HOW TO FIGHT DEPRESSION?
i) Tips for coping with depression
Try these coping strategies if you're feeling depressed.
Stay in touch
Don't withdraw from life. Socialising can improve your mood. Keeping in touch with friends and family means you have someone to talk to when you feel low.
Be more active
Take up some form of exercise. There's evidence that exercise can help lift your mood. If you haven't exercised for a while, start gently by walking for 20 minutes every day.
Read about exercise for depression.
Face your fears
Don't avoid the things you find difficult. When people feel low or anxious, they sometimes avoid talking to other people. Some people can lose their confidence in going out, driving or travelling.
If this starts to happen, facing up to these situations will help them become easier.
Reading Ten ways to fight your fears may help.
Don't drink too much alcohol
For some people, alcohol can become a problem. You may drink more than usual as a way of coping with or hiding your emotions, or just to fill time. But alcohol won't help you solve your problems and could also make you feel more depressed.
Read some tips on cutting down on alcohol.
Try to eat a healthy diet
Some people don't feel like eating when they're depressed and are at risk of becoming underweight. Others find comfort in food and can put on excess weight.
Antidepressants can also affect your appetite.
If you're concerned about weight loss, weight gain or how antidepressants are affecting your appetite, talk to your GP.
See tips on how to eat more healthily.
Have a Routine
When people feel down, they can get into poor sleep patterns, staying up late and sleeping during the day. Try to get up at your normal time and stick to your routine as much as possible.
Not having a routine can affect your eating. Try to carry on cooking and eating regular meals.
Seeking help for depression
Get help if you're still feeling down or depressed after a couple of weeks.
Treatments for depression include psychological therapies and antidepressants.
You can:
• contact Samaritans on 116 123 for 24-hour confidential, non-judgemental emotional support
• call your GP and ask for an emergency appointment
• call 111 out of hours – they will help you find the support and help you need
ii) 15 Steps To Treat Depression Naturally
Try these coping strategies if you're feeling depressed.
Stay in touch
Don't withdraw from life. Socialising can improve your mood. Keeping in touch with friends and family means you have someone to talk to when you feel low.
Be more active
Take up some form of exercise. There's evidence that exercise can help lift your mood. If you haven't exercised for a while, start gently by walking for 20 minutes every day.
Read about exercise for depression.
Face your fears
Don't avoid the things you find difficult. When people feel low or anxious, they sometimes avoid talking to other people. Some people can lose their confidence in going out, driving or travelling.
If this starts to happen, facing up to these situations will help them become easier.
Reading Ten ways to fight your fears may help.
Don't drink too much alcohol
For some people, alcohol can become a problem. You may drink more than usual as a way of coping with or hiding your emotions, or just to fill time. But alcohol won't help you solve your problems and could also make you feel more depressed.
Read some tips on cutting down on alcohol.
Try to eat a healthy diet
Some people don't feel like eating when they're depressed and are at risk of becoming underweight. Others find comfort in food and can put on excess weight.
Antidepressants can also affect your appetite.
If you're concerned about weight loss, weight gain or how antidepressants are affecting your appetite, talk to your GP.
See tips on how to eat more healthily.
Have a Routine
When people feel down, they can get into poor sleep patterns, staying up late and sleeping during the day. Try to get up at your normal time and stick to your routine as much as possible.
Not having a routine can affect your eating. Try to carry on cooking and eating regular meals.
Seeking help for depression
Get help if you're still feeling down or depressed after a couple of weeks.
Treatments for depression include psychological therapies and antidepressants.
You can:
• contact Samaritans on 116 123 for 24-hour confidential, non-judgemental emotional support
• call your GP and ask for an emergency appointment
• call 111 out of hours – they will help you find the support and help you need
ii) 15 Steps To Treat Depression Naturally
1. Identify Any Underlying Conditions
I would venture to say that most people with treatment-resistant depression are also suffering from undiagnosed conditions.
My list was long: Crohn’s disease, small intestine bacteria overgrowth (SIBO), hypothyroidism, low stomach acid (hypochlorhydria), adrenal fatigue, Raynaud’s phenomenon and connective tissue problems, pituitary tumor, aortic valve regurgitation, and certain nutrient deficiencies (iron, vitamin D, and vitamin B-12).
