Research your symptoms to help your doctor diagnose your exact type of depression. Before you can start treatment, you need to find out what is available, and where you can find the answers you need. The guidelines below could help you on where to start.
Change your thought processes. If you think or say bad things about yourself, analyze if you would say it to someone else. If the answer is no, you’re probably being overly hard on yourself. Rather than taking these statements at face value, look at them in a more positive way in order to come up with a solution to address the problem.
If depression is something that affects you at a subclinical level, than OTC remedies might help you. An example of this might be grape juice or St. St. Johns Wart has been shown to help the mental state of those who take it. It’s cheaper than most prescriptions, too.
Remember that sleep, exercise and diet are key. When you feel depressed, it may help to go for a walk, run, swim or bike ride. A more long-term reduction of depression can result from exercising daily, sleeping eight hours a night, and staying away from most processed foods.
Diet could be a factor in your symptoms of depression. The wrong foods can affect your thought processes, impact serotonin levels and create other biological instabilities that can cause or exacerbate depression. Stay away from foods too rich in sugar and fat and find out more about nutrition to adopt a better diet.
When experiencing depression, remind yourself of the fact that you control your thoughts. Do not even use the word depressed as part of your vocabulary. The word does nothing except cause you to refocus on negative thoughts and circumstances. By simply referring to depression as something like a “bad mood” or just a “bad day,” you can begin to change the way you think completely.
Banish the words “depressed” and “depression”. Though they may be accurate descriptions of your mental state, they carry with them the power of suggestion, and may cause your feelings to sink even lower. Forget depression; call it a bad mood instead and reclaim the authority that’s rightfully yours in the first place. It’s not as difficult to think about changing your mood as it is to conquer “depression” even though the two things are really the same.
If you have a friend or family member who suffers from depression, it’s important that you’re supportive. Your depressed loved ones needs reassurance and comfort during their difficult times. There are a lot of places where you can turn like books or the online world that can assist you in caring for a person you love.
If you are prescribed antidepressants by your doctor, always follow the instructions carefully. Never take less or more than what the doctor recommends and never stop taking them without a doctor’s consent. You may find horrible side effects if you mess around with your treatment.
Developing interest will help you beat depression. Many people get depressed because they don’t feel they really have anything to do that they enjoy. Having something you enjoy is important. These activities tend to bring a sense of satisfaction as well as keep your mind off anything negative in your life.
Caffeine shouldn’t be consumed when you’re suffering the effects of depression. Research has shown that your depression will get worse if you have too much caffeine. If you normally drink tea, coffee or soda, it’s time to change to decaffeinated varieties.
if you are often depressed, you should think about keeping a journal. Writing down your thoughts each day is a great way to understand what affects your mood and how you could change things. You can see what is causing these mood swings, and then you can develop a plan to overcome these depressed feelings.
As you have seen in the above tips, there is a lot of knowledge you can acquire before seeking treatment for your depression and it’s this knowledge, along with assistance from a doctor, that can help improve your symptoms. Do everything you must to find a treatment that works for you.