Ways To Help Depression Naturally

Add Greenery To Your Home Or Office

You may also find it helpful to add indoor plants to your home or office environment. Natural settings are associated with improved mental well-being, so it makes sense that “bringing the outdoors in” might help improve your mood.

Studies have shown that adding indoor plants to your home or office can help in a variety of ways, including:

• Improving the workplace: Research has shown that office spaces enhanced with indoor plants improve worker concentration and workplace satisfaction.
• Reducing stress levels: Another study found that actively interacting with indoor plans by caring for them can reduce both physiological and psychological stress.
• : Research has found that students who spent most of their time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic had better mental health if they were exposed to more green plants. While about a third of the participants reported symptoms of moderate depression, those exposed to more greenery had lower levels of depression and anxiety.

Choosing certain plants may provide additional benefits. For example, research suggests that the scent of a lavender plant can help people feel calmer and more relaxed. No matter what type of plants you choose, greenery can be a great way to beautify your surroundings and potentially improve your mood.

Natural Ways To Help Depression

Talk therapy and medication can treat and manage depression, but they are not your only treatment options there are natural ways to help your depression too!

Many natural treatment options for depression may include changing your lifestyle and habits, adding new options to your diet, and performing depression-relieving exercises. You don’t need to implement these all today, take it one step at a time and find a routine that works for you.

Now, let’s get started here are seven natural ways to help depression today.

Could Meditation Be Right For You

If you suspect you have depression, see your primary care doctor to rule out other causes of your symptoms and get a treatment plan. If your doctor prescribes an antidepressant, keep taking it. Dont stop on your own, Goyal says. You can add meditation and see how you feel after a few months of regular practice. The best way to get started is by taking a class.

Though based on ancient Buddhist traditions, mindfulness meditation is secular, not religious, Goyal says. Anyone can practice it. It doesnt conflict with religious faith or spiritual beliefs.

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Exercise As Depression Treatment

When writing about different medication-free depression treatments, it would seem almost criminal not to mention regular exercise. Regular exercise is just as effective as antidepressant medication or psychotherapy for treating depression. In 2016, Professor F. Schuch at the Federal University of Santa Maria, Brazil, concluded that exercise is an evidence-based treatment for depression. Think about it. Few people would let their precious car just stand in the driveway and rust. Similarly, your body needs movement to stay in a good mood.

How much exercise is enough to treat depressive symptoms?

Is it enough to do some stretching or do you need daily spin classes to recover from depression? The answer is somewhere in between. Regular walking is an excellent strategy for treating depressive symptoms without medication. Dr. Wendy Suzuki, Professor of Neural Science and Psychology at New York University, gives us the exact recipe:

• 30-40 minutes of exercise 3-4 times a week is enough to get out of depression

Why does exercise work as depression treatment?

Do Something You Enjoy

Depression can push you to give into your fatigue. It may feel more powerful than happy emotions.

Try to push back and do something you love something thats relaxing, but energizing. It could be playing an instrument, painting, hiking, or biking.

These activities can provide subtle lifts in your mood and energy, which may help you overcome your symptoms.

Research suggests people who spend time in nature have improved mental health.

Exposure to sunlight may offer some of the same benefits. It can increase your serotonin levels, which can provide a temporary mood boost .

Consider taking a walk at lunch among the trees or spending some time in your local park. Or plan a weekend hike. These activities can help you reconnect with nature and soak in some rays at the same time.

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What To Eat To Treat Depression

The best way to start treating depressive symptoms is to add:

• Vegetables
• Nuts
• Seeds

to your diet. It will actually decrease depression, because a well-nourished body is better at handling stress, recovering from illnesses and difficult life events.World-leading expert on diet and mental health, Professor Felice N Jacka at the Department of Psychiatry at Deakin University, has studied the effects of the traditional Mediterranean diet on depression. The antidepressant diet includes whole grains, fish, vegetables, fruit, berries, nuts, seeds and, of course, the unrivaled cold pressed olive oil.Professor Jacka and her colleagues conducted the SMILES trial in 2017. It showed that 30% of depressed participants recovered from depression just by changing their eating habits. It means that you can too. If you want to know exactly what and how much to eat and what to avoid to reduce depressive symptoms, check out the free therapy app from Flow Neuroscience: . Its a complete treatment programme for depression, including facts, exercises and helpful tools for how to treat depression with the antidepressant diet.Or, read more about how your diet can help you recover from depression in this article: An easily digested guide to diet and depression.Now, lets move on to our next medication-free depression treatment.

