Being depressed can make you feel helpless. You're not.
Along with therapy and sometimes medication, there's a lot you can do on
your own to fight back. Changing your behavior -- your physical activity, lifestyle, and even your way of thinking -- are all natural depression treatments.
These tips can help you feel better -- starting right now.
Researchers are becoming increasingly aware that depression runs in families
-- sometimes across multiple generations. If Lynne Boschee were to draw her
family tree of depression, for instance, it would branch across three
generations to include her father and her brother and his two teen-aged
children. On one limb would be Boschee herself, who had postpartum depression.
Her 4-year-old son, Jack, doesn’t have the illness, but she worries that his
excessive fears and panic attacks spell an anxiety...
1. Get in a routine. If
you’re depressed, you need a routine, says Ian Cook, MD. He's a
psychiatrist and director of the Depression Research and Clinic Program
at UCLA.
Depression can strip away the structure from
your life. One day melts into the next. Setting a gentle daily schedule
can help you get back on track.
2. Set goals. When
you're depressed, you may feel like you can't accomplish anything. That
makes you feel worse about yourself. To push back, set daily goals for
yourself.
"Start very small," Cook says. "Make your goal something that you can succeed at, like doing the dishes every other day."
As you start to feel better, you can add more challenging daily goals.
3. Exercise. It
temporarily boosts feel-good chemicals called endorphins. It may also
have long-term benefits for people with depression. Regular exercise
seems to encourage the brain to rewire itself in positive ways, Cook
says.
How much exercise do you need? You don’t need to run marathons to get a benefit. Just walking a few times a week can help.
4. Eat healthy. There
is no magic diet that fixes depression. It's a good idea to watch what
you eat, though. If depression tends to make you overeat, getting in
control of your eating will help you feel better.
Although
nothing is definitive, Cook says there's evidence that foods with
omega-3 fatty acids (such as salmon and tuna) and folic acid (such as
spinach and avocado) could help ease depression.
5. Get enough sleep. Depression can make it hard to get enough shut-eye, and too little sleep can make depression worse.
What
can you do? Start by making some changes to your lifestyle. Go to bed
and get up at the same time every day. Try not to nap. Take all the
distractions out of your bedroom -- no computer and no TV. In time, you
may find your sleep improves.
6. Take on responsibilities. When
you’re depressed, you may want to pull back from life and give up your
responsibilities at home and at work. Don't. Staying involved and having
daily responsibilities can work as a natural depression treatment. They
ground you and give you a sense of accomplishment.
If
you're not up to full-time school or work, that’s fine. Think about
part-time. If that seems like too much, consider volunteer work.
7. Challenge negative thoughts.
In your fight against depression, a lot of the work is mental --
changing how you think. When you're depressed, you leap to the worst
possible conclusions.
The next time you're feeling terrible about yourself,
use logic as a natural depression treatment. You might feel like no one
likes you, but is there real evidence for that? You might feel like the
most worthless person on the planet, but is that really likely? It takes
practice, but in time you can beat back those negative thoughts before
they get out of control.
8. Check with your doctor before using supplements. "There's
promising evidence for certain supplements for depression," Cook says.
Those include fish oil, folic acid, and SAMe. But more research needs to
be done before we'll know for sure. Always check with your doctor
before starting any supplement, especially if you’re already taking
medications.
9. Do something new. When
you’re depressed, you’re in a rut. Push yourself to do something
different. Go to a museum. Pick up a used book and read it on a park
bench. Volunteer at a soup kitchen. Take a language class.
"When
we challenge ourselves to do something different, there are chemical
changes in the brain," Cook says. "Trying something new alters the
levels of [the brain chemical] dopamine, which is associated with
pleasure, enjoyment, and learning."
10. Try to have fun. If
you’re depressed, make time for things you enjoy. What if nothing seems
fun anymore? "That's just a symptom of depression," Cook says. You have
to keep trying anyway.
As
strange as it might sound, you have to work at having fun. Plan things
you used to enjoy, even if they feel like a chore. Keep going to the
movies. Keep going out with friends for dinner.
When
you're depressed, you can lose the knack for enjoying life, Cook says.
You have to relearn how to do it. In time, fun things really will feel
fun again.
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