Depression is more than a bad mood. Therefore, it’s important to understand that you cannot suffer from depression and feel better soon after. Severe depression needs proper treatment and handling with the same seriousness given to a major illness.
Depression is preventable. However, it is hard to pin down what is the cause behind it. In such a scenario, finding the right approach to prevent depression is difficult. The only positive thing is that if you have had depression earlier in life, the chances are that you may likely find a way of dealing with future episodes.
The American Psychology Association (APA) notes that different approaches to therapy and treatment bring varying results for different people. The APA considers psychotherapy effective for individuals helping them uncover issues leading to their depression.
Overcoming depression means understanding behaviors leading to depression and find ways of regaining a pleasure in living. Here are some six ways that will help you overcome depression.
1. Self-Distraction
Involve yourself in many activities to keep the mind active and busy, keeping you away from overthinking. Harboring negative thoughts leads to depression. Therefore, pick a book or fill a magazine puzzle to add more activities to the daily schedule. As long as you keep your mind off negative thoughts and fears, you will overcome depression.
2. Add Omega 3 Fatty Acids in Your Diet
Research studies indicate that a patient diagnosed with depression lacks EPA fatty acid. From the study, when patients receive small quantities of fish oil, there is a sudden reduction of symptoms such as anxiety, sadness, loss of sex drive, and sleep disorders.
Omega 3 travels through the brain with ease passing through the membrane and interacts with molecules controlling the mood. They also have an anti-inflammatory property that helps contain depression
Consuming Omega 3 fats from oily fish, flaxseeds, and walnuts lower your blood cholesterol and thus improves cardiovascular health. Alternatively, to reap in similar benefits, one can try cannabis seeds from one of the top brands, weedsmart which offers doorstep delivery at affordable rates.
3. Staying Active
A doctor may tell you to try to engage in physical exercise to make your brain active. A low dose of activity that may include a brisk walk, jogging, and lifting weights at least three times a week will work out well to alleviate the effects of depression.
The effect of exercises plays the same role as the antidepressants. Being active introduces some changes in the brain, such as increasing the production of dopamine and serotonin. Another positive effect of exercise is the production of BNF, a vital growth hormone that is low in patients with depression.
Lack of exercise leads to the shrinking of the brain’s learning and memory sections, engaging in exercises can reverse the trend.
4. Enough Rest and Sleep
Sleep deprivation over a long period can interfere with your ability to think clearly. Lack of sleep also leads to serious health conditions. Disrupting your sleep may potentially trigger depression. Episodes leading to mood disorders result from poor sleeping patterns.
Rest regulates the inner body clock. The brain will conclude on your day’s activity and determine when to reset the internal clock. Without enough rest, the body clock may fail to reset and gets out of sync. Your body’s clock regulates energy, hormonal levels, appetite, and sleep.
When the body’s essential biological functions are not in order, the doctor will diagnose you with clinical depression.
5. Social Support
The hormones in your body that control bonding characteristics with other humans are responsible for reducing cases of depression, anxiety, and stress. When you are in a healthy relationship, it means you have a good social support system keeping depression at bay.
To maintain the social support network, you need to relate with people who add value to your well-being. The support network is a good payoff because it helps fight depression and reduce the possibility of recurrence.
Widen your social support scope by identifying both email and online counseling services with appropriate support options that relate to your depression.
Types of Depression
- Bipolar depression
- Depression and anxiety
- Depression and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Depression due to psychosis
- Depression during pregnancy
- Depression due to alcohol
Conclusion
People who struggle with depression need to develop some form of compassion for themselves. You can seek help from therapists and doctors. Regardless of what self-talk may lead you to think, there is always hope by trying the different therapy approaches.
Depression can be either temporary or permanent, and treatment does not guarantee complete healing from depression. The idea behind the treatments is to make the symptoms manageable by using the right medication and therapies. If a single line of treatment does not work, ask the health provider to help you create an alternative plan that may manage your condition.