The Power Of Magnesium
Magnesium is responsible for hundreds, if not thousands, of biological processes. It aids sleep quality, mood regulation, and is an anti-inflammatory, to name a few benefits. Magnesium directly helps in coping with depression.
Most people are magnesium deficient because it used to be more prevalent in the soil it no longer is. Foods grown in soil depleted of magnesium are less nutritious.
Magnesium is also depleted by pretty much everything. Exercise, sex, eating, drinking alcohol are all among things that deplete magnesium.
Missing magnesium in the diet lowers mood, lowers energy, causes fatigue, depression, and anxiety.
Magnesium is well tolerated. Starting with a 1/4 of a teaspoon dissolved in water daily and working your way up as your body takes it will show results.
Meet Yourself Where You Are
Depression is common. It affects millions of people, including some in your life. You may not realize they face similar challenges, emotions, and obstacles.
Every day with this disorder is different. Its important to take your mental health seriously and accept that where you are right now isnt where youll always be.
The key to self-treatment for depression is to be open, accepting, and loving toward yourself and what youre going through.
Talking To A Professional
If you feel like your depression is becoming unmanageable, its important to speak with a professional. Some people might go to their primary care physician and discuss antidepressants or therapy.
Others might want to seek more intensive help and see a psychologist or psychiatrist for medication management and/or talk therapies such as cognitive-behavioral therapy or dialectical behavior therapy .
Depression can be a very difficult thing to deal with, but there are many resources and people who can help. Its important to remember that youre not alone in this and that there is hope for recovery. If you are feeling suicidal please get professional help right away!
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Get A Handle On Your Household Chores
Depression can make it difficult to complete household chores, such as doing the dishes or paying bills.
But a pile of paperwork, the stack of dirty dishes, and floor covered in dirty clothes will only magnify your feelings of worthlessness.
Take control of your daily chores. Start small and work on one project at a time. Getting up and moving can help you start to feel better in itself. But, seeing your progress in the home can be key to helping you feel better.
Things That Have Helped Me Cope With Depression
Thursday, 24 July 2014Alice
Alice blogs about her experience of depression and the 10 things that have helped her cope.
It has been six months since I was first diagnosed with depression. It has been an up and down slope towards recovery, and Im definitely not completely there yet. I am a second year PhD student and to be honest, Im surprised Im still doing it. I want to talk about what has helped me recover.
One of the most difficult decisions I made was telling my boss/supervisor about the illness. I had to, because I couldnt work at the same level anymore and I was struggling to keep up. If you dont tell your boss, perhaps you can tell another member of staff or an advisor, but from my experience I would say dont suffer in silence, especially if its affecting your ability to work.
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The Best Way To Relieve Depression Includes The Use Of The Liss Cranial Electrical Stimulator For One Hour Every Morning Totally Safe Better Than All Drugs And All Psychotherapy It Applies Only One Or Two Milliamps Of Current At 15 500 And 15000 Cycles Per Second
You will apply the stimulator to each temple, or front of head to back of head at upper neck. You must complete your work with the stimulator must by noon. The stimulator is now sold as Fisher-Wallace, which, unfortunately, has put it out with automatic shut off at 20 minutes, so turn it on 3 times!
You have to turn it on three times to get the best results. The only contraindication is a pacemaker. It works well in 80% of people with depression. And you just put it on and go about your normal activities while wearing it.
Create A Wellness Toolbox
A wellness toolbox is a set of tools that you can use to help soothe yourself when you are feeling down.
The tools you find most helpful might not work for someone else so it’s important to carefully consider what things can help you feel your best.
Think of things you like to do when you’re happy. Then, when you’re feeling down, try one of those activities.
Cuddling your pet, listening to your favorite music, taking a warm bath, or reading a good book are just a few tools you might find helpful.
Create a list of the activities you might try when you’re feeling bad. Then, choose an activity to try when you’re having a particularly rough time.
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Practice These Coping Skills Every Day
I recommend doing many if not all of the following coping skills and techniques once a day when experiencing depression. Its important to know you probably wont be motivated to do any of them at first because depression frequently saps motivation. In other words, know that its normal to feel unmotivated until youre halfway done.
The patients I work with who frequently practice these coping skills get better.The seven techniques can be memorized with the acronym MY PEERS.
1. Meaning: Find small ways to be of service to others.
Find personal meaning by serving something larger than yourself. Remember service doesnt have to be big to count. Consider this, Success, like happiness, cannot be pursued it must ensue as the unintended side effect of ones personal dedication to a course greater than oneself. Viktor E. Frankl, Mans Search for Meaning
2. Your goals: Find workable goals that give you a sense of accomplishment.
Most people feel guilty when talking about goals because they set unreasonable or unworkable goals. A goal is workable if its:
If something goes wrong with your goal, adopt a what can I learn from this? attitude . Also, be careful when comparing your progress with others. We usually compare our biggest weakness with another persons biggest strength. This is unfair .
