Depression is a serious illness and over 20 million Americans suffer from it. It’s not simply a feeling of being down or blue, it’s more serious than that.
They suffer from sadness, sleeplessness, fatigue, worthlessness, weight problems, disinterest in anything and many have thoughts of dying or suicide.
When a person is diagnosed with clinical depression, they are given antidepressants and of course they must see a psychiatrist or psychologist. The reason for this is that what they feel doesn’t just go away.
Those feelings interfere with their daily lives and they can’t enjoy anything at all. They can become reclusive, avoid contact with others and shun family and friends out of their lives. They have found that depression does run in the family and it usually start between the age of 15 and 30. What many are not aware of is that over 12 million of those that suffer form depression are women. In their case, no matter what they use to help with depression, they can’t seem to find any relief. Researchers have found that those that can’t seem to find relief is because they are not simply sad about their lives, it is something completely unexpected and can be corrected by doing the following.
DIET
Add more folate to your diet. It is a B vitamin that starts the production of serotonin, it is the brains own potent antidepressant. Just add 1 cup of rich of green vegetables such as spinach or broccoli. It will cut your unhappy emotions in half and help you get better quicker.
FRUITS
Adding 1 cup serving to your diet will pick up your spirits within 30 minutes. The fruits have complex carbohydrates that increase the production of mood boosting brain chemicals. Best to eat them in the morning, the mood boost will last longer.
MEDICATION
Certain medications used for blood pressure, birth control, allergies and acne can cause you to feel down. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if the medications you are taking have these symptoms. Next time you see your physician ask them to change them for you.
SLEEPING
Insomnia is the number one trigger for depression or feeling down. During the day, expose yourself to more light, artificial and sunlight. At night, dim the lights as much as you can. This helps the mind realize the time difference and your body in sync. Help you sleep and elevate your mood.
STRESS
Stress will increase the risk of doldrums by over 30%. By just doing something you like to do for 10 minutes a day will increase your happy hormones, endorphins. This will give your mind a refreshing break.