Ways to Treat Depression

Being depressed sometimes can make you feel helpless and alone.

Being depressed sometimes can make you feel helpless and alone. It is treatable by taking medication or under going counseling, but there are also other ways of fighting depression. There is a lot one can do to fight this condition, like changing one’s behavior, lifestyle, physical activity and even one’s way of thinking. Such things help fight depression naturally. Natural treatment methods can be successful, institutes show that about eighty percent of people show improvement in about four to six weeks, yet approximately fifty percent of patients stop therapy because of unpleasant side effects or concerns, such as fear of addiction to their drug therapy. These natural ways of treating depression include;

Exercise

Exercising boosts feeling good chemicals called endorphins, like walking or jogging, this may help people with depression to feel well for also along time. Everyday physical activity can encourage the brain to rewire itself in positive ways and positive thinking.

Eat healthy

Watching what one is eating should be considered too, depression tends to make one to overeat or not to eat at all, so getting control of your eating will help one feel better.

Get enough sleep

People suffering from depression can have a problem getting enough sleep, and this can make depression worse, this can be changed by changing one’s lifestyle, like sleeping early and waking up the same time, getting rid of all distractions in the bedroom, like TV or the computer.

Doing something new

When your depressed try to push yourself in doing something new and different, like going to the museum, volunteering, taking art classes, this helps your mind to think positively.

Challenge negative thoughts

During depression a lot of work is mental, changing how you think and see things, for example, if people like you or see you differently. Beat back those negative thoughts and get control of your life.

Try to have fun

If one is depressed make time and do things that you enjoy and like. Like going scuba diving, taking boat rides and so on.

Stop drinking and using drugs

Drinking may seem to solve the problem, or might make you feel better momentarily and the problems might seem to go away. But it might make things worse and put you in a deeper darkness. Try to avoid drinking or taking any drugs.

Fall in love

Fall in love with yourself, first! Treat yourself well; pamper yourself with massages, flowers. Keep telling yourself that your goo enough and smart enough, this is positive thinking.

Create

Write down your thoughts and secrets. Oaint or draw pictures about how you feel. Build something too.

PALEO DIET.

What is paleo diet?

Paleo diet consists of the foods that would have being available to the humans in the Paleolithic era. This does mean eating any number of foods that can be found growing in nature.

The incidence of depression has been increasing every year since the beginning of the 20th century. Now that over 100 million people worldwide have some kind of mental illness, sufferers and medical professionals alike are seeking new and better solutions to the problem of mental health. If you’re suffering from depression, a paleo diet is considered to be a good idea. Paleo diet is a great way to change your lifestyle in a way that can help you treat and deal with your depression. A paleo diet makes your body slightly alkaline, this is a good thing as it means you can also fend off the acid based imbalances that cause health problems, such as stroke and kidney stones. None of which will add to your mental health state if you do come to suffer from them. Many people suffering from depression will allow themselves to become socially isolated and cease doing regular exercise. These two actions alone can have a negative effect on the person’s mental health. The Paleo diet is one of example of an alternative approach to alleviating the symptoms of the illness and one that has given great results for many people worldwide. So, if you’re seeking a natural and powerful way to tackle your depression it may well be worth a try.

There are a few key aspects to the Paleo lifestyle that can help: taking regular gentle exercise – such as walking or cycling, spending time in nature and connecting with your ‘tribe’ (socializing with like minded individuals) can all have great mood boosting benefits and make you more resilient to life’s ups and downs.

By going Paleo, you are choosing to return your body to a more optimal state of being, by providing it with the foods that it was originally designed to thrive on. Just as obesity and cancer are a problem of modern day Western society, so is depression – in the eyes of Paleo experts and many other doctors and scientists this is no surprise.

Some examples of Paleo foods are – beef, pork, lamb, poultry, game, fish, seafood (all free range or wild where possible) fresh vegetables and fruits, seeds nuts and oils (olive, coconut and avocado are all excellent).

Some examples of non-Paleo foods are – cereal grains, dairy products, legumes (such as lentils, peas, beans, and soya beans), refined sugars, excessive salt and any highly processed food.

Experts on the Paleo diet are constantly exploring connection between some of these harmful foods and depression, whilst people who are experimenting with removing them from their diets are seeing exceptional results.

Paleo Lifestyle is a common misconception of Paleo that the practice focuses entirely on diet. In fact, a Paleo lifestyle extends much further than this and is important if you hope to see comprehensive changes in your life.

The paleo diet can help our bodies maintain a sense of balance that may not otherwise be achieved by a standard diet. Many researchers and followers of the paleo diet believe depression is associated with inflammation in the body. Research has also shown that individuals with symptoms of depression also consume diets high in carbohydrates, with carbs acting to raise levels of serotonin and temporarily make the individual feel good. When the effect of the carbs wear off and there is a mental crash, as well as a crash in overall energy, the individual finds themselves on a roller coaster ride that can contribute to depression. A diet heavy in carbohydrates can also affect an individual’s hormone levels.

To deal with depression and follow a paleo diet, there are four important things to remember:

Limit foods that induce inflammation. Getting your carbohydrates from healthy sources such as fruit and vegetables will help your body fight inflammation, and will also allow for a more steady stream of energy, versus the ups and downs you may experience when you consume a great deal of processed or sugary carbohydrates. Eating clean, organic foods is another great way to limit your body’s inflammation, because these foods help you avoid the toxins that can induce inflammation. As inflammation is known to be one of the leading causes of depression, aim to reduce these and eventually cut them out entirely. They can be replaced with carbohydrates from healthy sources, such as fruit and vegetables instead.

Processed carbohydrates give you this ‘high and then low’ that you experience in your mood after eating. This can be avoided very simply by cutting them out and will be especially beneficial for depression sufferers.

Consume anti-inflammatory foods. Foods that are rich in Omega-3s are a good way to help your body combat inflammation. Fish oil has been shown to be a great, natural way to fight depression, for example. It is well known amongst the scientific community that foods that are rich in Omega-3s are a great way to help your body fight inflammation the natural way. Fish provides a rich source of these anti-inflammatories – so make sure you get plenty of this into your diet.

Eat a diet rich in antioxidants to fight the harmful oxidation that takes place in the body. Antioxidants strengthen your ability to fight infection and disease and also have important mood-boosting qualities, whilst also significantly improving mental functioning. Antioxidants are simply vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that protect and repair cells from damage. There are 3 major antioxidant vitamins: Beta-carotene, Vitamin C and Vitamin E. These are found in abundance in colorful vegetables.  To avoid spoiling the anti-oxidants eat these foods raw or steamed as much as possible. This way maximum goodness will be left in the vegetables. A diet full of fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants is a great way to improve mood and mental functioning.

Eat a diet high in protein. Foods high in protein contain amino acids, which are a vital component of neurotransmitters. So it’s essential to get regular supply to ensure that you have enough. The best way to ensure this is to eat lots of lean meat, fish and eggs as part of your regular diet.

The benefits of going Paleo have already become clear to so many people suffering from depression and other illnesses of the mind.

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