Developing Coping Skills in an IOP to Manage Depression
Dealing with depression in your daily life can be extremely overwhelming. Developing practical coping skills in an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) can empower you to regain control of your life. An IOP provides a unique environment to practice and refine these skills.
Coping tools like mindfulness and routines can transform hopelessness into resilience. In this article, we’ll examine tools that help manage ongoing symptoms of depression and share practical strategies you can easily incorporate into your life.
If you or someone you know struggles with depression, these insights can guide you toward healing and growth.
Depression Treatment in San Diego
Understanding Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOPs)
Unlike inpatient treatment, IOPs allow you to live at home while getting the help and support you need. This is particularly beneficial if you need substantial care but not round-the-clock supervision. IOPs for depression, like ours at BOLD Health in San Diego, may include:
- individual therapy
- group therapy
- family therapy
- psychoeducation
- medication management (if needed)
Our IOP is a 10-week treatment, involving 9-15 hours of group therapy every week, among other therapeutic interventions. This structured approach is a great way to build coping skills for depression.
Because an IOP can easily integrate into your daily life, you can practice the coping skills you learn in real time. This real-world application is crucial for building resilience and fostering long-term recovery. As you attend therapy sessions, you can also continue your daily activities, like school and work. Being able to maintain a sense of normalcy will empower you to handle depression symptoms more efficiently.
Related post: Can I Pursue IOP After a Hospitalization? Transitioning to Outpatient Care
The Importance of Coping Skills in Managing Depression
One of the most helpful tools to have when managing depression is coping skills. Building practical coping skills for depression can help you navigate a plethora of emotional landscapes. They are key to reducing how depression affects your daily life and well-being. Developing coping skills enables you to feel more in control of your mental health. It can also lessen feelings of helplessness and despair.
Developing coping skills for depression can help in a few very significant ways:
Break the Cycle of Negative Thinking
Negative thinking often accompanies depression. Depressive thoughts can lead to feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness. This frequently spirals into more emotional pain. Coping skills for depression, such as cognitive restructuring and positive self-talk, help interrupt these patterns. This enables you to reframe your thoughts. You can also gain a balanced perspective, which boosts your mood and improves emotional stability.
Handle Stress Better
Coping skills also help you handle stressful situations better. When you have depression and are faced with a challenge, you may feel overwhelmed. With helpful coping skills, you can handle challenging situations better. Then you’ll benefit from a confidence boost and increased emotional strength.
Enhance Your Resilience
Building resilience is key to managing depression. It’s the ability to bounce back from setbacks and adapt to challenging situations. With strong coping skills, you can develop this resilience. You’ll be better equipped to face life’s challenges, even when depression tries to hold you back.
Related post: Five Benefits of Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOPs)
How an IOP Can Help You Develop Coping Skills for Depression
An intensive outpatient program offers a supportive space to help you develop your coping skills. The support from your therapist and group members is invaluable. Some of the most powerful ways an IOP can help you develop coping skills include the following:
Structured individual and group therapy sessions:
Because you attend several therapy sessions per week, you can practice identifying negative thought patterns and replacing them with healthier ones. Group therapy gives you a sense of community. You get support from others who share similar struggles.
- Personalized support:
IOPs are not cookie-cutter. Your treatment program is tailored to your unique needs. You’ll work closely with therapists who will help you recognize your triggers. Together, you’ll create custom strategies to integrate into your real life.
- Peer connection:
Chatting with others working on their mental health can help you feel less alone. Talking about your challenges with others who understand can motivate you. It can also introduce fresh ideas for handling issues and let you practice skills in a safe space.
- Accountability and feedback:
Regular check-ins with your therapist and group therapy peers will help you stay motivated. Plus, the immediate feedback you receive from your therapist will enable you to adjust your coping strategies quickly.
Coping Skills You May Learn in an IOP for Depression
One of the great things about our IOP for depression in San Diego is the coping skills you will gain. An IOP focuses on building resilience and fostering holistic well-being. That means you can get the help and support you need in the moment and add some valuable coping skills to your toolbox for the future.
Some of the coping skills you may learn include the following:
Mindfulness and Grounding Techniques
When you struggle with depression, you often find yourself stuck in a never-ending cycle of negative thinking. When you practice mindfulness and grounding, you can first notice those thoughts and then change them. Not only does this help bring you back to the present moment, but it can strengthen emotional regulation and increase self-compassion.
Some common mindfulness and grounding techniques include:
- deep breathing to calm your nervous system
- body scans to bring awareness to your body and reduce anxiety
- 5-4-3-2-1 grounding to bring you back to the present moment
Cognitive Coping Skills
Those negative thought patterns you experience can be challenged. Thought challenging helps you identify negative or distorted thinking and replace it with healthier, more balanced thoughts. For example, rather than calling yourself a failure, you can rephrase that as something like, “I’m struggling, but that doesn’t mean I’m a failure.”
You may also learn behavioral activation, which encourages you to participate in enjoyable activities even when you don’t feel like it. Many times, when you do, you lift your mood, even if it’s just a little bit.
Self-Care
One of the most important things you can do for yourself is to ensure you practice regular self-care. In an IOP for depression, you’ll likely discuss things you can do for yourself to improve your sleep, nutrition, physical health, and mental health. Developing a plan that includes daily routines and plans for self-care can help your overall mental health and well-being.
Distress Tolerance
Everyone experiences painful emotions. But when you have depression, those emotions can feel infinitely deep. The sadness, hopelessness, and emptiness you feel can be pretty intense. That’s why distress tolerance, often taught in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), can help.
Distress tolerance can help you safely ride out the emotional storms without worsening your feelings. Rather than coping by isolating yourself, using substances, self-harming, overeating, or other unhealthy things, you can learn healthier coping skills.
For example, there is a technique called “ice diving” where you hold your face in ice-cold water for a few seconds when you feel yourself spiraling into depression. This can shock your nervous system and cause an emotional reset.
BOLD Health: Top-Notch Depression Treatment in San Diego
You have plenty of options when it comes to depression treatment in San Diego. But if you struggle with depression and don’t require round-the-clock care, our IOP for depression in San Diego is an excellent choice.
We understand your challenges and help hundreds of people just like you develop coping skills for depression to help them through their struggles now and far into the future. Our IOP for depression in San Diego includes a tailored treatment plan explicitly curated for you.
Over ten weeks, you can move from surviving to thriving with the skills, support, and tools you need to overcome crippling depression. Contact us to learn more about our IOP for depression in San Diego.