11 Natural Ways to Beat Depression
When you talk to your doctor about feeling depressed, they may prescribe an antidepressant like Lexapro or Paxil, but not everyone responds well to these medications. Perhaps your depression isn't severe enough to warrant these meds but you still want to feel "happier." Here are 11 natural ways to beat depression.
Have you been suffering from depression lately? You may feel like you're all alone, but an estimated 350 million people worldwide suffer from this disorder.
Depression can make it hard for us to complete even the smallest tasks, including cooking dinner and showering. And trying to make it through the workday can seem impossible! So, what can you do to pick yourself up and beat your depression?
While anti-depression medications do exist and work for some people, others find that these medications strip them of any personality. Luckily, there are some natural ways to beat depression if you don't want to use medication.
“You have a 2-5 times increased risk of depression if you have suffered a TBI. ”
Do you want to learn more? Keep reading to discover 11 natural ways to beat depression.
1. Exercise Regularly
Exercising may seem like an impossible feat when you barely have the motivation to brush your teeth. But exercising, even for just for a little while, can help you feel better.
This may be the best natural treatment for depression as it boosts your mood by releasing endorphins while improving your physical health. Regular exercise can lead to an overall healthier and happier life. This means that exercise can help pull you out of depressive episodes and prevent depression from hitting you in the future.
2. Eat a Healthy Diet
A balanced diet is one of the most effective natural remedies for depression and anxiety. The food we eat does more than just affect our physical health, it affects our emotional health as well.
Certain foods, such as sugar and processed foods can make you feel tired and unmotivated, which just feeds into your depression. Caffeine can even lower your serotonin levels, which lowers your mood.
3. Increase Your Omega-3 Fatty Acid Intake
So, what should you eat when trying to beat depression?
Well, a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids along with healthy oils and protein can help boost your mood. You can achieve this by eating plenty of salmon, sardines, mackerel, coconut oil, and free-range turkey.
You should strive for a balanced, or even organic diet, to get the most out of your food.
4. Go Outside
You may not think going outside can really help when you think about how to cure depression by yourself. However, going outside can make you feel happier by exposing you to plenty of vitamin D via sunlight.
Sometimes a change of scenery can also help you beat depression. If you're not motivated to go anywhere, even just changing things up by sitting in your backyard instead of your bedroom may be enough of a change to help boost your mood.
5. Give Meditation a Shot
The hardest part of beating depression is trying to overcome your own thoughts. While eating the right foods and exercising can help make you feel happier, you may also want to shut your brain off for a while.
That's why meditation is one of the best natural depression treatments available. By turning off your thoughts and focusing on your breathing, you can start to relax. Once you get good at meditation, you may be able to use it to tune your depressive thoughts off when they occur.
6. Let All Your Emotions Out
While turning your bad thoughts off can help you beat depression, you shouldn't try to block them out all the time.
Partaking in therapy is one of the tried and true natural remedies for depression and anxiety. Talking to a therapist can help you release all your emotions so they don't keep weighing you down. They can also help you overcome your problems, so you can better manage your depression.
7. Keep a Routine
Many people begin to fall deeper into their depression when they give up their daily routine. This can remove all forms of structure from your life and make your days bleed together.
Getting back into your old routine can help get you out of your depressive rut and back to your old life.
8. Set Attainable Goals
If you don't think you can jump right back into your strenuous daily routine, that's okay! Start small and set attainable goals to keep yourself motivated.
If you make it your goal to shower, do your hair, exercise for an hour, and then cook a healthy dinner, you may begin to feel worse if you are unable to accomplish all that in one day.
Instead, make it your goal to do your basic morning routine - shower, brush your teeth, and get dressed. Once that is complete, you can set another goal for the day - perhaps going for a walk around the block or calling your therapist.
9. Try Something New
When deciding how to treat depression on your own, you may not be thinking about trying anything new. However, you should consider making this one of your goals once you start to get better.
Trying new things can raise your dopamine levels, which can help make you feel better.
10. Spend Time with Friends and Family
Many people tend to shut friends and family out when they are feeling depressed. While there's nothing wrong with taking a day or two to yourself, you shouldn't stay solitary for long.
Spending time with loved ones is one of the best natural ways to beat depression. Maintaining relationships can help you feel supported and that you're not alone, which is vital in overcoming depression. Loved ones can also help you vent if you're not ready to go to a therapist, and help you have fun to boost your mood.
11. Find Out What's Causing Your Depression
The best natural treatment for depression is to find out what caused you to feel depressed in the first place. While some depressive episodes may come on sporadically, others have a direct cause.
Are you unhappy in your marriage? Has a loved one passed away? Have you lost your job? Once you find out what is causing you to feel so depressed, you can begin to create a plan on how to solve it.
While some things, like a death in the family or a bad breakup, can't be resolved, you can at least try to make a plan for how to better cope with these feelings.
Natural Ways to Beat Depression
If you struggle with depression, you may have considered taking anti-depression medication at some point. If it didn't work or you didn't like the way it made you feel, you do have other options.
There are many natural ways to beat depression. Some of the best options are to set attainable goals for yourself, maintain relationships with loved ones, and talk to a therapist.
Did you find this article helpful? Check out my blog for more informative articles like this. And, as always, I’d love to hear what you think. Feel free to drop me line or comment below.