It’s really best to work with an integrative or functional doctor. Many are listed on the website for the Institute of Functional Medicine, but you need to proceed with caution, because some of them are very expensive and will run unnecessary tests if you’re not careful. At the very least, I would ask your primary care physician or psychiatrist to run these four blood tests: a complete blood count (CBC); comprehensive metabolic profile (CMP); a thyroid full panel, including TSH, free T4, free T3, and thyroid antibodies (read Dana Trentini’s important blog on this); and the 25-OH vitamin D test, as well as B-12 levels. It may also be worth finding out if you have a Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene mutation (present in 15 to 40 percent of the general population), because we need the MTHFR enzyme to convert folate to its active form, methylfolate — and folate deficiencies make it difficult for antidepressants to work. In fact, many studies link low folate levels to depression.
I have actually learned more about my various conditions from the people on my depression forums, and in books and articles, than I have from sitting in doctors’ offices. The folks on Project Beyond Blue and Group Beyond Blue are working with nutritionists, integrative doctors, gastrointestinal specialists, and other experts, and are experimenting with new things all the time and willing to share their experience with you for free. I've learned from them about certain supplements, protocols, and resources that have really helped mitigate some of my symptoms.
2. Eliminate Triggers of Inflammation
Certain foods and substances create inflammation in our bodies, including in our brains, which leads to depression. The usual suspects are sugar, gluten, dairy, caffeine, and alcohol. Some people, like my daughter, may have more dramatic reactions to dairy, whereas others, like my son, are more affected by gluten. Me? I can’t go near sugar if I don’t want the death thoughts to return. You won’t really know until you do an elimination diet and get rid of everything for a few weeks, and then gradually add them back in (that is, if you tolerate them fine). I will warn you, though: You can’t cheat for those few weeks, because your system has to be totally clean for you to identify the problem. A spike in cytokines, proteins that are pumped into our bloodstream when our immune system is fighting off a foreign agent, happens when people are depressed. The process looks the same as when a person is fighting an infection of any kind. Unfortunately, a lot of fun, processed foods that taste really good, like Twinkies and Doritos, can cause inflammation — but clearly some people are more sensitive to others. Here’s an easy rule to follow: If a food comes in a nicely marketed package (even with the words “gluten free,” “dairy free” and ESPECIALLY “sugar free”), and its ingredients contain a bunch of words that you don’t know how to pronounce, it’s not going to make you any saner.
And not to be a total killjoy, but it’s worth examining what other kinds of toxins you are immersed in daily. Those could be causing inflammation, too. Not until three months ago did I realize that swimming in chlorine a few times a week was probably contributing to my gut problems and thyroid issues, both of which are critical in establishing a stable mood. So I switched to hot yoga (step five), and I began to feel better.
3. Go Green
Dark, leafy greens like spinach, Swiss chard, and kale fuel every system in your body more completely than any other kind of food. They are nutrition powerhouses, packed with vitamins A, C, E, K, and folate; minerals like iron and calcium; carotenoids; fiber; antioxidants; omega-3s; and phytochemicals. They are also a major source of chlorophyll, which, according to Green for Life author Victoria Boutenko, “heals and cleanses all our organs, and even destroys many of our internal enemies, like pathogenic bacteria, fungi, cancer cells, and many others.”
I started to feel a little better when I swapped my sandwich at lunch for a salad full of greens, and made a conscious effort to eat mood-lifting foods during the day. But I began to really heal when I started drinking green smoothies. I realize I sound like an infomercial at this point, but the only way my body was able to easily absorb and process all the nutrients in the greens was when they were blended into very small pieces. Like most people who have been on medications for decades, my stomach acid was very low, so eating lots of raw vegetables and greens was producing bloating and gas. I was not happy when my husband spent $500 on a refurbished Vitamix, but it has proven to be one of the smartest investments we’ve ever made. Now I try to drink two smoothies each day, and I really believe it has made a substantial impact on my health.
4. Heal Your Gut
Embedded into the walls of our intestines is an intricate enteric nervous system, consisting of some 100 million neurons, that is often referred to as our second brain. In fact, the nerve cells in our gut manufacture 80 to 90 percent of our body’s serotonin. There’s also a complex collection of bacteria living in our guts that a substantial volume of research says impacts our mood. It’s fascinating stuff for people like me who have always suffered from gastrointestinal problems and never before connected the dots. In my article 10 Ways to Cultivate Good Gut Bacteria and Reduce Depression, I outline some of the steps I have taken to clean up my gut. Among them, I believe it’s important to consume prebiotic foods, like garlic, onions, artichokes, leeks, and dandelion greens, and probiotic foods, like active-culture yogurt, kefir, pickles, and fermented foods. It’s also good to avoid the use of antibiotics as much as possible.
