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14 ways to cope with depression and better your mental health

Exercise, eat a nutritious diet, get adequate sleep and maintain social connections. These are some steps you can take to alleviate depression.

5 min
An illustration of a woman in a life preserver floating over the shadow of her own sad face reflected in the water.
(Illustration by Celia Jacobs for The Washington Post)
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I seem to get depressed about things more than my friends do. What can I do about it?

A patient recently asked me this question. At some point, everyone gets depressed — for instance, when a relationship ends or we lose a loved one or a job. Usually, these feelings are short lived, lasting a few minutes, hours or days. But millions of people have symptoms that persist for longer.