Written By Marisa Molina
These days it feels like we never stop. Between work, friends, family, and all the other daily stressors we encounter it can be easy to find yourself in a low place. Tired, difficulty concentrating, unmotivated to do anything, feeling hopeless or irritable, loss of interest in activities you like; all of those can be signs of depression. Depression is not uncommon and more people now than ever are taking antidepressants. However, antidepressants are not a necessary or even wanted solution for all of us. If you have mild to moderate depression there are other approaches to feeling better, a handful are listed here:
1. Sunshine – When you’re feeling down or even exhausted, getting sunshine is a great way to improve your mood. Sunlight provides our bodies with vitamin D; vitamin D deficiencies have been linked to a variety of chronic illnesses including depression. Research has shown that increasing Vitamin D by light therapy or by supplementation can help to reduce the symptoms of depression. However, if you choose to go out in the sun, sunscreen does prevent absorption of vitamin D, so if you can, spend small amounts of time in the sun frequently throughout the day.
2. Exercise – Regular exercise is vital to preventing and reducing symptoms of depression. Endorphins are chemicals released into the body that help to reduce pain. Exercising is one way you can get your body to produce endorphins. Research has shown that endorphins not only reduce pain, but also help to reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Hence the term “Runner’s high”; continuous exercise between moderate and vigorous intensity activates the production of endorphins during exercise. Exercise also improves sleep duration and quality (also important to reducing depression). Other ways to induce endorphin production are excitement, laughing, and sex.
3. Eating healthy – While emotional health and diet may seem to be unrelated, a number of recent studies have suggested that there is an association between what we eat and symptoms of depression. One such study showed that people who reported eating “processed foods” like sweetened desserts, fried foods, processed meats, refined grains and high-fat dairy products were more likely to report symptoms of depression than people who reported eating more “whole foods” such as fruits and vegetables. Most recently, a large study conducted by the National Institute of Health, found that increased consumption of sweetened drinks was associated with depression, especially diet soda, diet fruit punch and diet iced tea which contain artificial sweeteners. Eating a diet rich in particular nutrients such as vitamin B-complex, Omega-3 Fatty acids, and vitamin D have also been shown to reduce symptoms of depression.
4. Meditation – Numerous research studies have found that practicing mindfulness meditation can help to reduce anxiety, stress, and depression. Mindfulness meditation is the practice of awareness of emotions, feelings both mental and physical, and being non-judgmental and present with those feelings. The purpose of this type of meditation is to acknowledge all of the emotions and feelings you are experiencing in that moment instead of ignoring them; alternating between positive thoughts and negative thoughts in hopes to invoke peace and awareness.
5. Mindset – Changing your mindset is another way to increase your ability to overcome depression and deal with the challenges and stress of our daily lives. If there is something you are unhappy about or a particular situation that is causing you to feel depressed, try to come up with a few positive outcomes of the situation or how the situation could be worse. Even though it may seem challenging to be optimistic write down a list and continuously use it to remind yourself to be positive. Also, consistently remind yourself of even the smallest things in your life that are going right, that make you happy, and you have to be proud of.
If you’re going through something now, keep your head up, you’re not alone, and you most definitely can confront any challenge!