Depression is insidious. You can slip into into it without noticing. But you can also climb out again. Most people have experienced at least a touch of depression at some time or other. I certainly have. In this post, I list ten things that have helped me overcome periods of depression – without taking antidepressants.
Are you depressed or just feeling low?
Depression is a word we use in everyday language to describe a number of feelings, including sadness, frustration, disappointment, and lethargy. However, I’m talking about clinical depression here. It differs from everyday lows in three significant ways:
- Clinical depression is more intense
- Clinical depression lasts longer (two weeks or more)
- Clinical depression significantly interferes with effective day to day functioning.
Most doctors prescribe antidepressants for clinical, but medication often only addresses the symptoms, and not the cause of depression. However, if you are suffering from serious depression, medication is crucial for your well-being.
I want to show you how to heal from depression using natural means. The information I offer is aimed at those with light to medium depression. If you’ve been given medication, please continue to take it. The following 10-step strategy will speed your recovery – whether you’re on medication or not.
What are the signs of depression?
Here’s a checklist which will help you see if you’re depressed. The symptom will vary from person to person and also depend on the severity of your condition.
- Do you suffer from low energy, or fatigue?
- Do you feel hopeless, negative, or pessimistic?
- Do you have persistent sad, anxious, or flat moods?
- Do you have difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decision?
- Do you suffer from recurring feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness?
- Have you lost pleasure in hobbies and activities that you once enjoyed, including sex?
- Do you suffer from sleep disturbances such as insomnia, early-morning waking, or oversleeping?
- Have your eating habits changed, resulting in weight loss or weight gain?
- Do you suffer from restlessness, or irritability?
- Do you have thoughts of self-harm?
If you answered ‘yes’ to some of the questions above, you may be suffering from depression. Depression varies in severity. It may be that you are feeling low and are just hovering on the edge of clinical depression, or that you are suffering a mild to moderate form of depression. (Note: if you have thoughts of self-harm, you need to seek immediate medical help!)
Most medical practitioners suggest antidepressant medication and counseling. Both can be beneficial. But there are also some natural ways to counter a mild to medium depression.
10 Steps to recover from depression
1. Acknowledge depression to yourself and others.
To acknowledge depression can be extremely hard, especially if you see yourself as a strong and decisive person. One of the practical difficulties of suffering from depression is that you may feel unable to continue with some commitments you’ve made. Let your colleagues or friends know that you will have to take a couple of steps back until you are feeling better. They may be able to come up with solutions that will help take the load off your shoulders.
2. Use a powerful natural remedy.
St. John’s Wort (Hypericum) is a roadside weed that has been used for centuries to treat a variety of disorders. It’s a mood-lifter and is an excellent remedy for mild to moderate depression. There has been some discussion about its efficacy. A research project comparing the effectiveness of St. Johns Wort with the antidepressant Imipramine, came to the following conclusion in the British Medical Journal:
Hypericum perforatum extract is therapeutically equivalent to imipramine in treating mild to moderate depression, but patients tolerate hypericum better.
You can get some over-the-counter preparations of St. John’s Wort at your local drugstore or pharmacy.
3. Step up your exercise.
Regular exercise releases feel-good brain chemicals (neurotransmitters and endorphins) that may ease depression. Exercise has been found to work as well as medications, but may take longer to take effect.
I recommend vigorous walking or slow running. If you have a heart rate monitor, try and stay more or less at 15% below your maximum heart rate. (Your maximum heart rate is 220 beats per minute minus your age). Translated into action, 15% below your maximum heart rate may equate to a purposeful but moderate uphill walk, or a fast walk on the flat. (Your breathing should still be easy.) Try to exercise at least every second day.
4. Use nutrition.
Are you following a diet that helps you to combat depression? There are some essential foodstuffs that can help you to recover your wellbeing:
- Omega 3′s
Research shows that foods rich in B vitamins and omega-3‘s may boost your mood. Make sure that you consume enough omega-3′s by eating two servings of seafood per week or by taking fish oil supplements. Salmon, tuna and trout are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
- Folates
Many people who suffer from depression are deficient in folate, a type of B vitamin. Natural food sources of folate are liver, spinach, papaya, lentils, avocados, raspberries, black eyed peas, red bell peppers, beans, broccoli, greens, and orange juice. - Iron
Lack of iron, or anemia, is said to contribute to depression. Natural food sources of iron include meat, lentils, beans and leafy green vegetables. - Selenium
A 1991 study published in Biological Psychiatry suggests that lower levels of selenium in the diet correlate with anxiety, depression, and tiredness. Natural food sources of selenium include fish, Brazil nuts, beef and turkey, garlic and whole grains. - What to avoid
It’s important to stay off alcohol if you are feeling depressed. Alcohol is a depressant and will lower your mood (even though it may feel good initially.)
