How to defeat „A Black Dog“? Advices in the fight with depression „Depression is the feeling that you have lost something, but you don't know what, neither when and where you have lost it. And then all of the sudden you realize that you have lost control over yourself.“ That is a descripton of depression by the person who suffers from it. Actually the aim is to restore „control over myself“. And the things that you can do for yourself in the process of healing from depression, beside psyhoterapy and medicines, is just that, change of your own lifestyle. Mentioning this, first of all we mean bringing in regular physical activity and modification of your diet. Make a plan! Start a diary about your activities, feelings even during the day. Write about your mood changes, thoughts and mental state-of-minds, crisis which you are passing thru, and than you have to realize what are theese thoughts which are causing your most depressive conditions, so you can precisely describe to your therapist some of the specific conditions. Write as well daily about the things you are going to do next day. Change your diet! Very important step is to have a propet diet. Not exclusively to reduce or to gain your weight, but as well to have a general good feeling of yourself and to put the functions of your body in order. Limit your cofein intake. Especially in the evening hours. Avoid big meals just before going to bed. Find replacement for coffee, drink more tea, intake more water into your body. Talk with your therapist about bringing supplements into your diet, like vitamins B and D, which may contribute to your mental benefits, or maybe take some multivitamins. But main of above mentioned things is intake of simple sugars. Research have found out that there is a direct link between depression and level of serotonin in the brain. Sugar temporarily increases level of serotonin into brain. Function of serotonin is to regulate sleep, spraying of the muscles, memory, learning, apetite and mood. When we eat sugar it is improving our mood and kill the hunger. Unfortunately, it only temporarily. It is because „simple“ sugars simply burn into our body. When effect of big amount of sugar passes by our mood is in decline (and our body is prone to tell usthat we need to eat more, without the reason it is really necessarily). That especially terminates the simple sugars. While you are ragulating the sugar intake you will avoid unnecesserily oscillations in your mood, and then periods of bad mood shall prevail. So, if you want ot fight depression without medicines, reduce intake of simple sugars, replace it with intake of complex sugars who will give you energy gradually. Increase intake of Omega-3-fat acids. For a long time it's known that theese things are important fo heart and brain, and the latest reaserch have found out that Omega-3 have specific positive effect on derpessive persons. If you are not sure that you intake them by the diet (eating fish and nuts), counsel with your doctor about taking supplements. Reduce intake of Omega-6-fat acids. Most of them are in fried and industry food, which is based on refine oils. Go out in the nature! Experience new places. Find your new hoby. Do whatever you want which stimulates your brain. Although in the begging you won't have motivation, everyday make a new step, visit some new place. From day to day you will have more will, although it might not seem like. Reserach have found out that every brain stimulation affects it for better functioning. New activities make us smarter. And when you stimulate brain with something new, it won't be walking the known road by everyday same patern. If your depression have roots in isolation, boredom and feeling of weakness, any positive activity will be a kind of a remedy in fighting depression. Learn to fight with stress. Depression is higly linked with stress. Do the things which relax you, go to massage, listen to your favourite music. Get you a pet. Avoid conflict situations. At certain moment you have to be no. 1 for yourself. It's not selfish, you have to fall in love with yourself. You can always find the time for you and make a day only for you. Exercise regularly! One more way to improve your depressive state is to exercise regularly. By exercising you free endorphines in the pleasure-centre into your brain, it makes rush of adrenalin and blood circulates faster thru your brain. It makes you more energetic, wakes you up and makes you feel „alive“. There is really no better way to make you feel better, but to start exercising. Selfconfidence improves. Your constitution gets better. Start going to Gym, fitness, yoga, or whatever please you. Adopt a dog, walk with him, run. Go out in the nature. Research have found out that in the most cases depression is caused because people are not physically active. Get out on the Sun! By exposing yourself to the Sun light you are helping your body to creat serotonin and other endorphines which are improving your mood. Exposure to the sun light is very useful for natural secretion of the melatonin in your body, during the night. It's being extracted when you need it. It helps us for better sleeping during the night. Light up facilities where you spend lot of time, remove your curtains and put up your blinds during the day. Bring in light and cheerful colours into your home. Wake up earlier so you can use more hours during the day light. Sit close to the window and plan your daily walks during the day light. Find your passion! You have to find it, wake it up into you! Let it be writing, or playing some instrument, painting. Start your salsa course. Learn new language. Anything what will occupy your mind and what will become challenging for you and stimulation. Whatever is your age. Never say „I am to old for it“. Remember some memories, adventure who wakes in you, emotions when you danced for the first time, when you went to the concert of the favourite band. „Revive“ again theese memories. Remain socially active! By depression is happening that person discard friends, partners, what leads into isolation which is one of main causes of depression. You need friends, beleive it or not. Man is a social being and it needs attention, friends, partners... Having friends with whom you will talk and enjoy in life have multiple good sides, and one of them is that they will prevent you to remain alone with your own thoughts. Friendship is stimulative, because on that way you will have to hear and see different things, you won't be able to see alone, probably, and than it stimulates you to think about many topics. Sleep enough! A lack of sleep is one of the main reasons why people are nervous and in the bad mood, and it turned out that chronical tireness is causing depression. Try to sleep everyday eight hours, because enough of sleep helps to normal functioning of the body and reduces irritability. Reduce your time behid the computer. Go to bed and wake up every day in the same time. Also secure the pleasent temperature in the room where you sleep and isolation from noise. Take out TV from your sleeping room. Don't use your bed for nothing but for sleep and sex. How to obtain professional depression treatment? Sometimes, simply, you cannot cure depression without psychological counseling and medicines. While and by other mental illnesses there is certain stigma to go to expert. Persons from surrounding, family, they understand individual depression as characteristic of lazyness, weakness to confront problems. You have to understand that suffering from any kind of mental illness is not shameful. It is not shameful sometimes to be weak and look for a support. It is not a shame to ask for a psychological help. It is not shameful to address psychologist, psychoterapist or other experts for mental health. There are no quick solutions. Maybe you will have to try several antidepressives before you get the right remedy. Mainly the practice is to intake remedies with psychoteraphy, which is inluding above mentioned shapes of behaviour and changing the life attitude. By depression usally the main problem is motivation, so the people from surrounding and close persons are very important as well as person who suffers from depression. It is important to make a first step!
