Over 250 million individuals across the globe experience depression, but over 35% of adults who have even experienced major depressive episodes did not receive treatment. Despite growingly becoming the biggest psychological concern among humans across the globe, depression vastly goes undiagnosed or untreated.
Depression occurs in varying degrees among individuals starting from mild to severe. The intensity of the symptoms grows proportionally severe as the condition progresses. This mental disorder that can deeply impact mood to cause feelings of hopelessness, lack of self-worth, appetite, energy, sleep, and concentration certainly requires attention and necessary treatments for recovery. While medications can provide the necessary support, a few other lifestyle changes and choices can have a positive impact too.
Here are four steps to overcoming depression that can lead to a healthy recovery.
1. Switch Your Diet
Diet is closely related to the chemicals in our body that influence physical and mental health. What you eat can, directly and indirectly, enhance your mood and keep you happy and energetic.
One of the simplest ways to cope with depression is to identify and eliminate foods that can worsen the symptoms of the ailment. For example, avoid caffeine, alcohol, or sugary drinks that can cause sudden bursts of energy and good mood but can deeply impact your sleep, appetite, and natural energy levels.
Additionally, minimize the consumption of greasy fast foods containing unnecessary ingredients that can agitate your system. Switch to a natural and healthy diet containing plenty of fresh vegetables, fruits, and greens. Include fish enriched with Omega fatty acids known to improve mental well-being. Other foods include maybe chia seeds and hemp seeds.
Seek the help of powerful herbal aids to cope with symptoms. Products like THC oil, ashwagandha, and kava kava extracts may relieve restlessness and ease depression symptoms. Including them in your routine in effective forms can improve blood circulation to the brain, induce relaxation and strengthen the fight against clinical depression.
Note: Herbal remedies may interact with regular medications causing unexpected reactions. Consult your physician before using them to avoid side effects.
2. Try Engaging Activities
Keeping your mind and body engaged helps improve focus and evade negative thoughts and emotions. A simple way to incorporate this into your routine could be to add some exercise time. Exercise increases endorphins in the body, which are feel-good hormones. It can enhance your energy levels and improve the oxygen supply to the brain to help with symptoms of depression. You can increase the efficiency of the exercise further by working out to good music that can also improve your mood and help clear your mind. Remember to switch up your workout moves regularly to avoid becoming a monotony that could bore you.
You can also try out exciting ways of engaging your body and mind by substituting workouts with other activities like sports, aerobics, dance, and trekking. It will make sure you remain active while performing an enjoyable activity. You can also try out these activities as a group, as socializing can help overcome negative emotions and thoughts and help you feel free and at ease. These activities can further promote appetite and sleep and help you get into a healthy routine.
3. Take Time For Self Analysis
When negative thoughts and emotions begin to cloud you, the best way ahead is to take time to assess and understand them. This way, you can figure out a way to cope with them.
Depression often triggers negative emotions about the self. It could impact self-worth and reinforce self-doubt about your abilities. Start by dealing with these thoughts. Acknowledge any negative emotions you may experience and express them to a person close to you or write it down in a journal. Now try and trace back what caused these thoughts or emotions to appear. It will help you avoid a possible trigger for your bad mood or other symptoms of depression over time.
Now write down one positive comment against every negative emotion in the journal. Self-assurance and motivation are necessary to get over the slump and pump up for the day. Every day note down one task you completed successfully, however small, and write an appreciative note next to it. Remember, every step counts. So acknowledge it to the best of your abilities to move forward. You could also use art to express your feelings healthily to feel more relaxed.
4. Do What You Love
Sometimes a break from monotony can help cope with symptoms of depression. So try something new that might be exciting, or you may grow to love to activate a different part of your brain. It could be joining a creative arts class, trying out an adventure sport, or even meeting new people. The enthralling feeling of a new experience can help you feel active and alive.
Try to spend time with family and friends whose company you may enjoy. You could also explore volunteering to spend time with others. But make sure to choose the company of people who respect your emotions and understand you well. You can also connect with nature through walks, treks, gardening, or other activities that can have a wonderful, calming impact on your mind.
Conclusion
Depression is a severe mental health disorder that can immensely impact an individual’s overall well-being. Apart from receiving the appropriate diagnosis and medical support, following these steps that help in self-recovery can improve results and help you overcome the condition.