5. Do Yoga
Any kind of workout or movement lifts your mood — boosting our brain’s dopamine levels and providing endorphins — but some kinds of exercises are much more healing than others, especially for people who have been depressed for decades or have stress-related conditions like adrenal fatigue. Unlike other aerobic workouts, like running or CrossFit, that raise cortisol levels and essentially wear out your body, yoga lowers levels of this stress hormone that is critical to the maintenance of homeostasis and regulating immune responses, blood sugar, and central nervous system functions. Several studies illustrate how yoga tames the stress response by priming the parasympathetic nervous system, and is therefore an effective therapy for depression and anxiety. I have tried different types of yoga, but the one in which I feel the most benefit is Bikram, a sequence of 26 Hatha yoga positions, and two breathing exercises, designed to engage and heal all of the systems of your body. It’s not for everyone, as you’re stuck for 90 minutes in a room heated to 105 degrees (sweating helps flush out the toxins). But when I can get there on a regular basis (at least four times a week), I feel a profound, calming effect —and I've heard the same from several other people who struggle with chronic anxiety and depression.
6. Reduce Stress
Depression is ultimately a stress disorder: a disease where stress is poorly managed by our bodies. It’s as if many of us with depression and anxiety have a new intern sitting at command central of our nervous system, and she keeps categorizing stress responses incorrectly, sending them to the wrong department in our body. Moreover, she sits right next to the fire alarm and keeps ringing it every time there is a hint of panic. But new research from the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital has found that by eliciting the relaxation response, we can immediately alter our gene expression tied to inflammation, metabolism, and insulin production — all of which impact our mood. We engage the parasympathetic nervous system by practices like meditation, yoga, deep breathing, massage, and prayer. Even a few long, deep breaths when you start to feel panicky can message the intern not to sound the fire alarm.
But I have found that doing a “stress inventory” is also critical to getting well, an exercise where you list on one side of a sheet of paper everything that stresses you out, and list on the other half everything that helps you feel better. Next, you sit with all those things on the left side of the paper (what stresses you out) and have a brutally candid talk with yourself about why you are doing them (people-pleasing hang-ups? ego? confused priorities?), followed by a session where you find creative solutions to cross out as many as you can. I had a stress inventory with myself a few months ago where I finally conceded that my health is not worth my trying to become a blogging superstar and bestselling author like Gretchen Rubin like I’ve always wanted to be, or running a formidable nonprofit like BringChange2Mind. It was an epiphany moment when I realized that I don’t have to be anyone else in order to be OK. By working at my own snail pace, I have enough time to do more of the things on the right side of the paper that make me feel good.
7. Take the Right Supplements
It can be overwhelming trying to figure out which supplements may be helpful, and how to distinguish between quality brands. Consumer Lab lists third-party-tested supplements which should be safe to take. I’ve done a bit of research, too, and found these manufacturers to be reputable: Prothera, Klaire Labs, Pure Encapsulations, Douglas Laboratories, Nature Made, Orthomolecular Products, Metagenics, Vital Nutrients, Truehope, OmegaBrite, and Carlson Laboratories.
In my post 12 Patient-Approved Natural Supplements for Depression, I list various vitamins and minerals that are good to take for your mood. But here are the critical ones that I would start with: an omega-3 supplement, a probiotic, vitamin D, vitamin B-12, and a multivitamin. Because I have low stomach acid (as do many people who have been on medication for years), I find better results when I take a powder or liquid. I get my vitamin D and B-12 as a liquid from Pure Prescriptions. Blogger Lisa Richards has compiled an excellent list of the best commercial probiotics, her favorite being Healthy Origins 30 Billion or Prescript-Assist. I take Ther-Biotic Complete Powder because it contains all of the different strains of bacteria that I need for my unique gut situation (Crohn’s plus significant intestinal bacteria). A few months ago I started taking a multivitamin called EmpowerPlus Powder from TrueHope after I read through all the research studies using this specific micronutrient to help treat different mood disorders and watching Julia Rucklidge’s inspiring TEDx Talk about nutrition and micronutrients. Finally, I get my omega-3 supplement from OmegaBrite, because their capsules contain 70 percent EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) in a 7:1 ratio of EPA to DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). New research has confirmed the positive effects of EPA on mood, even more so than DHA, as it provides a natural balance to omega-6 arachidonic acid. Nordic Naturals is also a reliable brand. If you do have a MTHFR gene mutation, it’s a good idea to supplement with l-methylfolate, the bioavailable form of folate.
