Feeling Blue? Here Are Some Tips For Coping With Depression
Treating depression can be a major life changing experience for you and your loved ones. This kind of treatment is not rocket science, but it does require a lot of research, work, and patience to find something that works for you. This list of tips should help you start seeking the treatment that is right for you.
A great tip that can help you fight depression is to not spend so much time in doors. When we're depressed we tend to isolate ourselves at home. The more time you spend by yourself indoors, the more depressed you'll get. Try forcing yourself to go outside once in a while.
Get your exercise daily. Research demonstrates a link between a half an hour of daily exercise and responding better to treatments for depression. It can help as much as a medication can! Remember to always make the active choice, such as parking far from your destination to grab a little walk or choosing the stairs over the elevator.
Don't let your depression interfere with your normal life. Just as people who are having trouble with physical diseases shouldn't stop everything, neither should you stop your life just because you are suffering from this problem. Find ways to motivate yourself to get out of the house and you may even find the your depression greatly reduces.
Eat a healthy diet. Many times someone who is depressed my try to cover those feelings with overeating, binge drinking, or even starving themselves. Suppressed feelings are one of the largest contributing factors in depression. When you find yourself reaching for the bag of cookies or bottle of wine, remind yourself that you are making the feelings worse. In addition to forcing you to deal with your feelings instead of covering them, maintaining healthy eating habits will improve your health as well as your mood.
If you have been prescribed medication by your doctor but do not feel completely comfortable with it, be sure to discuss this with him or her. He may be able to help you find a better medication or he may even be able to sooth your worries by explaining what it does.
Listening to music is a very good way to fend off depression, but if you are able to, playing music can be even more effective. Pursuing any form of art, no matter your skill level, can be very therapeutic.
Turn off the TV, especially the news. The media is notorious for focusing on all the bad in the world, only relying on happy stories when they have extra time they need fluffed out. Take a break from the ills in the world that you can do nothing about; they will only bring your mood further down.
Pay attention to your symptoms and your body, especially when it comes to concentration and memory. Many people suffer from mild memory loss as they age, and blame it on "senior moments" or even early senility. However, in many cases, those memory loss incidents are more related to depression than age. Treatments for depression may be surprisingly successful in dealing with the memory problems.
Spend time outdoors. The sun is full of vitamin D, which may help those with depression and the change of scene, will be enough to take your mind off your troubles for a little while. Try to stay outside for at least half an hour a day, to see results.
One way of dealing with depression is to practice using positive visualization. Start by closing your eyes and relaxing as much as possible. Take some deep breaths, and then begin imagining bright, happy scenes in your mind. For instance, if you love the outdoors you could visualize yourself sitting by a beautiful stream with birds singing in the trees nearby. By choosing happy, uplifting scenes and then vividly imagining them, you can instantly lift your mood and begin feeling better.
Use social networking as a means of communicating with those that you don't have to hold back with. You will find that strangers are often easier to talk to than friends and family, mainly because they hold no bias, in listening and understanding. If you feel alone and have an internet connection, use social networking to your advantage.
Beat depression by developing your interests. Depression robs us by dampening our desire to pursue activities we used ot enjoy. Activities and various interests are critical to maintaining a happy, fulfilled frame of mind. Depression, worry, anger, anxiety and other negative emotions can be released through activities, especially if you do them whenever you feel bad.
A great tip that can help you beat depression, is to simply realize that depression doesn't last forever. It only lasts for a period of time. If you remind yourself of this, you can look through the fog to see the light. You have to realize that things will get better.
If you are feeling nervous and want to calm yourself down, you should introduce more complex carbohydrates into your diet. Studies have shown that complex carbohydrates can cause you to relax and help you to calm down, which is great when combating depression, anxiety and nervousness. However, make sure not to overeat.
Your diet can have a huge affect on how you feel and act. If you are even mildly depressed, you can be tempted to eat so called "comfort foods" that are basically empty carbs and calories. These foods will do nothing to boost your mood or make you feel better about yourself. Eat a proper diet, filled with fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to optimize the benefits that diet can offer to your mood.
Have a little fun. When you are feeling depressed, you may not enjoy the activities you once did. So try something else! Find one thing that you enjoy and immerse yourself in it. Having fun is your right whether you are depressed or not; you deserve a bit of enjoyment like anyone else.
As you can see, there is a lot more to treating depression than most people think. It requires a lot of research, hard work, and patience, but it will be worth it in the end to start living healthier. By following the above tips, you are well on your way to improving your life.
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