Start Healing Your Depression With These Natural Remedies

Jun 22, 2018 by apost team

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, depression is the "leading cause of disability" in adults living in the United States. (https://adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics) It's an illness that leaves you with no energy or will, and can negatively affect or even sabotage your life. It's a frustrating feeling knowing that you have depression because it sometimes feels that you can never get better. However, there are ways to heal and cope--so here's a list of four tips speed you along the road to healing your mental wounds:

The last thing you want to do when you're lying in bed with no energy is exercise, but incorporating it into your life is no joke. Exercise releases endorphins, which are chemicals that make you feel great and cause what's called "runner's high": the elevated feeling you get after a good sweat session. It can be anything as simple as walking to something more complex like lifting weights. Plus, when your strength increases so will your self-image, possibly leading to an boosted mood whenever you see yourself!

apost.com

Depression makes you dwell on the negativity in your day, and anything can trigger it into an even worse state of mind. By writing down the good things that happened to you at the end of each day, you're effectively forcing your brain to focus on positivity. Rewiring your brain to be less negative overall is an important thing to consider in your war against depression.

Keeping track of the things you've done throughout the day is a great way to show your depression that, yes, you can, in fact, be productive. It doesn't matter what it is, just as long as it's something you feel proud of doing or accomplishing. Keep a list and fill it throughout the day, and by the time night rolls around, you'll have it filled with things you can feel positive about. If you can't think of anything "big," just list little things, like if you ate enough for the day.

Meditation makes you practice mindfulness, which is essentially staying in the present and keeping intrusive, negative thoughts from flooding your brain. According to an article written by Psychology Today, a study done by psychologists at the University of Exeter found that a form of meditation, called "mindfulness-based cognitive therapy," was so effective on patients that most of them were able to stop taking medication for their depression entirely. (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mindfulness-in-frantic-world/201110/curing-depression-mindfulness-meditation) Meditation is a lifelong skill and ally that could help you through your darkest days.

Depression is a hard illness to deal with, we understand. It's never too late to seek out help, understand yourself better, and focus on being well; starting with this list of tips will help you in the months--and years--to come.

If you found this article useful, be sure to send it to your friends and loved ones. Don't hesitate to leave a comment below, too: we'd love to engage!

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation with your doctor. Your health is important to us!