8. Protect Your Sleep
From all my research on mood disorders over the last ten years, and from conversations with people who can’t get well, I’d say that chronic stress and disrupted sleep cycles are the two biggest factors that prevent a person from climbing out of the depths of depression. Unfortunately, where there is depression, there are usually sleep issues. Volumes of studies have documented the devastating effects of sleep on mental health, like the one by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine that found that the heritability of depressive symptoms in twins with very short sleep was nearly twice the heritability in twins sleeping seven to nine hours per night.
Because I am such a fragile creature, I've had to move sleep up on my priority list from about No. 7 to No. 1. I protect it with everything I have. This means I no longer wake up at 5 a.m. to work out. I sleep in, exercise later, and am much less productive during the day (step six). But by sleeping eight hours a night, I am more resilient to mood swings. I've had to adopt strict sleep hygiene rules to ensure that I don’t end up with the kind of miserable insomnia I had two years ago: I shut off the computer at 7 p.m., leave my phone downstairs (not next to my bed) and don’t check messages after 8 p.m., and try to be in bed by 10 p.m. every night. I've also started to use lavender oil, and take melatonin and a combination of magnesium and calcium at night, which does seem to calm me.
9. Find a Purpose
Nietzsche said, “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.” Last summer, when I began to think that I would never be without debilitating death thoughts, I clung on to that logic, and to the inspiring words of Holocaust survivor and famous psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, MD, PhD. If a person has found a purpose in life, he explains in his classic Man’s Search for Meaning, “even the helpless victim of a hopeless situation facing a fate he cannot change, may rise above himself, may grow beyond himself, and by doing so change himself.” Upon finishing that book, I had no doubt about my purpose in life: to help persons who have been battling depression and anxiety for most of their lives…those that, like me, have spent years in the offices of psychiatrists trying so many drugs, and yet dream of a flattened pulse. So I started my two forums and a nonprofit dedicated to treatment-resistant depression. They haven’t cured me of my symptoms, but I can honestly say that committing to a purpose last summer is what brought me hope in a period of desperation. For the first time, I could see myself living a meaningful life despite the persistent ruminations clogging up my brain. When I began to help another person off the ledge, I often forgot about my own obsession to jump. I think Nietzsche and Frankl are right. Meaning and purpose can serve as a kind of anesthesia to pain; focusing on your small role to make the world a better place positions your suffering into a larger perspective that leads to peace.
10) Start a gratitude journal.
There’s so much for which to be grateful in life, so why not remind yourself of that on a daily basis?
A gratitude journal is a wonderful way to stay positive every day with little to no effort. Once a day, you can jot down at least three aspects of your day for which you feel thankful. They can be as small as seeing a cute dog on your way to work or as large as getting an offer from your dream job. In addition, they can be something that happened to you on that specific day -- such as getting yourself a large latte -- or something that exists in your life always -- such as having a family who loves you.
Whatever you want to write is up to you. All that matters is that you’re remembering to feel grateful every day. By retraining your mind to think about all the good things in your life, you can develop a more positive outlook.
11. Treat yourself to some self-care every day.
It’s always important to take care of both your physical and mental health. It can feel overwhelming when you’re working a full-time job that requires you to constantly interact with people -- whether they be customers, prospects, co-workers, or managers -- in often high-pressure situations.
In order to keep moving forward with a positive attitude, it’s essential that you take a step back sometimes and treat yourself to something special. Self-care is all the rage these days -- for good reason. And, it doesn’t always have to involve a nighttime soak in the bath with candles and a glass of wine -- although that sounds lovely, too.
Consider the ways you can unwind, de-stress, and have some “you” time. Some examples are doing a face mask, watching a movie, baking, calling a friend, getting takeout, or even just saying “no” to plans and, instead, staying in. No matter what it is, you should get into the habit of practicing something every day. By allowing yourself these moments of pure bliss and rest, you can ensure a more positive attitude when you’re on the work grind.
12)Practice Affirmations
Affirmations are sentences aimed to affect the conscious and the subconscious mind so that in turn, they affect our behavior, thinking patterns, habits, and environment.
• They motivate.
• They keep the mind focused on the goal.
• They influence the subconscious mind and activate their powers.
• They change the way you think and behave, and this can bring you into contact with new people, who can help you with your goals.
• How to practice ?
a) Say your affirmations 2x a day.
b) Say them multiple times. It is up to you, but we recommend either 5-minute sessions or alternatively, saying your whole set of affirmations 10x each, in a slow, confident voice.
Powerful Affirmations to heal your life:
I am Enough.
