If you’re battling depression, you’re not alone. More than 40 million Americans deal with depression. And with a market that large, you can imagine pharmaceutical companies certainly will do what they can to make money…er, treat depression with pills.
Popping pills doesn’t really ever treat depression at its core. It masks symptoms or changes how you feel, and you go from feeling depressed to not feeling at all, just being a hollow shell, existing.
That’s no way to live. And the truth is, you can deal with depression in a more holistic way than shoveling a cocktail of chemicals down your throat
Hundreds of thousands of people have gotten a new lease on life by dealing with depression through yoga, vitamins, or other methods. Take a look at the list and give one or two a shot:
Treatment 1-Yoga
Yoga is a discipline that will help with depression by aligning the body through deep breathing and exercise. Through exercise, you will release endorphins, your body’s natural-pick- me up. Additionally, the deep breathing that accompanies yoga is a natural way to reset the nervous system, which if stressed, will be pumping cortisol through the body. Many yogis also incorporate giving thanks into their routines, which is a way to lead yourself out of depression.
Treatment 2- Massage
Massage is a great way to relieve stress, a contributing factor of depression. Stress is not just a feeling you have, but is a chemical released in the brain. Some research has shown that simply engaging in massage can reduce cortisol levels by 30%. The physical touch between two people can also reduce depression based on feelings of loneliness and disconnectedness.
Treatment 3- Light Therapy
Light Therapy works to counteract Seasonal Affective Disorder(SAD), a disorder most common in the longer winter months. As the days get shorter in winter, people get less exposure to the sun and receive less vitamin D. Low levels of vitamin D have conclusively been linked to lethargy and depression. One can supplement with light therapy to replace the sun and generate the sunshine vitamin, a sure cure for the winter blues.
Treatment 4- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT is a method of training yourself to think differently. It takes a situation that would normally induce a negative feeling and brings the person into conscious awareness of that thought. The therapy then retrains the response to focus on positive ideas and emotions. Clinical studies have shown a vast improvement of patients with depression after using CBT, an improvement on par with antidepressants.
Treatment 5- Diet
Much has been written about foods in their relationship to inflammation in the body. A study by the NCBI looked at 35 separate studies that had participants who reported depression and did not respond to treatment. In all cases, inflammation may have been a contributing factor to non-response. In order to remove inflammation, certain foods need to be removed. This must be done slowly, known as an elimination diet. A drastic cutting of foods your body is used to does not set a person up for success because our willpower is finite, meaning it will run out. Eliminate foods gradually, monitor your mental faculties, and watch to see if your depression lifts after a certain food .
Treatment 6 Vitamin B
The brain, as a processing unit, performs millions of processes a year. If it doesn’t have proper nutrition, in the form of B-vitamins, it won’t be able to make conversions of certain chemicals to others. This can lead to depression. An easy way to promote proper function is to supplement B vitamins. One such conversion, L-Tryptophan to serotonin, leads to a happier brain.
If you are under a cloud of gloom, set your sights on some natural pick-me-ups, get moving, and know you’re not alone. Hundreds of people have stepped out of the darkness, but sometimes it takes more than one try.
