10 simple steps to get rid of Depression
How to get rid of depression?
To answer this question, we must realize that depression in its early stages is nothing but negative feelings and black thoughts. We have allowed them to control our thinking and our daily activities, and we only need some resistance to get rid of them permanently
There are many physical and intellectual activities that may make you feel better and help you get rid of negative feelings. Apart from drugs and chemicals, these activities are classified as natural remedies for depression
Getting rid of depression may be simpler than you can imagine, as simple steps that you commit to taking daily may start to feel better, and may even turn into a positive and motivated person for life, so here are some tips that may help you.
1 - Exercise:
The goal of exercise is not just to achieve an ideal weight, but to lose weight.
Exercise has the ability to raise the level of certain chemicals in the body that cause feelings of happiness, and these substances are called endorphins.
Therefore, psychiatrists advise their patients to adopt exercise as a treatment for depression, as it gives you a better feeling about yourself, and increases your sense of contentment and happiness.
Exercise (click here to read more about benifits of Exercising) may also have long-term benefits for people with depression, Ian Cook, a psychiatrist and director of the Depression Research Program at the University of California, says that getting regular exercise encourages the mind to rearrange itself in a positive way.
How much exercise do you need? You don't need to run a marathon to get the benefit, just walking for a few minutes a day can help (click here to read more about benifits of walking).
2 - Don't allow depression to take hold of you:
If you're depressed, says Ian Cook, you need a method.
Depression certainly robs your life system and prevents you from integrating into a certain routine. You are all the time absent-minded, thinking about negative things, and unable to move or do the simplest work even if it is making the bed, for example.
So if you really want to fight depression, you have to attack it completely from the point it seeks to attack you.
Accordingly, psychology experts say that adhering to a certain daily routine, and setting a gentle schedule of things that you have to do every day will help you a lot in treating your depression.
3 - Set goals:
When you are depressed, you may feel that you are unable to accomplish anything, and this will undoubtedly make you feel worse about yourself.
To stop this, you only need to set daily goals to achieve them, even if they are simple, this will make you feel accomplished, and that you are trying to do something.
To make it easier for you, start with small things, set simple goals that you can really achieve, and commit to achieving your small goals will make you feel better for yourself, and once you get past this stage, start by setting more important goals and take longer to accomplish.
With time, you will find yourself able to overcome challenges and achieve difficult goals, and you will eliminate depression and negative feelings at the same time.
4 - Eat healthy food:
There is no magic diet that can cure depression, but paying attention to what you eat is a good idea, too.
If depression tends to make you overeat, controlling your eating will help you feel better, and if depression makes you refuse to eat, it is helpful to challenge the diet that depression dictates.
Cook says that although the matter is not entirely agreed upon among doctors, there is evidence that food rich in omega-3 fatty acids (such as salmon and tuna) and folic acid (such as spinach and avocados) can help relieve depression.
5 - Get enough sleep:
Depression can make it difficult to get enough sleep, and lack of sleep can make it worse.
What can you do then? Start by making some lifestyle changes.
For example, you go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, and if you suffer from insomnia, try to keep distractions away from your bedroom, such as your mobile device, TV, or computer.
Over time, you will find your sleep improves, especially if you force yourself to wake up early in the day (click here to read more about benifits of waking up early), which makes you feel exhausted in the evening, so you have to go to bed early.
6 - Take on the responsibilities:
When you are depressed, you may want to give up your responsibilities at home and at work.
So if you want to treat depression, you just have to resist this feeling and engage as much as possible with daily responsibilities, whether in your home or work.
This can help you maintain a depression-fighting lifestyle, it can put your feet up and make you feel fulfilled.
7 - Challenge negative thoughts:
When you are depressed, you will jump to the worst possible conclusions, become obsessed with negative thoughts, and plunge into an endless cycle of unhappy past memories and dark future ideas.
No one can put an end to these negative thoughts except you. With practice, you will find yourself able to get rid of these thoughts and banish them from your head, and think of positive things instead.
8 - Consult your doctor before using nutritional supplements:
“There is promising evidence for the role of some nutritional supplements in treating depression,” Cook says, especially those containing fish oil, folic acid and S-adenosyl-L-methionine.
But more research needs to be done to confirm this, so always check with your doctor before you start taking any nutritional supplement, especially if you are already taking medications.
9 - Do something new:
When you are depressed, you will lose the desire to change, and you will not feel ready to do anything new.
Resist this feeling, and you will be surprised by the positive state that you will reach if you keep bringing new developments into your life.
Go to the places you love, the cinema, for example, attend parties with your friends, read a new book, learn a new language, or do anything that interests you and think that you have no time to do it.
“When we challenge ourselves to do something new, there are chemical changes in the mind,” says Cook. “Trying something new changes levels of dopamine (a chemical in the brain) associated with happiness, enjoyment, and learning.”
10 - Try to have fun:
Make time for the things you enjoy if you are depressed, but what if nothing is no longer enjoyable? "This is only a symptom of depression," says Cook, so you have to keep trying anyway.
As weird as it may sound, you should always work to enjoy your life.
Plan things you used to enjoy, even if they are routine things, like having dinner with your best friends.
When you are depressed, you lose the skill of enjoying life, so you must always work to resist this feeling, and not give in to what your negative thoughts dictate.