before you can appreciate the light.
-Madeleine L'Engle
Have you ever been depressed? If not, you're lucky.
Depression could be nasty. Depressed people feel like all hopes have been sucked out of them. Like all lights have been put out; everything becomes pitch dark. It's suffocating.
When you fight depression, it's as though you're fighting a losing battle.
Carol shares with us what depression is, plus 5 easy lifestyle change to help defeat depression:
Depression is a phase and not a disease.
Treating depression is possible if you know that you have it; most people suffering from this condition deny its existence. Family and friends may notice some changes in the behavior of the person, but there are some symptoms that will prove you are suffering from the sinking feeling of depression.
Symptoms of depression:
- Irritation without reason
- Uncontrolled anger
- Sleeping disorder
- Fatigue
- Appetite issues
- Losing hope
- Frequent episodes of crying
- Sudden weight gain or weight loss
The above symptoms may point towards some underlying health issues... but could be due to depression too!
Depression can be triggered by many emotional and physical reasons. Sometimes it’s the sudden loss of a loved one, prolonged illness, or hormonal changes. Whatever may trigger this problem, here are some simple changes that you can introduce in your life to fight it.
Fighting depression through a simple lifestyle change.
5 Simple Lifestyle Change To Defeat Depression
Stay active, stay fresh
Exercise is one of the major solutions for depression. Choose the exercise that you would enjoy and include it into your daily regime. Go for a walk, dance, or swim to get a mood boost. Keeping yourself active would eliminate undesirable thoughts and hence, combat depression. Finding a workout companion would be even better as exercising with a friend would keep you motivated, and take away the feeling of loneliness. Exercise releases happy hormones in your blood stream thus, bringing down the symptoms of depression.
Find an outlet
Venting out your problems will not solve them but would make them bearable. Let it out to a friend, family, or a counselor as this will remove the feeling of heaviness from your heart. Speak up and admit if there is a problem. This will make your life easier and solve problems in your relationships. Healthy relationships and well-expressed emotions would automatically treat depression and its symptoms.
Eat right
When all other organ systems work right, you will have only one area to work on. Taking fiber rich food would keep your body lighter and make you feel energetic throughout the day. When your body is happy and active, your mind will also be happy. Avoid foods that are high in fats and calories as it will make you bloated and add to your restlessness.
Depression makes you hate yourself and everything around you. Start loving yourself. Shop, have a makeover, or make your surroundings bright and welcoming. Loving yourself and your surroundings will fill you up with the positive energy. Take the time to nurture your body and soul as this will give you an instant mood lift.
Medication
Medication should be the last resort. You may check with your doctor if you need some counselling or medication to treat this issue.
Depression can be treated early. If it stays for a prolonged period, chances are it will become chronic. Listen to your body and soul---and help it!
About the author:
Carol is a freelance writer. She mostly writes on healthy and lifestyle subjects. Currently, she is associated with US Premium Garcinia Cambogia, an online store for garcinia cambogia extract, which helps in reducing weight.
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44 comments
Being a sufferer of depression, I found this really helpful, Lux.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for posting...I know it will help many others too.:)
Have a fabulous weekend! :))
I agree with exercise being one of the best combative ways to help alleviate depression... Very good article xox
ReplyDeleteI'm so thankful that I don't suffer from depression. I've known people that do and what a battle they go through.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day. ☺
Makes so much sense! Very helpful.
ReplyDeleteHi, dear Lux!
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting Carol's tips on identifying depression and overcoming it with lifestyle changes. I have been there a few times in my life and have used these guidelines to recover. Proper diet and exercise work wonders and reduce or eliminate the need for medication.
Thanks again, dear friend Lux!
Really a very useful post, Lux. Nicely written Carol.
ReplyDeletexx
Epsita
www.thepositivewindow.com
Great Post, very useful <3
ReplyDeletelovely Greetings!
Staying active and looking after our health are two very important points - I've no doubt your post will help many people who are attempting to overcome depression :)
ReplyDeleteGabrielle | A Glass Of Ice
x
Lux ... thanks for going there. Depression is a disease that affects every part of our bodies, minds, and souls. Thankfully, for many of us, it is something that lasts for a season only. But for many sisters, it's a lifetime battle.
ReplyDeleteMay each woman reading this be able to pull together a great healing team around her to walk her through this difficult challenge. And may God minister to the depths of her soul in the process ...
Good counsel here! Those suffering from chronic depression should definitely seek professional help. For those of us who experience bluesy feelings from time to time, I've found exercise to be a great help. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteGood article Lux. I use to get depressed but not so much anymore - since I'm retired I can usually get myself out of it by walking in nature or doing fun stuff. When I worked in the past - yes I would get depressed by the idea that i never had free time while working and raising a family.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips for handling any of life's difficult moments! Thanks for sharing at Testimony Tuesday!
ReplyDeleteThank you Lux for sharing Carol's insights on depression. It seems to be an epidemic in some areas and learning about it and how to handle it is so important. The list of things to do to fight depression is very helpful. Praying your week is blessed.
ReplyDeleteNice post dear!
ReplyDeleteHave a good day.
La Flò ♡ blog
These are all good points and things I've always been told by my husband's doctor that he needs to do. However, when you are deeeep in depression, it is almost impossible to get him to do these steps. You have to be vigilant and at the first signs of depression work on these things. Actually, dare I say, you really need to make these points lifestyle changes?