Spend Time With Friends

If youre depressed, you generally need a doctors help and treatment may include psychotherapy, medication, or both. However, if you are in a low mood, there are natural remedies or lifestyle changes that may help. Regular social contact with a close friend may boost self-confidence and encourage you to make other positive changes that will help fight depression, such as starting an exercise program.

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Increase Your Magnesium Intake

Magnesium is a very important part of a balanced diet. Without a proper level of magnesium, we cannot keep the chemicals within our brain stable, regulate our heartbeats, or synthesize our RNA and DNA.

Required Ingredients:

• Incorporate foods such as spinach, bananas, dry almonds, and/or soy milk.
• If you do not enjoy these foods, magnesium capsules will suffice.

Process:

• Intake magnesium rich foods or a magnesium capsule each day for a highly functioning body and mind.
• Make magnesium a part of your daily diet.

If Youre Up For Exercise Consider A Walk Around The Block

On days when you feel as if you cant get out of bed, exercise may seem like the last thing youd want to do. However, exercise and physical activity can be powerful depression fighters.

Research suggests that, for some people, exercise can be as effective as medication at relieving depression symptoms. It may also help prevent future depressive episodes.

If youre able to, take a walk around the block. Start with a five-minute walk and work your way up from there.

Sleep disturbances are common with depression. You may not sleep well, or you may sleep too much. Both can make depression symptoms worse.

Aim for eight hours of sleep per night. Try to get into ahealthy sleeping routine.

Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day can help you with your daily schedule. Getting the proper amount of sleep may also help you feel more balanced and energized throughout your day.

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Incorporate Your Spirituality Into Your Day

Many individuals who are depressed find religion to be a helpful source of support, but there is no need to join a church, synagogue, or mosque unless you want to. Simple daily activities like meditation or making a gratitude list may help improve your mood and general well-being.

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy , which combines aspects of cognitive behavioural therapy with mindfulness meditation, has been shown to be effective in treating depression and reducing future relapses of symptoms, according to research.

Different forms of mindfulness meditation techniques have also been shown to be useful in the treatment of depression in studies.

There are many various styles of meditation, however, these steps can help you get started with a basic contemplative exercise:

• Take a seat in a comfortable position.
• Close your eyes for a moment.
• Take a few deep breaths.
• Pay attention to how your body feels as you breathe.
• Bring your focus back to your breathing when your mind wanders.

Incredible Natural Remedies For Anxiety And Depression

At some point in our lives we all end up going through anxiety and depression. While these feelings are normal and affect a majority of people, its never fun to feel blue or anxious. Many times, people dealing with depression and anxiety will turn to prescription drugs to help them with these feelings, yet natural remedies for anxiety and depression can help too.

As an advocate for mental health and wellness, as well as natural remedies, I have researched thoroughly to share the natural and safe ways to help anxiety and depression.

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Finding Methods To Unwind

Depression might cause you to feel cut off from the things you like. It might also induce weariness and sleep disturbances. Unwinding has the potential to improve your mood. Progressive muscular relaxation, relaxation imagery, and autogenic training are all relaxation approaches.

The Cochrane Collaboration looked at 15 studies that looked at relaxation methods. They discovered that although relaxation methods aren’t as beneficial as psychological therapy in lowering symptoms, they are more successful than no treatment.

Music Therapy And Guided Visualization

Guided imagery is a kind of meditation in which you see a certain objective as clearly as possible. This method uses the power of positive thinking to aid in the attainment of a certain goal, such as happiness. Music therapy has been shown to help persons with depression feel better.

Listening to music that encourages relaxation and optimism is sometimes a part of it. In other instances, singing is used as a sort of treatment. According to one research, both of these methods of treatment may help reduce stress and increase mood.

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Natural Remedies That Might Work

There are many natural depression remedies floating around on the internet, but most of them dont have much evidence proving that theyre effective. A few, however, do show promise and have some research supporting them. If youd like to try these treatments yourself, be sure to ask your doctor or psychiatrist first. They may interact with some drugs, especially antidepressants.