The Universe always has my back.
I deserve a life of freedom and abundance.
I create the life I desire.
My body is getting stronger and healthier every day.
I create my own reality.
I live in the present moment and easily release all the past pain.
The door of my heart is wide open and I am safe.
I believe I am wonderful and life is a joy.
Life loves me. I am safe.
I am worth loving because I exist.
13)Bedtime short prayer
Our Deepest Fear
By Marianne Williamson
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness
That most frightens us.
We ask ourselves
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small
Does not serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine,
As children do.
We were born to make manifest
The glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us;
It's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we're liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.
14) Practice meditation.
Practicing meditation can do a lot to decrease stress and anxiety, as well as improve mental and spiritual health. A research study compared the brains of those who practiced mindfulness meditation -- a style of meditation -- and those who didn’t. The results showed that those who practiced the meditation showed changes in brain activity in areas focused on optimism and positive thinking.
Another study showed that meditation was able to decrease anxiety in health care professionals. This means that proper meditation may help decrease workplace anxiety for those in other high-pressure work environments, such as in customer support or service.
Even five minutes a day is a great start to a meditation routine. Practice deep breathing and clearing your mind. Simple methods like this are effortless and will help you find balance in your life, as well as let go of the negativity and stress that you may experience on a daily basis.
15) Talk it out
The person you talk to doesn’t have to be able to fix you; they just need to be a good listener—someone who’ll listen attentively and compassionately without being distracted or judging you.
If you already have supportive friends and family, opening up to them can be a great place to start. It can be a huge relief to open up to the people closest to you, since you no longer have to hide what you’re feeling. You can also open up to coaches, teachers, or religious leaders—anyone in your personal life that you’re close to.
If you’re not sure what to say, try writing your thoughts down first. This can help you get your words straight so you know how to express yourself. You can even write a letter to the person, if you find that easier than talking to them.
Try using a help line or a support group as “practice” for opening up to friends, family, or professionals that you might feel more nervous about talking to. Try whichever way is comfortable for you but do not let those negative thoughts to stay within you.
It’s really best to work with an integrative or functional doctor. Many are listed on the website for the Institute of Functional Medicine, but you need to proceed with caution, because some of them are very expensive and will run unnecessary tests if you’re not careful. At the very least, I would ask your primary care physician or psychiatrist to run these four blood tests: a complete blood count (CBC); comprehensive metabolic profile (CMP); a thyroid full panel, including TSH, free T4, free T3, and thyroid antibodies (read Dana Trentini’s important blog on this); and the 25-OH vitamin D test, as well as B-12 levels. It may also be worth finding out if you have a Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene mutation (present in 15 to 40 percent of the general population), because we need the MTHFR enzyme to convert folate to its active form, methylfolate — and folate deficiencies make it difficult for antidepressants to work. In fact, many studies link low folate levels to depression.
I have actually learned more about my various conditions from the people on my depression forums, and in books and articles, than I have from sitting in doctors’ offices. The folks on Project Beyond Blue and Group Beyond Blue are working with nutritionists, integrative doctors, gastrointestinal specialists, and other experts, and are experimenting with new things all the time and willing to share their experience with you for free. I've learned from them about certain supplements, protocols, and resources that have really helped mitigate some of my symptoms.
2. Eliminate Triggers of Inflammation
Certain foods and substances create inflammation in our bodies, including in our brains, which leads to depression. The usual suspects are sugar, gluten, dairy, caffeine, and alcohol. Some people, like my daughter, may have more dramatic reactions to dairy, whereas others, like my son, are more affected by gluten. Me? I can’t go near sugar if I don’t want the death thoughts to return. You won’t really know until you do an elimination diet and get rid of everything for a few weeks, and then gradually add them back in (that is, if you tolerate them fine). I will warn you, though: You can’t cheat for those few weeks, because your system has to be totally clean for you to identify the problem. A spike in cytokines, proteins that are pumped into our bloodstream when our immune system is fighting off a foreign agent, happens when people are depressed. The process looks the same as when a person is fighting an infection of any kind. Unfortunately, a lot of fun, processed foods that taste really good, like Twinkies and Doritos, can cause inflammation — but clearly some people are more sensitive to others. Here’s an easy rule to follow: If a food comes in a nicely marketed package (even with the words “gluten free,” “dairy free” and ESPECIALLY “sugar free”), and its ingredients contain a bunch of words that you don’t know how to pronounce, it’s not going to make you any saner.
