Change Your Lifestyle to Combat Depression

Change Your Lifestyle to Combat Depression

When a person is diagnosed with depression, the health care professional will discuss treatment. It will almost always include medicine (antidepressants) but also other steps that you can take to deal with the condition. You don’t have to try alternative therapies but following a few self-help steps will make a huge difference in the outcome.

Lifestyle changes are important in dealing with depression. Some of the choices you are making now could be factors in your diagnosis. For instance, some of the risk factors include: substance abuse, obesity, poor nutrition and stress.

If you want to stack the deck in your favor, here are a few lifestyle changes that it might be worth your while to make.

1. Stop substance abuse. This may require in-patient treatment or therapy to deal with.
2. Become committed to your treatment. Attend all of your therapy sessions, take medications as prescribed and seek the support of family and friends.
3. Join a support group. Local self-help centers and churches conduct support groups for a variety of conditions. Talking with others who are going through the same thing can inspire confidence and motivation in you.
4. Scale down your schedule. Stress is not going to help you to deal with depression. Cut out all unnecessary activities to streamline your life. It is not a sign of weakness; you are helping yourself to recover.
5. Maintain a personal support structure. Find people who don’t mind holding you accountable and spending time with you.
6. Reevaluate your diet. You are what you eat. Increase your neurotransmitter levels with more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fish. Make one change at a time and build up slowly.
7. Get moving. Exercise helps to maintain a positive mood in your life. Go bike riding or walking with others.

The best motivator is when you can help yourself. Along with your medical treatment, make lifestyle changes to stop depression symptoms.

Truth About Postpartum Depression

 What is postpartum depression really? We've heard about it often enough, yet are we really sure that we know enough about it for us to actually understand this illness in order for us to help ourselves as well as others? Being pregnant should really be a source of joy for everyone, especially the mother to be, who for nine months, will actually have living being grow from inside of her. Unfortunately, there is another side to this joyous occasion, being pregnant means that you and your body will have to get used to some adjustments for you to have a safe pregnancy. Smoking, alcohol, strenuous activities as well as stress should be avoided at all cost. A healthy baby means having a healthy mother as well. But given that you have been able to successfully avoided all these bad habits for your baby to be, childbirth is a whole different thing, as much as we may try to avoid it, there are still some unfortunate cases wherein the mother's as well as the baby's life might be in danger. 

But there's actually more, postpartum depression actually happens after childbirth. Although it's quite common and a lot of women have learned to how to deal with it as well as successfully treat it (like Brooke Shields), it is still quite avoidable. Postpartum depression is actually a lot like depression, but only new moms are the possible victims of this illness. There are actually a lot possible reasons why postpartum depression occurs:

Childbirth as we all know is not as easy as pie, actual physical stress from giving birth is one of the main reasons why postpartum depression occurs. Next postpartum depression trigger is massive changes is hormonal levels. A lot of moms-to-be who were hesitant about bearing a child are also more susceptible to postpartum depression, those who are not ready to be a mother yet are more easily to get depressed as opposed to happy and excited moms-to-be.

When postpartum depression happens, it really is best to go to the doctor immediately. Aside from obviously having ill-effects for the new mother, postpartum depression can prove to be harmful to the child as well. New mothers who are suffering from postpartum depression may be harboring ill feelings toward their children. Their are actually some cases of murder wherein postpartum depression has been cited as the reason. Mothers who suffer from postpartum depression may blame their child for their weight gain, thus feeling like they've become less attractive and unloved. It is really best to consult a reputable cognitive behavior therapist to take care of your postpartum woes, your therapist may prescribe medications to help cure postpartum depression as well as therapy sessions to help relieve whatever pent emotions that you may have. 

Treatment for depression

Depression Help Fast

Avoid Major Life Decisions When Depressed

One of the symptoms of depression is an altered mood. People, who are normally bubbly and outgoing, change and become more sullen and withdrawn. Anyone who knows you can tell that something is wrong.

Many of the symptoms of depression revolve around your attitude. There is a tendency towards insomnia or trouble staying asleep. Sleep is the time when the body recharges itself. 

If you are suffering from depression, you may notice that you are more irritable than usual. That could be followed by crying spells and moments of anger. The majority of suicides have been diagnosed with some form of depression at some point in their lives. 

All of these symptoms and others lead to one thing: a change in your outlook on life and your own well-being. It is a common practice for depressed people who are contemplating suicide to give away their belongings. It may not be odd to be generous but these are items that they hold dear and, under any other circumstance, wouldn’t be parted with.

For that reason, making any major life decisions is not wise at this time. If you know anyone who exhibits signs of depression, get them help right away. When people who are depressed are approached by salespersons, they can be more highly suggestible than normal. You may not have wanted to change your life insurance policy a year ago, but in light of your depressive episodes, you may be talked into changing that and more. The downside here is that your life can be totally turned upside down in those days and months when your depression went undiagnosed. 

If you or someone you know is being treated for depression, ask a friend or family member to hold you accountable physically, mentally, emotionally and financially. Changes in relationship status, financial status, work status (to name a few) need to be put on hold until you are thinking more clearly.

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