3. Pleasant Events: Schedule pleasant activities or events.
4. Engagement: Stay in the present.
What Is Focused Meditation
Meditation is the practice of becoming self-aware through breath and attention to connect the mind, body, and spirit.Meditation as a whole can change the structure and function of our brain. That being said, focused meditation or a guided meditation for focus is by far the best one. Meditation for focus and concentration can come in different forms. Experienced meditators use the following:
- Mindfulness this meditation involves us to be focusing on your breath and observing thoughts. This allows us to focus on our feelings without becoming too absorbed in them.
- Concentrative a meditation that gets us to focus on a particular point be it a word, breath, object, or a point in the space youre meditating. This is meant for us to pay attention to that point and prevent our minds from getting distracted.
- Moving this meditation involves gets us to focus on slow and repetitive movements similar to yoga or tai chi. The goal is again to be focusing on your breath while relaxing your body and mind with the movements.
Focused meditation, also known as concentrative meditation, is the practice of meditating and bringing your attention to one single object. This object can be something practical and tangible, such as a mandala painting or a candle flame. It can also be something abstract, such as a phrase or a sound .
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Supporting Your Loved Ones Treatment
One of the most important things you can do to help a friend or relative with depression is to give your unconditional love and support throughout the treatment process. This involves being compassionate and patient, which is not always easy when dealing with the negativity, hostility, and moodiness that go hand in hand with depression.
Provide whatever assistance the person needs . Help your loved one make and keep appointments, research treatment options, and stay on schedule with any treatment prescribed.
Have realistic expectations. It can be frustrating to watch a depressed friend or family member struggle, especially if progress is slow or stalled. Having patience is important. Even with optimal treatment, recovery from depression doesnt happen overnight.
Lead by example. Encourage the person to lead a healthier, mood-boosting lifestyle by doing it yourself: maintain a positive outlook, eat better, avoid alcohol and drugs, exercise, and lean on others for support.
Encourage activity. Invite your loved one to join you in uplifting activities, like going to a funny movie or having dinner at a favorite restaurant. Exercise is especially helpful, so try to get your depressed loved one moving. Going on walks together is one of the easiest options. Be gently and lovingly persistentdont get discouraged or stop asking.
Need to talk to someone?
Offer To Help With Tasks
For those who live with depression, even small tasks, like brushing teeth or cleaning up the kitchen, may drain emotional bandwidth. For this reason, offering to help with something seemingly small can make a huge difference in someones day.
If you have capacity, offer to start a load of laundry, walk the dog, watch the kids for a couple of hours, or drive them to the store.
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Tips For Depression Treatment
- Learn as much as you can for depression treatment. This way, you can understand your illness better. You can also feel less stressed about the treatment process. If you ever need to talk to someone in confidence, dont be afraid to call a suicide hotline number such as 800-SUICIDE or 800-273-TALK. Remember that people who care will always listen and not judge you for speaking up.
- It takes time to find the right treatment. If you need help, make sure to speak up and dont wait. Reach out for support from your doctor or therapist. You can also find a friend who will listen when you call the suicide hotline number. Keeping yourself busy with fun activities is always helpful in treating depression symptoms such as taking a yoga class or going on a hike.
- Do not rely on medication. Doctors recommend that you try alternative treatments such as supplements, going to a yoga class or meditation group once a week, and breathing deeply every day.
- Get social support. If you can, find a friend who will listen when you call the suicide hotline number. Do not wait to ask for help with depression treatment if needed! Reach out now and dont be afraid of speaking up. You are never alone through this journey so stay strong!
- Treatment takes commitment. Remember that it takes time to find the right treatment. It is always helpful if you practice meditation, take medicine every day, and reach out for support from your doctor or therapist.
The Best Way To Deal With Depression
The best way to deal with depression just might be to not deal with it at all. Depression is hateful, and of course, no one wants it in their lives. The natural reflex is to focus on it, giving it attention and what little energy we have. In an attempt to lessen depression, we often restrict our very lives, avoiding people, places, situations, and activities that heighten our depression. In trying to control depression this way, we end up intensifying it.
When our attention is on depression, even when that attention is on trying to get rid of depression, thats where our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are. The field of positive psychology offers another way, maybe the best way to deal with depression: shift our focus .