And not to be a total killjoy, but it’s worth examining what other kinds of toxins you are immersed in daily. Those could be causing inflammation, too. Not until three months ago did I realize that swimming in chlorine a few times a week was probably contributing to my gut problems and thyroid issues, both of which are critical in establishing a stable mood. So I switched to hot yoga (step five), and I began to feel better.
3. Go Green
Dark, leafy greens like spinach, Swiss chard, and kale fuel every system in your body more completely than any other kind of food. They are nutrition powerhouses, packed with vitamins A, C, E, K, and folate; minerals like iron and calcium; carotenoids; fiber; antioxidants; omega-3s; and phytochemicals. They are also a major source of chlorophyll, which, according to Green for Life author Victoria Boutenko, “heals and cleanses all our organs, and even destroys many of our internal enemies, like pathogenic bacteria, fungi, cancer cells, and many others.”
I started to feel a little better when I swapped my sandwich at lunch for a salad full of greens, and made a conscious effort to eat mood-lifting foods during the day. But I began to really heal when I started drinking green smoothies. I realize I sound like an infomercial at this point, but the only way my body was able to easily absorb and process all the nutrients in the greens was when they were blended into very small pieces. Like most people who have been on medications for decades, my stomach acid was very low, so eating lots of raw vegetables and greens was producing bloating and gas. I was not happy when my husband spent $500 on a refurbished Vitamix, but it has proven to be one of the smartest investments we’ve ever made. Now I try to drink two smoothies each day, and I really believe it has made a substantial impact on my health.
4. Heal Your Gut
Embedded into the walls of our intestines is an intricate enteric nervous system, consisting of some 100 million neurons, that is often referred to as our second brain. In fact, the nerve cells in our gut manufacture 80 to 90 percent of our body’s serotonin. There’s also a complex collection of bacteria living in our guts that a substantial volume of research says impacts our mood. It’s fascinating stuff for people like me who have always suffered from gastrointestinal problems and never before connected the dots. In my article 10 Ways to Cultivate Good Gut Bacteria and Reduce Depression, I outline some of the steps I have taken to clean up my gut. Among them, I believe it’s important to consume prebiotic foods, like garlic, onions, artichokes, leeks, and dandelion greens, and probiotic foods, like active-culture yogurt, kefir, pickles, and fermented foods. It’s also good to avoid the use of antibiotics as much as possible.
5. Do Yoga
Any kind of workout or movement lifts your mood — boosting our brain’s dopamine levels and providing endorphins — but some kinds of exercises are much more healing than others, especially for people who have been depressed for decades or have stress-related conditions like adrenal fatigue. Unlike other aerobic workouts, like running or CrossFit, that raise cortisol levels and essentially wear out your body, yoga lowers levels of this stress hormone that is critical to the maintenance of homeostasis and regulating immune responses, blood sugar, and central nervous system functions. Several studies illustrate how yoga tames the stress response by priming the parasympathetic nervous system, and is therefore an effective therapy for depression and anxiety. I have tried different types of yoga, but the one in which I feel the most benefit is Bikram, a sequence of 26 Hatha yoga positions, and two breathing exercises, designed to engage and heal all of the systems of your body. It’s not for everyone, as you’re stuck for 90 minutes in a room heated to 105 degrees (sweating helps flush out the toxins). But when I can get there on a regular basis (at least four times a week), I feel a profound, calming effect —and I've heard the same from several other people who struggle with chronic anxiety and depression.
6. Reduce Stress
Depression is ultimately a stress disorder: a disease where stress is poorly managed by our bodies. It’s as if many of us with depression and anxiety have a new intern sitting at command central of our nervous system, and she keeps categorizing stress responses incorrectly, sending them to the wrong department in our body. Moreover, she sits right next to the fire alarm and keeps ringing it every time there is a hint of panic. But new research from the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital has found that by eliciting the relaxation response, we can immediately alter our gene expression tied to inflammation, metabolism, and insulin production — all of which impact our mood. We engage the parasympathetic nervous system by practices like meditation, yoga, deep breathing, massage, and prayer. Even a few long, deep breaths when you start to feel panicky can message the intern not to sound the fire alarm.
