Tired? Feeling sore? Even have some bruising? These things are common occurrences when you’re depressed. Lack of energy can be caused by depression, antidepressants, lack of sleep, poor appetite and diet, and overworked stress hormones. Here’s how you can get back some of your zip and go when you’re depressed.

Ways to increase you energy when depressed

Eat healthy foods.

Healthy foods help your body rejuvenate. Good food also preps your immune system against any invading bacteria. A lowered immune system happens when you’re overly tired, so you want to eat fruits and nuts that raise or at least protect your immune system.

Foods to avoid are trans fats like potato chips, doughnuts, and anything deep-fried in oil. Caffeine gets you energized but when it leaves your system, there’s a big crash that just adds to your already tired state. And caffeine doesn’t really improve your memory, it only makes you more alert. Alcohol is a no go, and so are sugary drinks.

If you really are craving sweets, then dark chocolate is the food to eat. Dark chocolate increases your energy when depressed. And the good news about dark chocolate is that it doesn’t do anything negative to your body, like a sugar crash. It’s nutritious, increases blood circulation, and is full of anti-oxidants.

Get a proper amount of sleep.

Getting the proper amount of sleep can be really difficult when you’re depressed. For one thing, your brain doesn’t stop thinking about the day’s events or about that one thing that keeps bothering you. In fact, your brain seems to go into overdrive at night.

That’s because the walls between your subconscious and conscious mind relax when you sleep. So things that you don’t want to think about during the day, or have thought too much about and are stored in your subconscious, flood your mind at nighttime.

Taking sleeping pills may work for the short-term, but sleeping pills create their own medical issues. So I wouldn’t recommend it.

You can prep your room by making it a ‘sleep zone’ where there’s no electronic equipment and  no cell phones allowed. Get a comfy bed, good bed sheets you’d love to lay on, and a nice thick curtain to keep daylight out. Don’t eat anything sugary before going to bed. No caffeine either.

If you do wake up, get out of bed. Don’t just lie there thinking about things. You won’t be able to quiet your brain so you might as well get out of bed.

Hydrate yourself.

You should be drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily. But, when you’re depressed, you’re self-care barely registers. Drinking water is often forgotten in self-care, because it’s so easy to do. If you’re not in the mood to keep track of how many glasses of water you drink daily, there’s a simple solution. Fill a pitcher with eight 8-ounce glasses of water and store it in the fridge. Emptying the pitcher means you’ve properly hydrated yourself.

Water is what your body uses as the basis for all its chemical reactions. If you don’t have enough water, chemicals buildup in cells and organs. For example, kidney stones form when there’s not enough water to dilute chemicals.

Water also is part of urine. Urine takes all the chemical waste products out of your body. Antidepressants are harsh on the human system, and there’s lots of chemical waste products floating in your bloodstream. So flushing them out with water helps your body.

Do some stretching

Fatigue creates muscle fatigue and tightened muscles. When you’re really tired, you slump your shoulders and drag your feet. Muscles aren’t used to that pose, so muscles get ‘bunched up’ and tighten. Then, when you want to do something, there’s soreness of the muscles. Stretching your body stretches your muscles back into shape.

You don’t need to do yoga. Stretching can be anything. Even the warmup stretch used before exercise helps loosen up your muscles. Be careful not to overdo the stretching. Too much stretching can tear or rip muscles.

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