Depression is a common and severe medical condition that negatively affects the way you think, how you feel, and your corresponding actions. It causes feelings of sadness or moodiness and also a loss of interest in activities or routines once enjoyed.
Depression symptoms include weight loss or gain, trouble sleeping or sleeping too much, feeling worthless or guilty, difficulty in concentrating, thinking, or making decisions. This condition can make you feel very helpless. You are not. There is a lot you can do to fight this condition, and the topmost ones are highlighted in this article.
1. Regular Exercise
This is one of the most inexpensive yet effective ways to improve your mood and can be integrated into your treatment plan. Exercise or any form of movement or work out will lift your mood. Boosting your brain’s dopamine levels and providing endorphins, which are mood-elevating chemicals and can also reduce stress hormones. Yoga, for example, lowers the level of stress hormones that are significant in regulating immune responses, maintenance of homeostasis, regulation of blood sugar, and central nervous system functions.
Choose something you enjoy and stick with it, whether it is playing tennis, going to the gym, signing up for dance classes, or just taking a walk outside each morning. Do these exercises regularly and see your depression symptoms reduce significantly.
2. Engage in Regular Sex
Sexual intercourse potentially releases feel-good hormones and chemicals which are efficient in reducing symptoms of depression. Dopamine, oxytocin, and cortisol are released during sex, and it helps in boosting your mood, increases your compassion, and reduces your level of stress.
According to Ambardar, a sex educationist, sex can boost your self-esteem and happiness too. So sex is not only a prescription for a healthy life but also a happy one. What are you waiting for? Engage in more sexual activities with your partner, and if you don’t have a partner, you can buy sex dolls online to help or assist you get out of that lonely and depressed state. Use the
3. Sunlight therapy
Seasonal mood changes may occur in darker winter months, and thus getting enough sunlight may be efficient during this period. Exposing yourself to light in the morning by taking a walk outside may help the body’s sleep or wake cycle to function correctly. A brain chemical called serotonin that is key in influencing our mood is produced in the morning upon exposure to light.
During the winter season, when there is less sunlight, the serotonin levels in our brains can drop significantly, leading to tiredness and prone to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
Sunlight also helps you to relax and de-stress through the effective release of endorphins, which is efficient in reducing pain, supporting hormonal regulation, and inhibiting cancer growth.
4. Nutrition/ diet
Firstly, reduce your intake of sweets. They temporarily give you this feel-good feeling as your blood sugar rises and may even worsen your mood when its effect has faded off.
Secondly, avoid alcohol and caffeine, which will both dampen your mood. Caffeine boosts energy, and alcohol temporarily relaxes us, but the effects are both short-lived. They can worsen insomnia, mood swings, depression, and anxiety.
Thirdly, eat more food that has magnesium. Most people do not get or eat enough magnesium in their diets. Good sources of magnesium include nuts, legumes, whole grains, and green vegetables. Magnesium is needed to produce Serotonin.
Fourthly, dark leafy greens like swiss chard, kale & spinach can fuel every system in your body more wholly than any other kind of food. They are nutritionally power-packed with vitamins A, C, E, K, and folate; minerals like calcium, iron, fiber, carotenoid, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and omega-3s.
5. Get more sleep
Having too little sleep can make depression worse. What can be done about this? Start with the easy things- take all the distractions away from your bedroom- no TV, and no computer. Try not to nap, rather sleep on time or early. In time you may find out that your sleep has improved. A disrupted sleep cycle is one of the significant factors that prevent a person from coming out of the depths of depression. So try and work on this.
6. Reduce activities that increase stress
Depression is a stress disorder, a condition or illness where our bodies do not adequately manage stress. Many people with depression can be likened to having a new intern that is situated in the command center of our nervous system directing and miscategorizing stress responses and sending them to the wrong sections and departments in our body.
Research has shown that we can alter our gene expression tied to metabolism, inflammation, and insulin production via practices such as massage, yoga, and deep breathing.
7. Meditation
Research carried out by the University of Exeter revealed that meditation is more effective than counseling or drugs in combating depression. According to Martinez (a physiotherapist), you can download and listen to some cool yet inspiring music while meditating, which will help you to relax and calm your mood.
In conclusion, these strategies are useful in combating mild and regular depression, but when it becomes chronic, you might need to consult your doctor for further treatment plans.