5. Improve Sleep
If you are depressed, you are likely to suffer from a sleep disorder. It may be that you feel exhausted when you go to bed, but can’t get to sleep. Or that you wake up in the early hours and can’t get back to sleep again. Personally, I use a combination of three sleep strategies:
- Use a sleep hypnosis recording, created by Jon Rhodes.
- Use an eye-shade, or block out light with thick curtains.
- Use Melatonin in order to reset the body clock.
6. Enjoy a massage.
Besides being physically relaxing, massage may also cause the body to produce fewer stress hormones and may also increase the body’s production of feel-good endorphins and the mood-altering hormone serotonin.
7. Light.
Natural sunlight seems to work best for people who have seasonal depression, called SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder. In fact, extra sunlight can help all forms of depression. Make sure you go out into the sun for a few minutes whenever it shines. If you live in a climate with little sunshine or find yourself depressed in the winter months, you may want to invest in a Solar Simulator. It’s a special lamp that simulates sunshine.
8. Unburden yourself.
If you are feeling low, talk to a good friend. Friends can often spot if there is an imbalance in your life. You might also consider consulting a counselor or psychotherapist. Deep down we know what’s bothering us and what would help us to heal. Talking to a trusted person can help you to access your own wisdom.
9. Reduce stress.
One of the main factors that can precipitate depression is stress. Take a step back and refocus your life. Think of ways you can get others lighten your load. Can you push out the looming deadline? Can someone help you with the task that’s getting you down? Can you delegate or team up with someone?
10. Meditate.
Learning to focus the mind can be beneficial when you are trying to recover from depression. Meditation helps to control negative thinking, such as thoughts spiraling into failure or worthlessness. Meditation can also work directly on your mood. In my experience, meditation can work wonders for people suffering from depression. But you need to know exactly how to use meditation to recover from depression – otherwise it can make things worse. To be on the safe side, practice walking meditation.
My next post will focus on exactly how to use meditation to recover from depression. Make sure you read it – I’m very excited about what I’ve discovered! It might be the one thing that helps you or your loved one to recover from depression.
What is your experience of depression? What helped and what didn’t?
Read my FREE Ebook Overcome Anything: Finding the Light After Darkness for more inspiration and practical help.
Read these related posts:
Do you know the first 7 signs of emotional meltdown?
Do You Suffer from Spiritual Fatigue? How to Recover in One Day or Less
17 Sure-fire Ways to Lift Your Mood
Note: this post isn’t meant as medical advice. If you feel depressed, please follow the instructions of your medical practitioner.
Photo by James Jordan
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There is so much wisdom in this post, Mary, and very helpful advice. Depression is such a huge topic – may I add a couple of points?
People who are depressed tend to have trouble getting started on doing things, for example getting out of bed, making a phone call. But they also say that that they feel better once they get going. This can be helpful to know – if you motivate yourself through the beginning stages of a task, it generally gets easier.
Also, our perspective on life tends to be negative when we are depressed. It can be helpful to know that the discouraging thoughts that seem so real are actually distortions of the truth.
.-= Gail @ A Flourishing Life´s last blog ..Freedom From the Prison of Your Habits – Part 1 =-.
I know that usually when I’m feeling down it has to do with lack of sleep. Things get to me more than usual, and I’m not able to think as clearly. I used the seratonin in popcorn to help me sleep, though in order for this to work, you need a low fat low salt kind as fats and salts slow down how fast the serotonin works.
.-= Justin Dixon´s last blog ..How to Keep the Economy in Perspective =-.
This is a wonderful post and I included your article as a link at quoteflections. Thank you for your insights.
.-= Paul Cornies´s last blog ..Paths out of Depression =-.
Thanks Mary for a great post.
According to your explanation, it seems that in the past I must have been depressed!
Something that always works to change my mood and get me going is walks in nature. I quite often go for long walks at a park near my home and it does wonders.
Walking and meditating at the same time is even better.
.-= Arvind Devalia´s last blog ..Catch a Bus to Juice up Your Life! =-.
I think that the biggest was getting to exercise regularly, and especially outside. It’s cold, but layer up, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
The other thing that helped the most was figuring out where my depression came from: mine stemmed from boredom. When I figured that out I started to keep a two-fold journal; I wrote down what I loved about my day, and then what I was going to do that I loved the next day. This meant I always had something I loved on the docket. And when I still had free time, I turned off the computer and TV, and went to my fall-back hobby of reading a good book. Removing my boredom helped a ton.
@Gail
Thanks for your comment. Those are really important points. It’s true that we just can’t imagine we’ll get better when we are in a depression…
Most important is definately number 1.
Acknowledgement sets the ball rolling.
I am currently taking medication however I find there is no point to it if I don’t follow most of these steps you have outlined, because one day have to do this without it.
Nice post
Cheers
Greg
Hi Mary – This is a wonderful post and I think I’ve used all of your tips myself at one time or another, or recommended them to clients. The only other thing I would add is to do some looking inward during these times, and ask what the depression is trying to tell you about your life: what’s missing, what is asking to be seen, what parts of you need attention. Depression can provide a powerful awakening to a deeper, richer life, but first we have to be able to recognize not just its challenges but its gifts as well.
