH's Psychotherapies overview recommends discussing the treatment approach and how progress will be assessed. You can use the Psychology.com therapist directory to look for a licensed professional whose experience matches your concerns.7. Use urgent support when waiting is unsafe
If you are thinking about suicide, struggling to stay safe, or in emotional crisis, call or text 988 in the United States. You can contact the service without completing a screening or arranging therapy. If there is immediate danger or a medical emergency, call 911 or go to an emergency department. Outside the United States, contact your local crisis service or emergency number.
When possible, tell a trusted person what is happening and ask them to stay with you while you connect with help. If you already have a safety plan from a clinician, use it. Do not wait for your next routine session when you need urgent support.
Key takeaways
- Depression can affect sleep, appetite, energy, concentration, and everyday functioning, as well as mood (NIMH, Depression).
- NIMH advises seeking professional help for severe or distressing symptoms lasting two weeks or more. Severe deterioration or safety concerns require help sooner (NIMH, Caring for Your Mental Health).
- A Cochrane review found that behavioral activation may help adults with depression, while noting limitations in evidence certainty (Cochrane, Behavioural Activation Therapy for Depression in Adults).
- Regular meals, a workable sleep routine, physical activity, and social connection are recommended supports for mental health (NIMH, Caring for Your Mental Health).
Get support for what feels difficult
Find a therapist who works with depression and discuss a manageable next step.
Cite this source
Psychology.com. (2026, September 15). What to Do When You're Depressed: 7 Steps That Are Actually Doable. Psychology.com. https://psychology.com/concepts/what-to-do-when-depressed
Frequently asked questions
What should I do when I feel depressed?
Start with a manageable basic need, such as eating something easy, and tell someone you trust how you are feeling. Arrange a clinical assessment if symptoms persist, worsen, or interfere with daily life. If you have suicidal thoughts or feel unable to stay safe, seek urgent help immediately instead of waiting for a routine appointment.
How do I get motivated when I am depressed?
Reduce the size of the action and ask for practical help. Opening a message to a clinician or asking someone to bring food may be manageable when a larger task feels impossible. Behavioral activation uses planned activity as part of treatment. Persistent low energy also deserves assessment for depression and possible physical contributors.
Can I get out of depression by myself?
Self-care and support from trusted people can help, while persistent or disabling symptoms deserve professional assessment. A clinician can discuss psychotherapy, medication, or other care suited to your situation. Difficulty improving on your own is a reason to increase support. Seek urgent help if depression affects your safety or basic care.
What are useful journal prompts for depression?
Try concrete prompts about daily needs and support: What felt difficult? What did I manage? What help would make the next task easier? Brief notes can help you explain symptoms at an appointment. Stop or adapt journaling if it increases rumination or self-criticism. Keeping a journal is optional and cannot replace needed care.
How long should I wait before getting help for depression?
NIMH advises professional help for severe or distressing symptoms lasting two weeks or more. You can seek care earlier when symptoms are worsening or disrupting daily life. Suicidal thoughts, difficulty staying safe, or inability to meet basic needs call for prompt support. A duration threshold should never delay urgent help.
What if I cannot get out of bed or complete basic tasks?
Ask a trusted person to help you contact a clinician and explain which basic tasks have become difficult. Problems eating, drinking, or caring for yourself may need prompt assessment. In the United States, call or text 988 for emotional crisis or suicidal thoughts; call 911 for immediate danger or a medical emergency.
Related concepts
References
- National Institute of Mental Health. Depression. nimh.nih.gov
- National Institute of Mental Health. Caring for Your Mental Health. nimh.nih.gov
- Cochrane. Behavioural activation therapy for depression in adults. cochrane.org
- National Institute of Mental Health. Seasonal Affective Disorder. nimh.nih.gov
- National Institute of Mental Health. Psychotherapies. nimh.nih.gov