Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or psychiatrist. I’m simply offering tips that have aided me in my journey.

If you struggle with depression, you can relate to the problems of a depressive episode. Depressive episodes can come on all of a sudden and leave you feeling hopeless, drained, and sorrowful. Sometimes depressive episodes are triggered by a particular event, memory, or sensory detail, but other times, there isn’t a trigger you can pinpoint. Whether the depressive episode was triggered by something we are aware of or not, we need to know how to manage it.

While everyone’s depressive episodes can look different, a common theme we all experience is extreme tiredness, sadness, and pain. If you are going through a depressive episode today, know you are not alone in your struggle. Depressive episodes can last a week up to a few months. Don’t allow this to discourage you. Rather, allow it to help you know that this sorrow will not endure forever and there are action steps you can take to help as you climb out of the fog.

Here are five ways I’ve discovered to manage a depressive episode:

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