How to Fight Depression Without Medication

Covid19 not only has negative impact on the economy but to the well-being of the individuals as well. It brought with it mental health issues to a lot of people. You can in fact check for yourself that a good number of search on the internet that involves “how to fight depression” increases over the past 2 years.

According to the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) it has noted “a significant increase in monthly hotline calls regarding depression, with numbers rising from 80 calls pre-lockdown to nearly 400.”

Is it right to cure depression without taking any medication? The basic answer is YES. A lot of us don’t know that depression can be treated at home. It is possible for medication-free. Or for those who are knowledgeable, a lot of them don’t know how. One underlying fact is that one doesn’t need pills to cure depressive symptoms or even to recuperate from depression. Through having a few lifestyle changes at home, depressive symptoms may lower down or disappear at all.

6 Different Treatments For Depression Without Taking Antidepressant Medication

1. Brain Stimulation

Brain stimulation is a long acceptable treatment for depression. However, a lot of us still doesn’t know facts on this. Moreover, the technique called tDCS varies from the electric shock therapy. It has a current that is 400 times weaker. Just this early years, Flow Neuroscience came up with a wireless headset that bears gentle electrical stimulation. It can be used at home to treat depression. It is actually the first portable tDCS device that is approved for medical use in the UK and EU. With this device, one can have lifestyle changes with an evidence-based treatment and devoid of the side effects experienced during antidepressant medication. It is a good investment that helps you recover from depression.

2. Exercise

Yes, it’s possible to exercise during the pandemic. In fact, with almost everybody staying home during lockdown, it’s a must to stay physically active and again, yes without going to the gym.

Exercise is a common treatment for depression that is medication free. Committing to regular exercise is very effective. It poses results similar to antidepressant medication or psychotherapy. According to Professor F. Schuch at the Federal University of Santa Maria, Brazil, said that exercise is an evidence-based treatment for depression cases. Our body needs movement to remain in a good mood. 

You can find a lot of workout and fitness tips all over the internet. You may want to try these routines and these.

3. Sleep

Regular sleep is good treatment for depressive symptoms. It is a regular maintenance for your mood and body as well. Furthermore, there are a lot of things that you can perform at home to form healthy sleeping habits for free. In a study on sleep, it says that sleep can be a form of overnight therapy for depression. It allows us to feel better at handling different emotional barricades. With so much time during the pandemic, don’t waste yours watching Netflix, movie marathon or constantly checking your social network apps.

Nothing beats a restful sleep. Don’t just try sleeping, do it!

4. Meditation

Doing regular meditation exercises will help you avoid depression. It can prevent you from diving back into depression for a second time. It will aid you in handling emotions better, so that these don’t lead to another depression. It will help you to improve your focus and relax more. Meditation is actually a maintenance for your mood and for the overall well-being of your mind. Compared to a car engine that needs to be regularly checked, meditation will aid you in seeing early signs of depression and allow it to be easier to prevent depressive symptoms from getting elevated.

If you don’t know how to meditate, we highly suggest to take a look on this page. It is a walk through the basics of mindful meditation.

5. Observing Proper Diet

One will have no chance to drive a car if there is no proper fuel and, in this lieu, having a poor diet will most likely lead to depressive symptoms. Diet is not just simply changing your food intake but choosing the right food also. Changing your diet can help you fight depression without resorting to medication. The right way to begin treating depressive symptoms is to incorporate in your diet seeds, fruit, nuts (including almonds), berries and vegetables (especially green leaves.) These will specifically decrease depression, because a healthy body is better at combating stress, recovering from sickness and constraining life events.

Don’t do fad diet just because a celebrity is endorsing it. It surely won’t help you to fight depression in a long-term. Fad diets most often or sometimes work only for a short time. A true and proper dieting is part of changing your lifestyle too. All you have to do is eat a nutritionally balanced and varied diet with appropriately sized portions, and be physically active.

6. Benefits of Pets

People suffering depression and anxiety could benefit from the company of pets, especially dogs and cats. Having a pet can reduce stress, anxiety, loneliness and fight depression. Caring for an animal also encourages exercises through play or even a simple walk in the park. It doesn’t necessarily a dog or a cat. Any domesticated or tamed animals will do. Feeding birds, rabbits, reptile animals or simply watching aquarium organisms such as fishes and turtles can help reduce muscle tension.

People who suffer from depression and anxiety are advised by doctors to stay active and find sense of self-worthiness even while the world is going through the pandemic. We hope the different treatments to fight depression without taking antidepressant medication as discussed above will help you to eliminate the bad things your are going through right now.

However, we also would like to emphasis that if you are really in a serious situation right now and looking for therapy to help you with, please get in touch with National Center for Mental Health (NCMH). Below is their 24/7 contact numbers:

Luzon-wide landline toll-free: 1553
Mobile: 0917-899-8727
0966-351-4518
0908-639-2672

 

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