But I have found that doing a “stress inventory” is also critical to getting well, an exercise where you list on one side of a sheet of paper everything that stresses you out, and list on the other half everything that helps you feel better. Next, you sit with all those things on the left side of the paper (what stresses you out) and have a brutally candid talk with yourself about why you are doing them (people-pleasing hang-ups? ego? confused priorities?), followed by a session where you find creative solutions to cross out as many as you can. I had a stress inventory with myself a few months ago where I finally conceded that my health is not worth my trying to become a blogging superstar and bestselling author like Gretchen Rubin like I’ve always wanted to be, or running a formidable nonprofit like BringChange2Mind. It was an epiphany moment when I realized that I don’t have to be anyone else in order to be OK. By working at my own snail pace, I have enough time to do more of the things on the right side of the paper that make me feel good.
7. Take the Right Supplements
It can be overwhelming trying to figure out which supplements may be helpful, and how to distinguish between quality brands. Consumer Lab lists third-party-tested supplements which should be safe to take. I’ve done a bit of research, too, and found these manufacturers to be reputable: Prothera, Klaire Labs, Pure Encapsulations, Douglas Laboratories, Nature Made, Orthomolecular Products, Metagenics, Vital Nutrients, Truehope, OmegaBrite, and Carlson Laboratories.
In my post 12 Patient-Approved Natural Supplements for Depression, I list various vitamins and minerals that are good to take for your mood. But here are the critical ones that I would start with: an omega-3 supplement, a probiotic, vitamin D, vitamin B-12, and a multivitamin. Because I have low stomach acid (as do many people who have been on medication for years), I find better results when I take a powder or liquid. I get my vitamin D and B-12 as a liquid from Pure Prescriptions. Blogger Lisa Richards has compiled an excellent list of the best commercial probiotics, her favorite being Healthy Origins 30 Billion or Prescript-Assist. I take Ther-Biotic Complete Powder because it contains all of the different strains of bacteria that I need for my unique gut situation (Crohn’s plus significant intestinal bacteria). A few months ago I started taking a multivitamin called EmpowerPlus Powder from TrueHope after I read through all the research studies using this specific micronutrient to help treat different mood disorders and watching Julia Rucklidge’s inspiring TEDx Talk about nutrition and micronutrients. Finally, I get my omega-3 supplement from OmegaBrite, because their capsules contain 70 percent EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) in a 7:1 ratio of EPA to DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). New research has confirmed the positive effects of EPA on mood, even more so than DHA, as it provides a natural balance to omega-6 arachidonic acid. Nordic Naturals is also a reliable brand. If you do have a MTHFR gene mutation, it’s a good idea to supplement with l-methylfolate, the bioavailable form of folate.
8. Protect Your Sleep
From all my research on mood disorders over the last ten years, and from conversations with people who can’t get well, I’d say that chronic stress and disrupted sleep cycles are the two biggest factors that prevent a person from climbing out of the depths of depression. Unfortunately, where there is depression, there are usually sleep issues. Volumes of studies have documented the devastating effects of sleep on mental health, like the one by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine that found that the heritability of depressive symptoms in twins with very short sleep was nearly twice the heritability in twins sleeping seven to nine hours per night.
Because I am such a fragile creature, I've had to move sleep up on my priority list from about No. 7 to No. 1. I protect it with everything I have. This means I no longer wake up at 5 a.m. to work out. I sleep in, exercise later, and am much less productive during the day (step six). But by sleeping eight hours a night, I am more resilient to mood swings. I've had to adopt strict sleep hygiene rules to ensure that I don’t end up with the kind of miserable insomnia I had two years ago: I shut off the computer at 7 p.m., leave my phone downstairs (not next to my bed) and don’t check messages after 8 p.m., and try to be in bed by 10 p.m. every night. I've also started to use lavender oil, and take melatonin and a combination of magnesium and calcium at night, which does seem to calm me.
9. Find a Purpose
Nietzsche said, “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.” Last summer, when I began to think that I would never be without debilitating death thoughts, I clung on to that logic, and to the inspiring words of Holocaust survivor and famous psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, MD, PhD. If a person has found a purpose in life, he explains in his classic Man’s Search for Meaning, “even the helpless victim of a hopeless situation facing a fate he cannot change, may rise above himself, may grow beyond himself, and by doing so change himself.” Upon finishing that book, I had no doubt about my purpose in life: to help persons who have been battling depression and anxiety for most of their lives…those that, like me, have spent years in the offices of psychiatrists trying so many drugs, and yet dream of a flattened pulse. So I started my two forums and a nonprofit dedicated to treatment-resistant depression. They haven’t cured me of my symptoms, but I can honestly say that committing to a purpose last summer is what brought me hope in a period of desperation. For the first time, I could see myself living a meaningful life despite the persistent ruminations clogging up my brain. When I began to help another person off the ledge, I often forgot about my own obsession to jump. I think Nietzsche and Frankl are right. Meaning and purpose can serve as a kind of anesthesia to pain; focusing on your small role to make the world a better place positions your suffering into a larger perspective that leads to peace.
