So you are fighting the problem of depression and it seems like nothing g is working out yet? Why not try mitigating the problem in your own special way at your own time? There is so much you can do to help ease the problem, from cutting on drugs and alcohol to taking the time to relax and many more effective ways.
Track your thoughts by writing them down. It’s a good way to express your feelings, and it can also help you figure out which thoughts make you feel worse.
Learn relaxation. Relaxation is great for reducing stress.
Go easy on alcohol and drugs. If you’re using alcohol and drugs to cope, you could actually make your symptoms worse, both while you’re using them, and in the long run.
Eat well, keep active. It can make a difference to your energy levels, and helps stimulate hormones (like endorphins) that help you feel better about yourself.
Take some time out to do things you enjoy. When you’re feeling down it can make it really hard to get motivated to socialize and do things. Try and make yourself do one thing you usually enjoy each day.
Learn something new. Developing new skills and achieving things lifts your mood.
Get back into nature. There’s research that shows that when you have contact with pets, plants, gardens, parks etc., it reduces stress and boosts your mood. Go for a walk outside.
Sourced From: http://au.reachout.com/self-help-strategies-for-depression
Exercise has been known to be of great merit to people, especially when it comes to preventing some health problems. When it comes to depression and other mental problems, the case is no any different; exercise can actually help you fight depression real easy if done well.
Aerobic exercise is the key for your head, just as it is for your heart. It has a unique capacity to exhilarate and relax, to provide stimulation and calm, to counter depression and dissipate stress. Endurance athletes commonly experience the restorative power of exercise, and this has been verified in clinical trials that have used exercise to treat anxiety and depression.
How can exercise contend with problems as difficult as anxiety and depression? There are several explanations, some chemical, others behavioral. The mental benefits of aerobic exercise have a neurochemical basis. Exercise reduces levels of the body’s stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. It also stimulates the production of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers and mood elevators.
Behavioral factors contribute to the emotional benefits of exercise. As your waistline shrinks and your strength and stamina increase, your self-image will improve. You’ll earn a sense of pride and self-confidence. Your renewed vigor will help you succeed in many tasks, and the discipline will help you achieve other lifestyle goals. Exercise and sports also provide opportunities to enjoy some solitude or to make friends and build networks.
Sourced From: http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/benefits-of-exercisereduces-stress-anxiety-and-helps-fight-depression
Self-help may be a great way of slowing depression, but obviously not the best or the most perfect one. If you chose to go the self-help way, there are absolutely a number of things you will end up missing on. What matters here is taking your time to see if this option is worth the pursuit, or you will have to leave it for something better.
You may lack the motivation or will-power to stick to a self-help plan. There is a final issue as well. Even if you know what to do to solve your problem, you aren’t always able to stick to your plan and follow through well enough to benefit from your plan. Creating and maintaining the motivation necessary to stick to a self-help plan can be a very difficult thing to accomplish. Not everyone is able to motivate and discipline themselves sufficiently well, even when they are dealing with painful problems they very much want to solve.
You may lack the knowledge of how to fix your issues. Even if you are able to be objective and accurate about the nature of your issues, you are still faced with the challenge of figuring out how to solve them. Creating a useful self-help plan requires accurate knowledge: 1) Knowledge of what is causing your problems, and 2) knowledge about how those problems can be fixed. People aren’t born knowing how to fix problems.
You may lack the perspective to properly understand the nature of your issues. Your ability to help yourself will only be as good as your ability to be objective and clear about what the nature of your issues is. It is notoriously difficult to sort out, on your own, what your issues are really about. You may lack enough objectivity and perspective to make a true and accurate assessment or judgment concerning your own issues at this point.
Sourced From: http://gracepointwellness.org/353-self-help-book/article/9658-disadvantages-of-self-help
