When someone is depressed, some of the common responses are trite. “Are you getting out of the house? Are you exercising? Have you tried taking a vacation? What about doing something that will get you excited about life again?” While some of these questions have value, it isn’t always that simple. It can be difficult to determine whether you have clinical depression or if you are just going through a funk.

When the things you used to don’t give you pleasure anymore and you have no will for no good reason, you may need some extra help to escape your depression. Sometimes an experience like travel can shock us out of our sorrow, but when the problem is chemical there is nothing you can do to change how you feel. Below are some tips to determine if you need medication for depression.

Try Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone

One of the best ways to tell if you are truly experiencing clinical depression or aren’t appreciating what you have is to get out of your comfort zone. This can mean traveling abroad or just talking to the people you encounter in the world. Try volunteering in a situation you are comfortable with. Push yourself to do more, see more, and experience more.

Sometimes people who don’t have to worry about much in their lives get depressed because they have time to think about their feelings. Get out of your head and do something that doesn’t give you enough time to wallow in despair. If you are still depressed afterward, you might need some clinical assistance.

Stay Active

Staying active may sound vague but keeping physically active is very important. If you aren’t moving your body, your mind will suffer. Whether you are starting a full-fledged workout routine or are just trying to get up off the couch, staying active does wonders for your mental state. Do something you enjoy. Do you like sports? Strike up a weekly game. Are you an outdoors person? Go hiking, biking, or swimming.

Of course, you may be wondering how does depression affect your brain and how you think? You might not be able to muster the motivation when you are experiencing depression. When you are finding it difficult to force yourself to do physical activities, you should think about getting some attention for your depression. You might need medication. Either way, staying active is such an integral part of getting better. Try your best to get out there and get physically active.

Look Forward to Something, Plan Ahead

Another thing you should try to do when you’re determining whether you need medication for your depression is to plan ahead and look forward to something. If you have something to look forward to, you won’t feel as hopeless. Looking forward to things is pivotal. When you feel like there’s nothing to plan toward, it’s easy to become nihilistic about life. If you are thinking about taking a trip to overcome a feeling of sorrow, planning can take away some of the anxiety surrounding the trip.

Talk to a Professional

One thing that you should try before medication is therapy. Talk counseling is one form of counseling, but there are many others. You should see to it that you try various forms of therapy and consult the right professionals before getting on medication. If you’ve already tried therapy for trauma, anxiety, and depression, you should also look at the variety of medications that treat different types of depression. Once you have considered all your options, you will be able to make the right choice.

Why don’t you just go outside? You should plan for something. Why not take a trip to get your mind off things? These are all valid points, but when you are struggling with clinical depression, they can feel like jokes. Of course, you should try these methods above to see if you can shock yourself out of your depressive phase, but if nothing is working you shouldn’t blame yourself or avoid getting the help you need. If you think you need medication for your depression, you should consult the right professionals to find what’s right for you.