10) Start a gratitude journal.
There’s so much for which to be grateful in life, so why not remind yourself of that on a daily basis?
A gratitude journal is a wonderful way to stay positive every day with little to no effort. Once a day, you can jot down at least three aspects of your day for which you feel thankful. They can be as small as seeing a cute dog on your way to work or as large as getting an offer from your dream job. In addition, they can be something that happened to you on that specific day -- such as getting yourself a large latte -- or something that exists in your life always -- such as having a family who loves you.
Whatever you want to write is up to you. All that matters is that you’re remembering to feel grateful every day. By retraining your mind to think about all the good things in your life, you can develop a more positive outlook.
11. Treat yourself to some self-care every day.
It’s always important to take care of both your physical and mental health. It can feel overwhelming when you’re working a full-time job that requires you to constantly interact with people -- whether they be customers, prospects, co-workers, or managers -- in often high-pressure situations.
In order to keep moving forward with a positive attitude, it’s essential that you take a step back sometimes and treat yourself to something special. Self-care is all the rage these days -- for good reason. And, it doesn’t always have to involve a nighttime soak in the bath with candles and a glass of wine -- although that sounds lovely, too.
Consider the ways you can unwind, de-stress, and have some “you” time. Some examples are doing a face mask, watching a movie, baking, calling a friend, getting takeout, or even just saying “no” to plans and, instead, staying in. No matter what it is, you should get into the habit of practicing something every day. By allowing yourself these moments of pure bliss and rest, you can ensure a more positive attitude when you’re on the work grind.
12)Practice Affirmations
Affirmations are sentences aimed to affect the conscious and the subconscious mind so that in turn, they affect our behavior, thinking patterns, habits, and environment.
• They motivate.
• They keep the mind focused on the goal.
• They influence the subconscious mind and activate their powers.
• They change the way you think and behave, and this can bring you into contact with new people, who can help you with your goals.
• How to practice ?
a) Say your affirmations 2x a day.
b) Say them multiple times. It is up to you, but we recommend either 5-minute sessions or alternatively, saying your whole set of affirmations 10x each, in a slow, confident voice.
Powerful Affirmations to heal your life:
I am Enough.
The Universe always has my back.
I deserve a life of freedom and abundance.
I create the life I desire.
My body is getting stronger and healthier every day.
I create my own reality.
I live in the present moment and easily release all the past pain.
The door of my heart is wide open and I am safe.
I believe I am wonderful and life is a joy.
Life loves me. I am safe.
I am worth loving because I exist.
13)Bedtime short prayer
Our Deepest Fear
By Marianne Williamson
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness
That most frightens us.
We ask ourselves
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small
Does not serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking
So that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine,
As children do.
We were born to make manifest
The glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us;
It's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
We unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we're liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.
14) Practice meditation.
Practicing meditation can do a lot to decrease stress and anxiety, as well as improve mental and spiritual health. A research study compared the brains of those who practiced mindfulness meditation -- a style of meditation -- and those who didn’t. The results showed that those who practiced the meditation showed changes in brain activity in areas focused on optimism and positive thinking.
Another study showed that meditation was able to decrease anxiety in health care professionals. This means that proper meditation may help decrease workplace anxiety for those in other high-pressure work environments, such as in customer support or service.
Even five minutes a day is a great start to a meditation routine. Practice deep breathing and clearing your mind. Simple methods like this are effortless and will help you find balance in your life, as well as let go of the negativity and stress that you may experience on a daily basis.
15) Talk it out
The person you talk to doesn’t have to be able to fix you; they just need to be a good listener—someone who’ll listen attentively and compassionately without being distracted or judging you.
If you already have supportive friends and family, opening up to them can be a great place to start. It can be a huge relief to open up to the people closest to you, since you no longer have to hide what you’re feeling. You can also open up to coaches, teachers, or religious leaders—anyone in your personal life that you’re close to.
If you’re not sure what to say, try writing your thoughts down first. This can help you get your words straight so you know how to express yourself. You can even write a letter to the person, if you find that easier than talking to them.
Try using a help line or a support group as “practice” for opening up to friends, family, or professionals that you might feel more nervous about talking to. Try whichever way is comfortable for you but do not let those negative thoughts to stay within you.
Anuja Malkar MBA
HR Manager
Aircrews Aviation Pvt. Ltd.
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