ReplyDeleteOne way I can help my husband is in the "loving your surroundings" part. I do my best to not let him retreat into a dark cave-like atmosphere. I'm constantly turning on lights, opening windows, lighting candles, freshening the decor with bright happy colors. If it doesn't help him, it at least helps me!
Thanks for visiting my blog - always a joy when you pop in!
Channeling your emotional energy to some form of creative efforts really helps, like pursuing various physical activities. I'm finally back to running. :)
ReplyDeleteOur Bible professor advised us to stop having a Pity Party. Feeling sorry for yourself and self doubt will surely bring depression. Keep your mind full of positive scriptures and sing the blues away with good Gospel Hymns (not the blue cowboy beer songs.) Your points about lifestyle changes is very good and I appreciate you sharing here with us at tell me a Story.
ReplyDeleteGreat advice about way we can combat depression. I think it is important that it was mentioned that some of the signs can be signs of other health problems. Getting help when needed is definitely important!
ReplyDelete~Jess
Thanks for sharing this... Very helpful.. The key in treating depression is to figure out that there is depression, I guess!
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of this, although it can be incredibly difficult to know when you have it or not. I think sports and fitness is a very good outlet in itself, so I approve of that given point the most.
ReplyDeleteI think the advice here is good even for those whose struggles fall short of depression.
ReplyDeleteThe Madeleine L'Engle quote is a gift! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you for writing this! As a lifelong sufferer of chronic depression ("Dysthymia"), I've written and spoken about depression fairly extensively. I really appreciate your initial statement too - people who don't know depression are truly lucky. And it's the most common mental illness in the WORLD. We need to keep talking and writing about it.
ReplyDeleteThanks again, and be well, Lux.
Lux, thank you for posting this...
ReplyDeleteWonderful article, Carol! These is excellent advice on battling depression and staying positive. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteVery nice article! I haven't suffered from depression, but I know what disease looks like. I have a good friend that suffering so badly. Thank you very much for these amazing tips. Wishing you a lovely Spring! Liuba x
ReplyDelete"Depression is a phase not a disease." That's a powerful statement! Starting with that changes the entire perspective of it. A lot of the artistic type of people struggle with this I think. Great ideas here and also the action of writing and journaling I think helps too. Great post.
ReplyDeleteYes! Unfortunately once you're in the trenches of depression, it's so hard to motivate yourself to do these things. Love yourself has been an important way to combat depression for myself. My negative self-talk can get way out of hand very quickly when I'm feeling low. Keeping that in check and replacing it with affirmations and gratitude lists helps keep me in a more positive state of mind.
ReplyDeleteknowing and overcoming the cause of depression will help too.
ReplyDeleteWe have all been there. Great suggestions for how to work through it!
ReplyDeleteWe need to write more about depression, people need to read more about it and people need to understand more about it!
ReplyDeleteGreat advice for everyone going through a rough patch but you may also need help from a doctor / qualified therapist IMO. Have a lovely day.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post and all of these are awesome ideas to combat depression! I've had my fair share of depression when I was younger. It can very debilitating.
ReplyDeleteGreat point about it being a phase and not a disease it changes your impression straight off. The tips on how to manage it without medication are also great as I can imagine that is preferable every time. Thank you for joining us at #BloggerClubUK hope to see you again next week x
ReplyDeleteInteresting but I am not sure I agree at all. "5 simple changes to defeat depression" when you are truly depressed nothing is simple. It is hard to think of being active if you can't even face climbing out of bed. Good ideas I am just not sure they would work.
ReplyDeleteHi, I suffer from depression chronically, so I disagree when you say it's not a disease.
ReplyDeleteEating right helps so much!
Here from Fri. Frivolity.
Some really great tips and advice, I have seen the pain and suffering depression can bring, it very serious and I hope if anyone feels depressed that they reach out for help. I lost a best friend to depression and my sister had post natal depression. #Fridayreflections
ReplyDeleteDepression is all too common, so glad you've shared ways to help! Thanks for joining us at #FridayFrivolity and hope to see you again!
ReplyDeleteThis was a great help for today since I have been suffering with institutional depression for almost a year. We made a major mover last year to living with our son and family. They are a lovely family but I have lost some private time with my husband and it has affected me. He seems to glow being around the grandkids all the time and I love being with them but sometimes it's too much. Then of course I feel guilty that I don't feel the same way he does and the spiral keeps going down instead of up only to find myself depressed. Just those reminders of what depression looks like helped me to determined to put them into practice, starting today. Very simple helpful post. thank you.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this Lux. I have a friend who's suffering from depression. This gave me an insight into what they're going through and how I can be of help.
ReplyDeleteI eat fast and not always healthy.. should change it.. i know..
ReplyDeletehttp://thewhiteprint.blogspot.com/
Depression is such a difficult thing to go through... thanks for sharing some thoughts about how to deal with it! #FridayFrivolity
ReplyDeleteI've experienced depression since having treatment for breast cancer last year. Even though I am a psychiatric nurse, it took the nurses at the cancer treatment center to help me see what was going on. I am also a wellness program director, so I had made the necessary changes in lifestyle. With the addition of some medication, life returned to almost normal, and became something I looked forward to each day rather than dreading.
ReplyDeleteMy friend used to have this very challenging Depression. It was tough and the items you identified that will help depression definitely are the things he did for redemption.. Very spot on!
ReplyDelete