How to fight depression without medications?!
Question: i recommend seeing a psychiatrist and getting their opinion.. and talk therapy is very beneficial.. the best thing about a therapist is that they don't know you.. therefore they don't have any personal opinions towards you.. so you get honest, unbiased help..
one of the best depression/anxiety relievers i can recommend is exercise.. it takes your focus off what's bothering you and hey it's just good in general.. exercise also releases serotonin, dopamine and a few other nuerotransmitters in your brain.. serotonin deals with sleep and mood regulation and dopamine is related to pleasure and happiness.. those chemicals i just mentioned are the ones that your brain lacks when depressed.. exercise helps to balance them.. this has been clinically proven to work faster and longer than medication.. simply taking a twenty minute walk each day could really help..
exercise also releases endorphins.. the body's natural pain killers.. this is related to "runner's high"..
i understand you may not be motivated to do a lot.. so start off slow.. just walk for five minutes or so.. then add a minute or two each day and work your way up..
other than exercise you could try deep breathing, muscle relaxation techniques, meditation, yoga, listening to music, writing in a journal, or talking to a friend about it.. i also drink ungodly amounts of tea.. haha..
get a good social support network.. talk to a friend or family member about how you feel..
take time out for yourself each day.. to just reflect, relax, and settle your thoughts.. do things that relax you and that you enjoy..
warm milk also helps to produce serotonin.. so maybe drinking a glass before you go to sleep may help.. this will help if you have trouble sleeping also..
try to get at least an hour of sunlight each day.. this also helps to balance your brain chemistry and produces serotonin..
when you lie down to sleep, concentrate on your breathing.. just keep a steady inhale and exhale.. in through your nose and out through your mouth.. this will help to calm your heart rate and hopefully help you sleep.. do this anytime you feel yourself getting anxious also..
eat a healthy diet.. and drink lots of water..
if you tend to put yourself down, don't be hard on yourself.. try to make a list of things you love about youself.. if you feel that you cannot make the list, then have a friend or family member make it for you.. when you start to put yourself down or feel bad, pull the list out and read it.. remind yourself that you're special and deserve to feel as such..
i hope this helps.. and best of luck..
Answers: i recommend seeing a psychiatrist and getting their opinion.. and talk therapy is very beneficial.. the best thing about a therapist is that they don't know you.. therefore they don't have any personal opinions towards you.. so you get honest, unbiased help..
one of the best depression/anxiety relievers i can recommend is exercise.. it takes your focus off what's bothering you and hey it's just good in general.. exercise also releases serotonin, dopamine and a few other nuerotransmitters in your brain.. serotonin deals with sleep and mood regulation and dopamine is related to pleasure and happiness.. those chemicals i just mentioned are the ones that your brain lacks when depressed.. exercise helps to balance them.. this has been clinically proven to work faster and longer than medication.. simply taking a twenty minute walk each day could really help..
exercise also releases endorphins.. the body's natural pain killers.. this is related to "runner's high"..
i understand you may not be motivated to do a lot.. so start off slow.. just walk for five minutes or so.. then add a minute or two each day and work your way up..
other than exercise you could try deep breathing, muscle relaxation techniques, meditation, yoga, listening to music, writing in a journal, or talking to a friend about it.. i also drink ungodly amounts of tea.. haha..
get a good social support network.. talk to a friend or family member about how you feel..
take time out for yourself each day.. to just reflect, relax, and settle your thoughts.. do things that relax you and that you enjoy..
warm milk also helps to produce serotonin.. so maybe drinking a glass before you go to sleep may help.. this will help if you have trouble sleeping also..
try to get at least an hour of sunlight each day.. this also helps to balance your brain chemistry and produces serotonin..
when you lie down to sleep, concentrate on your breathing.. just keep a steady inhale and exhale.. in through your nose and out through your mouth.. this will help to calm your heart rate and hopefully help you sleep.. do this anytime you feel yourself getting anxious also..
eat a healthy diet.. and drink lots of water..
if you tend to put yourself down, don't be hard on yourself.. try to make a list of things you love about youself.. if you feel that you cannot make the list, then have a friend or family member make it for you.. when you start to put yourself down or feel bad, pull the list out and read it.. remind yourself that you're special and deserve to feel as such..
i hope this helps.. and best of luck..
Having an active, healthy lifestyle. No alcohol, drugs etc. Immerse yourself in a hobby, join a gym or take a class. This is the only life you get so get out there and make the best of it!
Stress is a natural experience and part of life. It is how human body responds to a variety of external and internal signals. Find a distraction, sports and physical activity helps you to relax physically and also releases endorphins in the body, which produce a real feeling of well-being. Walking, cycling, swimming, joining a gym or a sports team will all help to relieve stress. Goog luck
Get a good sleep and then commit to something that will make a difference in people lives. Work creative things. Deserve to be important. That's all.
Its really good that you want to avoid medications!
Depression can be either a temporary thing because of environment or a relationship or a long term thing.
There is therapy for both.
But you can accomplish the same thing by getting out, helping someone, volunteering at the local animal shelter or nursing home,
anything to get you out of yourself.
Find something that increases your feeling of self worth.
See depression treatments, at ezy-build *(below) in section 2, and consult a doctor, to eliminate thyroid problems, etc. as possible contributing factors: also seek a referral to a therapist using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy. It is your decision, and yours alone, as to whether to take any antidepressants offered, but, before you do, read section 1, and check medications out at www.drugs.com so you will be on the lookout for side effects, like sexual dysfunction. My strong recommendation, however, is to follow the advice of my doctor, his associate, and also Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP, and Dr. Mercola, as well, at http://www.mercola.com and avoid antidepressants (pages 2V, and 2Z refer, & antidepressant websites: page 2). The reasons why we all share the same view on this are explained in full, as you will find, if you read the whole section. All of their advice, (except prayer, because many people are not religious) I have incorporated into the "core treatments", including others as options, such as the supplements: Inositol, or SAMe, or herbal remedies, like St. John's wort. If you are diagnosed with clinical (major) depression, antidepressants may be necessary for a while, which will give the treatments time to become effective. The antidepressants themselves need at least several days, or even weeks to begin becoming effective. It's a good idea to taper off them slowly, with medical advice, after several months, say, to a couple of years, at most, because they are only effective in the long term for about 30% of people. Because of this, you would be well advised to begin the treatments immediately, and maintain them. I'd just thank your mental health care provider, and pocket the prescription, trying the treatments for a few months, to see if they are sufficient for you, before considering filling it (unless clinically depressed, and having great difficulty functioning, or suicidal, in which case I'd take them). If the amount of daylight you have been exposed to recently has reduced, perhaps due to the change of seasons, see Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.) in section 2, at * http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris and, instead of taking 4 Omega 3 fish oil supplements, daily; replace 2 of them with cod liver oil supplements for the winter months only! (or, as probably a better alternative to the 2 cod liver oil supplements: 1 teaspoonful of cod liver oil, with a little butter, to ensure its use; I take mine on sourdough rye bread, or toast, covered with fishpaste, and pepper, to mask the strong taste). Consider having your doctor test your vitamin D levels.
keep busy - exercise - eat healthy - do things you enjoy - or that you used to enjoy before you were fighting depression! Call some friends and have a night out.
Drugs...SSRI's especially...seek alternatives first! Good info , from knowledgeable people on here. Kudos PS...htis is anxiety..panic attacks..etc...you are ok. Hang in there.