1. Get some rest and relaxation. Be sure you are getting plenty of sleep and are taking time to stop and smell the flowers.
Article 1
"The relationship between sleep and depressive illness is complex – depression may cause sleep problems and sleep problems may cause or contribute to depressive disorders. For some people, symptoms of depression occur before the onset of sleep problems. For others, sleep problems appear first."
Article 2
"If you're recovering from depression, it's crucial to take time to relax. But vegging out in front of the TV doesn't count as relaxation. Try: listening to soothing music, taking a walk, taking a long bath, yoga, breathing exercises, massage, or simply scheduling downtime."
Article 3 (Online Relaxation Techniques)
"Without the ability to relax, chronic stress or anxiety can lead to burnout, anger, irritability, depression, medical problems, and more."
2. Junk the junk food. Sure, that sugar high feels good, but when you go through detox a couple of hours after later, you can feel terrible.
Article 1
"Depression and diet may be related. Some preliminary research suggests that having a poor diet can make you more vulnerable to depression. The good news is that the people who ate a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and fish were less likely to report being depressed."
3. Abstain from alcohol. Alcohol is known to aggravate a depressed mood.
Article 1
"Family history of depression or alcoholism puts a person at greater risk for developing either illness. You should know that while alcohol often causes a “good mood” at first, it is a depression-causing drug."
4.Energize with exercise. Runner's high is caused by an increase in endorphins--the feel-good brain chemicals. But you don't have to run a marathon to get the same mood-lifting feeling. Try taking a walk around the block or walking the dog for 10 or 15 minutes. You'll feel good the rest of the day.
Article 1
"Regular exercise has been proven to help: reduce stress, ward of anxiety and feelings of depression, boost self-esteem, and improve sleep. Research has shown that exercise is an effective but often underused treatment for mild to moderate depression."
5. Focus on friends and family. Leaning on others is one of the healthiest things you can do to get through a tough time in your life.
Article 1
"Families do better than patients at recognizing depression and mania. Depression disrupts family life, yet families can be major forces of care, comfort, even cure."
Article 2
"She [Julie Totten, head of Families for Depression Awareness] says it can be a big problem convincing family members with depression to get help. "Expect them to say 'no,' " she says."Then keep working at it, get other people involved, because if someone is depressed their first answer is going to be no, they don't want to do anything because they're feeling so down."
6. Learn to laugh. Laughing actually triggers the same endorphins that are affected by exercise.
Article 1
"Laughter stimulates our endocrine system, including the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland, in turn, stimulates release of endorphins and enkephalins, natural painkillers that are chemical cousins to opiates such as morphine and heroin."
7. Think happy thoughts. A recent study found that people who learn to have a more optimistic attitude are less likely to become depressed--even if they were naturally pessimists. Changing the way you perceive life can have a dramatic affect on your mental health.
Article 1
"Researchers followed 5,634 Australian 12- and 13-year olds for 18 months, asking them about their psychological state, substance abuse, and antisocial behavior. The more optimistic the students were, the less likely they were to become depressed."
Article 2
"Although an overly optimistic view of the future sometimes leads to underestimating risks and making unrealistic plans, “a moderate optimistic illusion” appears to be essential for maintaining motivation and good mental health."
This list was found here, with the supporting articles added by me.
No comments:
Post a Comment