Self-Help Solutions for Reducing Symptoms of Depression

A World Health Organization (WHO) report estimates that about 5% of adults suffer from depression globally. Although this percentage differs from country to country, it is clear that depression is a global problem that requires a corresponding global response. Depression is also a leading cause of disability worldwide and contributes to the worldwide burden of disease.

It is common to dismiss depression as a disease of the mind. However, depression is a complex disorder; it has biological and social causes that eventually affect the mind and body. Depression makes you feel sad, low, and worthless, like a heavy fog of gloom is placed over you for days. 

What Are the Symptoms or Patterns of Depression?

There are many misconceptions about depression, and a common one is when people mistake momentary sadness for depression. Depression is more complicated than just bouts of unhappiness, probably caused by disappointments. Common patterns of depression may include:

• Depression causes you to have a hopeless and helpless outlook on your life and affects how you feel about life.
• Being in a depressive state causes a persistent feeling of sadness and a total lack of interest in everything. Especially things that gave you joy in the past, like sports or even hobbies.
• Depression may cause you to self-hate and harbor unnecessary personal guilt, making you feel worthless and insignificant.
• Depression may also interfere with your overall daily routine, killing productivity by making you lose interest in work entirely.
• It is also common for depressed people to fluctuate in weight and appetite. However, while some people experience an increase in appetite and weight, others will lose weight and lose their appetite.

What Are the Self-Help Solutions for Reducing Symptoms of Depression?

Depending on the severity of the disorder, a solution or treatment for depression often involves a combination of self-help, therapy, and medications. For example, if depression is mild, self-help could suffice to counter its effects on an individual.

Here are some self-help solutions to treat mild to moderate depression.

• Get adequate exercise

Exercise produces feel-good chemicals in the brain called endorphins. Endorphins are produced naturally by the nervous system to help cope with stress and pain. Routine workouts can generously improve mood by increasing your endorphin levels. However, it’s not easy to engage in such activities when depressed, including exercise. As such, it’s best to start with simple, easily attainable steps before going to the more complex ones.

• Eat healthily

Making sure that you don’t just eat anything that comes your way is a big step in combating depression. Many people throw caution to the wind and eat foods that are detrimental to both their physical and mental health, making them feel even more awful about themselves. Instead, maintain a rich diet in vegetables, grains, and lean meat, and limit harmful substances like caffeine, coffee, soda, and depressants like alcohol.

• Get enough sleep

Getting a good night’s sleep is one of the sure ways to combat depression. When you get enough sleep, your brain and body go through regeneration and renewal. It also gives strength and energy vital to your fight against depression.

• Change your routine

Depression makes people do the same random thing over and over. The brain often sets itself in this recurring pattern, which may make the mind perpetuate depression. Breaking old routines and starting a new, more enjoyable one tends to redirect the process of the brain and helps to steer it away from depression.

The new routine may be as simple as sleeping at a different time of the night, visiting a supportive friend, or walking home from work instead of taking a bus.

• Set attainable goals

Depression severely attacks your sense of accomplishment, making you feel insignificant or unworthy. To fight this, set small, easily attainable goals for yourself and make sure you follow through. Examples are; reading a few pages of a book daily, walking short distances, or writing a few dozen words in your journal. When you accomplish these small tasks, you’ll feel good about yourself, which will improve your self-worth.

• Avoid alcohol and drugs

Many people who suffer from depression often take drugs and alcohol to escape the depressive feeling. Unfortunately, this only worsens the situation because drugs and alcohol act as depressants to the nervous system, making you even more depressed when you get back from them. Avoid drugs and alcohol as much as possible, and consider better alternatives like playing fun games on https://parimatch.in/blog/en/how-to-deposit-on-parimatch-in-india/.

• Challenge negative thoughts

Negative thoughts are commonplace in depression. A depressed person often believes and expects worst-case scenarios in everything, leaving no avenues for positive thinking. The mind paints a terrible picture of yourself, telling you the worst about yourself.

Put up a challenge against these thoughts when they come by saying positive things about yourself. Challenge it like you’re confronting a negative person you’re seeing physically and not your mind. It won’t stop immediately, but it will reduce drastically until they’re no more.

Conclusion

Depression affects almost 300 million people worldwide, and about 56 million of that figures are Indians. Depression often starts as mild, then grows gradually into chronic depression. Taking steps to combat it in its mild stage is a sure way to have leverage over it and prevent it from getting chronic. The self-help methods highlighted above would go a long way in helping depression patients win this battle.