According To Science Here Are The Ways To Battle Depression And Stay Happy
Fighting depression is an undercover battle often hushed, bombarded and pressured to take the back seat behind other minuscule day-to-day problems. The trouble with that is, depression cannot be ignored. If you don’t fight depression with mindful tactics, it’ll always be around. Mental health NEEDS to be a priority.
As emotional beings, we all go through some form of depression, and we all experience and cope with it differently. There is no set formula or magical pill that cures depression, but there are steps you can take that may help you start the road to recovery, and possibly, what we all crave in life: Happiness.
Here are healthy habits and liberating ideas for fighting depression.
#1 Beat depression through exercise.
Consistent exercise can help ease depression in a number of emotional, physical and psychological manners. It’s a domino effect of positive outcomes that takes time to achieve. Working out regularly will help your brain release endorphins— happy hormones—which may help boost your self-confidence as you work towards becoming a healthier and fitter version of yourself. Exercise can be a healthy way to cope with anxiety, negative thoughts, and sadness. It will give you the opportunity to exchange smiles with a fellow treadmill neighbor or meet a new friend at a kickboxing or yoga class. Start with baby steps, even if that means just walking on the treadmill for 20 minutes or sweating it out in the steam room. Set reachable goals. It’s actively pursuing the little things that will have a positive impact, which will help gradually pull you out of this rut.
#2 Do Things You Once Liked to Do ... even if you don't feel like it
Depression is one of the hardest emotional states to endure because the symptoms themselves can destroy your will and energy to engage in activities you once loved. Giving in to this lethargic state can give your depression, even more, power, whereas staying active in your life, pursuing anything and everything you may find of interest will re-ignite your spark and keep you on your own side.
#3 Listen to Upbeat Music
An upbeat tune can change an atmosphere instantly and create a more positive vibe. Listening to upbeat, happy music alters brain chemistry and can improve your mood.
#4 Try something new.
“When we challenge ourselves to do something different, there are chemical changes in the brain. Trying something new alters the levels of [the brain chemical] dopamine, which is associated with pleasure, enjoyment, and learning,” explained Ian Cooks, a psychiatrist, and director of the Depression Research and Clinic Program at UCLA, to Web MD.
#5 Connect with Friends
This can be one of the hardest things to do when feeling depressed but it is one of the most rewarding activities. Force yourself to go out. Isolating oneself from others may seem a good idea but put a limit on it and then get out there again. This can have a huge positive effect on your mood.
#6 Include Omega 3 Fatty Acids in Your Diet
Research has shown that depressed people often lack a fatty acid known as EPA. Participants in a 2002 study featured in the Archives of General Psychiatry took just a gram of fish oil each day and noticed a 50-percent decrease in symptoms such as anxiety, sleep disorders, unexplained feelings of sadness, suicidal thoughts, and decreased sex drive. Omega-3 fatty acids can also lower cholesterol and improve cardiovascular health. Get omega-3s through walnuts, flaxseed and oily fish like salmon or tuna.
#7 Clean up and organize your personal space.
Depression derails you from wanting to do anything. Don’t focus on your long tedious to-do list. Simply pick one task to focus on and nothing else. For example, organize your room. Turn on the music genre of your choice, and let the first-step to declutter begin. Your bedroom may be a good place to begin because it’s most likely the last place you end your day at and the first place you start. It may help you relieve unneeded stress, and encourage you to complete the next item on your to-do list.
#8 Try Cognitive Therapy
Cognitive therapy can be extremely useful in counteracting depression and is based on the principle that certain ways of thinking can trigger certain health problems, such as depression. The counselor helps you to understand your current thought patterns and identify any harmful or false ideas and thoughts that you have that can trigger depression or make it worse. The aim is to change your ways of thinking to avoid these ideas as well as help your thought patterns to be more realistic and helpful.
#9 Watch a Funny TV Show or Movie
It may seem silly or all too simple, but anything that makes you laugh or smile can actually help convince your brain you are happy. If you look at depression as your critical inner voice having tricked you into feeling bad, then you can have your own tricks ready to fight depression. Play your favorite sitcom, watch a funny movie or read a comical writer. Don't think of this exercise as merely a distraction, but as an effective tool in reminding your brain that you can feel good again.
#10 Get Enough Sleep
The quality of your sleep directly affects the quality of your waking life, including your mental sharpness, productivity, emotional balance, creativity, physical vitality, and even your weight. No other activity delivers so many benefits with so little effort so aim for between 7.5 and 9 hours sleep per night.
