Uncontrolled depression can significantly affect a person's quality of life. Therefore, it's good to be aware of some habits and strategies that can help people handle depression and deal with its symptoms.
There are a wide variety of treatments to help handle depression. However, the chosen therapy may vary according to the severity of the disorder and possible subjacent problems. So, what can you do to facilitate the management of symptoms?
Today, people have the possibility of dealing with their symptoms with a combination of medications, psychological therapies, and lifestyle changes. What’s more, there are complementary therapies that also offer positive effects.
In the following article, we’ll describe 5 helpful ways to handle depression.
What is depression?
Before talking about how to handle depression, we should define exactly what depression is. Depression is classified as a mood disorder whose main characteristics are prolonged feelings of sadness. These feelings are accompanied by other symptoms, including a loss of interest in daily activities, lack of appetite, hopelessness, etc.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, this mental illness affects approximately 15 million Americans per year. What’s most concerning is that many downplay the symptoms and are reluctant to seek the help they need. As a result, some cases have fatal consequences.
This illness can develop differently in each individual. However, in general, it tends to interfere with a person’s work and social relationships. What’s more, it involves concentration difficulties, sleep disorders, and some chronic diseases.
You may also want to read: Depression in Friends – How to Detect It
How to handle depression: Some strategies that can be helpful
To handle depression, getting a proper diagnosis is key. The quicker detection and diagnosis take place, the greater the possibilities of successful treatment.
After receiving pertinent testing and conforming depression, then the following strategies can be applied to control its symptoms:
1. Exercise regularly
Sports and exercise improve mood and wellbeing, both physically and mentally.
Physical exercise is one of the best habits for promoting mental health. In fact, data from the Mayo Clinic suggests that these types of activities can contribute in a significant way to the treatment and prevention of depression.
This is because physical activity promotes the secretion of endorphins, chemical substances that promote wellbeing. It also has a calming effect and minimizes the presence of chemicals in the immune system that worsen depression.
Some of the activities that experts recommend are the following:
Yoga or Tai chi
Pilates exercises
Gym routines
Kickboxing
Bike riding
Swimming
2. Build strong relationships
Patients with this disorder need constant support. Therefore, part of a person’s plant for handling depression should include building strong interpersonal relationships.
Quality time with a loved one or close friend can help you clarify your thoughts and reduce sadness.
3. Sleep well
The absence of proper rest produces a downward spiral of stress and insomnia.
The symptoms of depression can interfere with the quality of a person’s sleep. However, lack of sleep can make it difficult to treat and handle depression. In fact, people who suffer from insomnia are up to 10 times more likely to suffer depression in comparison with those who sleep well.
Therefore, even though it’s difficult, it’s best to adopt measures that help invite the body to rest. For example:
Make sure your room is at a comfortable temperature.
Distance yourself from distractions like mobile phones, computers, and televisions.
Meditate before going to sleep.
Make sure your bed is clean and comfortable.
Avoid consuming alcoholic beverages and sources of caffeine.
There’s no definitive proof about the relationship of some foods with the incidence of suffering depression. However, many investigations have discovered a link between nutrition and brain processes that help to control this disorder.
Therefore, part of treating depression involves developing better nutritional habits such as:
Consume a balanced diet, with lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats.
Limit your intake of sugar, saturated fats, and processed foods.
Increase the amount of omega 3 in your diet. This fatty acid is present in foods like bluefish, nuts, and some seeds.
Drink abundant amounts of water and healthy liquids. In fact, some infusions with herbs and spices can help.
5. Massage therapy to handle depression
Massage is beneficial when it comes to relaxation and battling fatigue.
Finally, among the many alternative therapies that can help you handle depression, there’s a particularly popular one. While massage therapy isn’t a method for curing depression, it can help relieve many of the associated physical symptoms.
The application of therapeutic massage reduces rigidity, muscle pain, and fatigue. What’s more, in many patients, it also helps to improve their quality of sleep. For greater benefits, therapists can use essential oils with antidepressant properties.
Are you or someone you love suffering from depression?
Don’t hesitate to try the advice in this article. Of course, considering the complexity of this disorder, it’s very important to seek the help of a professional.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
Ann het Rot, M., Collins, K. A., & Fitterling, H. L. (2009). Physical exercise and depression. Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1002/msj.20094
Bodnar, L. M., & Wisner, K. L. (2005). Nutrition and depression: Implications for improving mental health among childbearing-aged women. Biological Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2005.05.009
Lang, U. E., Beglinger, C., Schweinfurth, N., Walter, M., & Borgwardt, S. (2015). Nutritional aspects of depression. Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry. https://doi.org/10.1159/000430229
Field, T. M., Sunshine, W., Hernandezreif, M., Quintino, O., Schanberg, S., Kuhn, C., & Burman, I. (1997). Massage therapy effects on depression and somatic symptoms in chronic fatigue syndrome. Journal of chronic fatigue syndrome, 3(3), 43-51.
