Depression can feel all to familiar for families of soldiers. No matter where your loved one is stationed, depression can come from the stress of worrying. Not being able to see or hear from them every day is stressful in itself, not to mention constant news stories that cause distress.

If you have experienced or are experiencing depression, it is imperative that you seek help before it takes over your life. Most people don’t know where or how to get help with something like depression. And when not dealing with it correctly, it can lead to self-medication, which is dangerous.

Negative Ways Some Deal With Depression

Depression can be difficult to deal with. And if you don’t seek help, you may fall victim to some bad habits. Often people succumb to alcohol abuse to escape the pain of depression. There are even those who turn to drugs or even sex to try and escape the pain.

Trying to escape the pain is not the answer, but facing the issues is. This can be a difficult and painful process, but if it doesn’t happen, then depression will control one’s life.

How to Positively Deal With Depression

Keeping your feelings bottled up is a good way to fall into those bad habits mentioned above. The first step you should take in dealing with depression is to talk to a licensed therapist or counselor. If you feel uncomfortable talking to a therapist or counselor, you should seek out a friend who is going through or has gone through a similar situation. Opening up about how you are feeling is liberating.

Join or Start a Support Group

Another resource that you should take advantage of is support groups. There are several support groups for those with family members in the military. This can be a safe place to share and express yourself as everyone else in the room has an idea of what you are experiencing. Hearing stories from others that are in your same situation can help you to not feel isolated. If you can’t find a group near you, consider starting a group yourself.

Again, the best way to treat depression is by facing it. That means that you need to talk about it with friends, family, therapists or groups. If you hide the pain and fear that comes with depression, you will never be able to live free again. Depression is very real and very powerful, but it doesn’t have to control your life forever.

Talk to a Military & Family Life Consultant (MFLC)

One of the helpful resources offered by the Department of Defense is the Military Family Life Consultants (MFLC) program. MLFC offers confidential and free of charge trained, professional counselors for service members, their family and U.S. civilians to speak with. The program provides short-term, problem-solving, non-medical counseling services. MFLCs can talk to you in individual, couple, family or group settings, and often have walk-in or flexible appointment times and meeting locations. For additional information about the program, please contact Army Community Service in your community.