Gardening As A Natural Treatment For Depression

This natural depression treatment will make your hands dirty but your mind shine.A meta-analysisfrom 2017, including studies from the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, showed that gardening came with a wide range of health benefits. Digging and planting and watering on a regular basis reduced:

• Depression

• Physical activity levels
• Cognitive function

The researchers suggest that government and health organizations should consider gardening as a beneficial health intervention.And that doesnt sound so odd, does it? After all, gardening has all of those benefits plus giving you something to care for. Watching living things grow can give us a sense of purpose. Simultaneously, its a form of exercise AND its a great way to stay mindful Other mental health researchers have found that gardening together with others has more health benefits than gardening alone .

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Sleep In A Different Bedroom

Many people with depression also have insomnia. Switching your sleep location can help, says Cumella. You can also reduce insomnia by getting up at the same time every day, never napping for more than 20 minutes, shunning caffeine after 3 p.m., and relaxing for an hour before bed. If you opt a 20-minute snooze, heres more about the things that happen to your body when you take a nap.

Electroconvulsive Therapy May Help Treatment

When psychotherapy and medications dont relieve symptoms of depression, or there is a high risk of suicide, doctors may turn to electroconvulsive therapy . Once called electroshock therapy, ECT has come a very long way since it was first used in the 1940s. According to Mayo Clinic experts, its safe, though there is the potential for side effects such as memory loss that may or may not be temporary, depending on the person.

ECT passes an electrical current through the brain while the person is under general anesthesia, causing a brief, controlled seizure that affects neurons and brain chemistry. Typically the person wakes up 5 or 10 minutes afterward and is ready to resume normal activities in about an hour, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

That said, not everyone reacts the same way to ECT, notes Elizabeth Wassenaar, MD, regional medical director of the Pathlight Mood and Anxiety Center in Denver. She explains that people cannot drive the day they receive treatment, and some people find they cannot work the next day.

ECT is initially administered three times a week for an average of three to five weeks, says Dr. Wassenaar. After this initial series, ECT treatments are typically given less frequently twice a week, once a week, every other week, or even less often explains Wassenaar. She adds that ECT is often covered by insurance.

In addition to memory loss, temporary side effects of ECT may include the following:

• Nausea
• Confusion

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Internal And External Natural Cures

Treatment for depression does not have to include hours of therapy or days of drug use. While such treatments may be successful, you may prefer natural ways to improve your mood. Exercise, mind-body treatments, and herbal supplements may have the ability to modify your mood and brain chemistry. Many of these therapies are safe, but their efficacy hasn’t always been demonstrated.

Finding A Natural Balance

For much of my life, I struggled trying to figure out how to get rid of my own anxiety.

Taking supplements like the Natural Stacks mood stack, a balanced serotonin supplement, changing my diet, and incorporating meditation has brought about huge changes.

Incorporating natural alternatives like exercise and meditation and supplementing my diet with herbs for natural anxiety relief brought me feeling of wellbeing Id been seeking for years.

I now find it much easier to control my moods, and tend to just be happier on a day-to-day basis.

In short: everything in life feels easier.

When it comes to natural anxiety help, do you have any strategies for easing your symptoms?Let us know what works for you by commenting below!

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Reduce Caffeine And Alcohol

For many of us, a cup of coffee at the start of the day gets us going, and a glass of wine in the evening will help us relax.

But too much of either can seriously affect our bodies ability to manage anxiety.

Caffeine can trigger cortisol production, the hormone that triggers the fight or flight stress response.

And as for alcohol, drinking too much will change your brain chemistry over time, thus lowering its ability to cope with stress.

What Alternative Therapies Are Recommended For Depression

No alternative therapy is guaranteed to cure depression, but the same can be said about several Western medicines and psychotherapies. To be safe, be sure to consult with your healthcare provider before you try one or more of these recommended therapies:

• Herbal remedies: Herbal remedies are made from plants. Of the wide variety of available herbal therapies, St. John’s wort and ginkgo biloba are the products most often used for treating depression.
• Acupuncture: Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese method of healing that prevents and cures specific diseases and conditions.
• Reflexology: For this treatment, the reflexologist applies pressure to different pressure points on your feet, hands, ears and face.
• Exercise: In general, exercise is a safe and easy way to improve your well-being.
• Meditation: Meditation is a form of relaxation and introspection.
• Massage: Massage uses touch to promote relaxation while decreasing tension and stress.
• Guided imagery: Guided imagery is a form of focused relaxation that helps create harmony between the mind and body.
• Yoga: Yoga is a type of exercise and spiritual practice.
• Deep breathing: Taking slow, deep breaths in, then slowly exhaling, while your mind focuses on the breath.

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