Table of contents:
- How to deal with depression with the care of a doctor
- Ways to deal with depression apart from drugs
- 1. Exercise
- 2. Consume healthy, nutritious food and adopt the right diet
- 3. Get enough sleep
- 4. Dare to face difficulties
- 5. Do activities that you enjoy
Depression is a mood disorder that, if left untreated, can trigger a person to self-harm and even commit suicide attempts. In addition, this mental illness can also trigger a person to behave compulsively, leading to addiction. So, how do you deal with depression? Come on, take a peek at some of the following tips.
How to deal with depression with the care of a doctor
Depression makes a person continue to feel sad and lose interest in things they previously enjoyed. In addition, other symptoms of depression that may be experienced are anxiety, withdrawal from social life, body aches, and sleep disorders.
All of these symptoms can disrupt the life of the sufferer. Therefore, a powerful way to deal with depression is to follow a doctor's care. This includes taking antidepressant drugs and undergoing psychotherapy.
Ways to deal with depression apart from drugs
Apart from relying on your doctor's care, there are many activities that can help you reduce depression symptoms, including:
1. Exercise
People with depression tend to be reluctant to move actively. Even so, you must strengthen the intention to start actively moving, such as exercising. The goal, of course, is to fight the depression you have. The reason is, exercise provides health benefits, such as preventing heart disease which is prone to occur due to severe stress.
The Harvard Health Publishing website also mentions the benefits of exercise for people with depression, such as improving sleep quality, lowering blood pressure, and improving mood.
High-intensity exercise can release endorphins that make you happier. Meanwhile, low-intensity exercise that is done regularly can spur the release of neurotrophic proteins.
The presence of this protein causes nerve cells to grow and make new connections so that brain function will increase. All of these effects are what make exercise a powerful way to treat depression.
There is a wide variety of choices for people with depression, including dancing, jogging, brisk walking, yoga, or cycling. Do this physical activity regularly, at least 30 minutes every day.
2. Consume healthy, nutritious food and adopt the right diet
Depression can also affect a sufferer's appetite. They may overeat or refuse to eat at all. This condition causes people with depression to experience uncontrolled weight loss or weight gain. This of course will have an impact on the overall health of the body.
If you are experiencing eating problems due to depression, you will need to improve your diet as a powerful way of dealing with these symptoms. Keep eating on time and according to portions.
You also need to pay attention to healthy food choices for people with depression. Increase your intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish and low-fat dairy products.
Complete with probiotic foods that can relieve depression because it makes digestion healthier and improves mood. You should also limit your consumption of foods high in fat and high in sugar, as well as processed foods.
In addition to maintaining your diet, this method of dealing with depression will also be more effective if you stop drinking alcohol. Why? When drinking alcohol when depressed, stress and feelings of depression will not go away. In fact, this action can make the mind unclear, and even increase the risk of alcoholism, aka alcohol addiction.
3. Get enough sleep
Already sleeping or frequently waking up at night are common complaints experienced by people with depression. However, there are also those who feel more sleep due to depression. If both are allowed, depression can get worse and may cause other health problems, such as obesity and diabetes.
Well, the surefire way to deal with these depressive symptoms is to make a wake-up and sleep schedule and follow it regularly. You should avoid sleeping too late and waking up late. Instead, try to go to bed early and wake up early.
Before going to bed, calm your mind by doing breathing exercises. Then, adjust the room temperature and lighting. Make sure that the pillow is comfortable for you and that the blanket is clean.
4. Dare to face difficulties
The next way to deal with depression is not to avoid things that you think are difficult. Instead, you have to deal with the situation. Try to identify this, but don't get hung up on the problem alone. When you know what makes you sad or disappointed, talk to the people closest to you.
In addition to helping you express your thoughts and emotions, connecting with your loved ones can help you relieve stress and distract yourself from negative thoughts. You will also get strength from the people you care about to get out of the shackles of depression and the various problems you face.
5. Do activities that you enjoy
Feelings of pleasure and creativity can be hindered by depression. In fact, by being creative, someone can express emotions better and of course cause positive emotions which in turn can make you happy.
You can choose from various activities that train your imagination, such as drawing, painting, sewing, dancing, or just scribbling on paper.
Apart from being creative, playing with pets is also a great way to help relieve symptoms of depression. 2016 study published in the journal BMC Psychiatryshows that keeping a pet can provide a person with a sense of security, happiness, and overcoming loneliness.
It can be concluded that these activities can provide support, both emotional and social, which have a good impact on mental health. Apart from playing, you can also invite pets, such as dogs, to join you in exercising together. Of course, activities will be more fun, right?