Instead of seeking to get rid of depression, focus on building wellness. Rather than trying to do less of whats wrong, do more of whats right. How you approach your mental health and wellbeing shapes the result. The best way to deal with depression is to pay attention to wellness and living the life you want to live. What do you want more of?
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Socialize With Friends And Family
Even if you are experiencing mild depression or a funk, you might find yourself drawing away from others, avoiding social situations, or not wanting to burden people with your feelings. One of the hardest but most helpful things you can do to see yourself through depression is to find that strong support circle and spend time with the people you love.
Schedule times to visit with family and friends or plan to grab lunch with a coworker so you have a specific time and place where you can lean on others when youre feeling blue. You might also find that some of these people have experienced depression themselves and they might be able to relate with you on the subject and share ideas of what has helped them in the past or just lend an open ear.
Negative Thoughts And Depression
Worrying or thinking negatively is common in people with depression. This affects your ability to focus on getting better and makes you more vulnerable to unhealthy emotions.
Tips to help you control worry and reduce negative thinking include:
- Write down what you are worried about. Go through each concern and think about how realistic your negative thoughts are. Explore alternative thoughts and explanations.
- Try not to focus on the things you cannot change.
- Focus on the present. Accept your thoughts without actively engaging with them.
- Write down your problems and brainstorm solutions. Jot down the pros and cons with each option and choose the one that seems the best. Review whether it worked to overcome the problem.
- Avoid making major decisions about your life at this time.
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Depression And Suicide: Getting Help In A Crisis
Some people who are depressed may think about hurting themselves or committing suicide . If you or someone you know is having thoughts about hurting themselves or committing suicide please seek immediate help. The following resources can help:
- Call to reach a 24hour crisis center or dial 911. is the National Suicide Prevention Lifelineexternal icon, which provides free confidential help to people in crisis. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administrationexternal icon runs this lifeline.
- Get help from your primary doctor or other health care provider.
- Reach out to a close friend or loved one.
- Contact a minister, spiritual leader, or someone else in your faith community.
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Where Can I Find Clinical Trials For Depression
Clinical trials are research studies that look at new ways to prevent, detect, or treat diseases and conditions. Although individuals may benefit from being part of a clinical trial, participants should be aware that the primary purpose of a clinical trial is to gain new scientific knowledge so others may receive better help in the future.
Researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health and around the country conduct many studies with patients and healthy volunteers. Talk to your health care provider about clinical trials, their benefits and risks, and whether one is right for you. For more information, visit NIMH’s clinical trials information.
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Other Sites That Can Help
www.atareira.org.nz – Support, education and information for family and whnau.Carers New Zealand – Information and support for people in caregiver roles.Mental Health Foundation – Information about mental health covering a range of topics.Small Steps – A range of simple tools you can use to manage your stress, anxiety and low mood.
Mood Stabilizers For Depression Treatment
Doctors prescribe mood-stabilizing medication to patients who have bipolar disorder. These drugs help control mania or hypomania episodes. When people have these episodes, they lose touch with reality and do things that are bad for them. Also, some well-known medications prescribed are lithium carbonate , valproic acid , carbamazepine .
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How Is Depression Diagnosed
To be diagnosed with depression, an individual must have five depression symptoms every day, nearly all day, for at least 2 weeks. One of the symptoms must be a depressed mood or a loss of interest or pleasure in almost all activities. Children and adolescents may be irritable rather than sad.
If you think you may have depression, talk to your health care provider. Primary care providers routinely diagnose and treat depression and refer individuals to mental health professionals, such as psychologists or psychiatrists.
During the visit, your provider may ask when your symptoms began, how long they last, how often they occur, and if they keep you from going out or doing your usual activities. It may help to make some notes about your symptoms before your visit. Certain medications and some medical conditions, such as viruses or a thyroid disorder, can cause the same depression symptoms. Your provider can rule out these possibilities by doing a physical exam, interview, and lab tests.
Read NIMHs Tips for Talking With Your Health Care Provider to help prepare for and get the most out of your visit. For additional resources, visit the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality website.
Exactly How Online Therapy Works
The procedure of online treatment is quite basic. All you need to do is develop an account on the web site and also submit an account that will be utilized to create the specialists evaluation. The therapist will after that contact you as well as schedule your initial session.
Lots of people are currently relying on on the internet therapy because it provides convenience, anonymity, and also cost.
Online treatment is gaining energy due to the fact that individuals understand that it supplies a variety of benefits. Online therapy sessions allow for anonymity as well as privacy. It additionally offers comfort, price, and also portability for individuals that stay in remote areas or can not access specialist treatment where they live. Best Way To Deal With Depression Without Medication
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