.-= Patty @ Why Not Start Now?´s last blog ..The Ritual of Return =-.
I spent my youth with depression due to repressed feelings of guilt and fear. So I know how does it feel. I even come to the point of worthlessness. But thanks be to God I never resorted to clinical medication. I’m basically a meditative person. When I feel low I give myself a good sleep, or commune with nature since I happen to live in a tropical place. It gives me a release to speak out vocally my feelings of depression to nature. Anyone who could see me might have thought I’ve gone crazy but it is my way of coping up. It also helps to write my feelings out. Just pouring out the feelings on paper helps a lot and make me feel lighter after.
Depression might not be a good feeling; however, I learned to keep in touch with my spirit within and was encouraged to see the true beauty of life because of it. Thus, my being connected with Goodlife Zen was a product of my search for the beauty of the human spirit that was unlocked by depression.
Thank you for this post, Mary. I can relate to much of it. For me, medication was like lifting a veil, and suddenly all the years of work I’d done in other venues was able to take effect. Today I practice self-care as a preventive to the return of negative feelings, and the more I practice, the happier I become as a person. In the worst of my depression I could never have imagined describing myself as a happy person, yet today I am. My recent blog posts focus on similar topics to those you cover here – another angle on self-care.
Dear Mary,
Thanks for sharing your tips. This is what professionals might call “psychoeducation” and has been elaborated well. Or one can call it “Self-management guide”
I specifically wanted to raise the following points-
1. There is a myth that natural is the same as safe. Although St. John’s wort (SJW) is a herbal remedy and there is growing evidence base for its effectiveness in mild to moderate depression, it can lower the levels of some medications in the blood eg. oral contraceptives, anticonvulsants etc leading to treatment failure. If taken along with drugs with serotonergic action eg SSRIs, it can cause “Serotonin Syndrome” resulting is serious side effects. This is important to bear in mind especially if someone has been taking SJW over the counter and then is started SSRIs (the most common first line antidepressants) by their doctor. Make sure your doctor knows. Best advice is to discuss this with your doctor even before taking the same.
2. Sometimes the symptoms of depression can be due to physical or other mental illness. Make sure this has been investigated.
3. Although depression can be slow in onset, at times it can rapidly progress to a more severe form. If you have tried the above mentioned self help measures and it still doesn’t help or you have other reasons to be concerned do consult a professional for advice.
Hope this is useful.
With warmth,
Rani
Mary J,
I really enjoyed reading this article and you’ve just woke from a deep sleep.
Peace,
Morpheus
.-= Morpheus´s last blog ..Zanex Dissociation : “Live Acid Crusher Mix” | Zanex Dissociation | Seattle, United States =-.
@ Justin
Seratonin in popcorn?? That’s a great tip. I’ll have to try it.
@ Paul Cornies
I had a look at the article about depression on your blog. It’s very helpful. Readers, you can find it here: http://quoteflections.blogspot.com/2009/12/paths-out-of-depression.html
@Arvind Devalia
Yes – I agree about walking. There are so many facets of walking that heal: we get exercise, connect with the world, get oxygen into our system, get grounded, revitalize the soul — and much more
@Ki
That’s a very interesting point about boredom as a cause of depression. I love your suggestion of keeping a journal!
@ Patty
Thanks for the reminder that depression is also a gift.
Great post, Mary. I agree with Rani, though. I have to take thyroid suplements after surgery and St John’s Wort is a no-no. For some hyroid conditions, care has to be taken with soya products too.
As someone whose occasional bouts of low grade chronic depression (not severe, but lasting longer than a few weeks) are caused by mineral deficiencies and minerals clashing with thyroid medication, I’d strongly recommend that the first thing someone does in their determined efforts to be proactive about dealing wih their depression is to get blood work done.
The menopause can result in depression. Underactive thyroid can cause depression; so can problems converting T3 to T4 in folks whose basic thyroid tests come back ‘within normal limits’. (One of the reasons selenium is important; it helps conversion.) Ferritin deficiency can cause it, so can zinc deficiency, copper deficiency and undiagnosed coeliac disease.
I’d add drinking lots of water to your list, too. Hydration really is a miracle cure as the benefits to appearance, wellbeing and health are rapidly noticeable. It saves money, helps optimum weight levels, produces no carton and tin waste and doesn’t result in caffeine problems or sugar related ups and downs.
My favourite ways to combat depression are writing and contribution. If we feel we can offer something to the world every, single day, it combats the feelings of worthlessness that so often accompany depression. Even if it’s just recyling paper, smiling at a person sitting alone, dropping a few pennies in a charity box at the checkout or leaving a genuine heartfelt complement in a comments box on a blog, the combined effect of the tiny details that may be all we can manage on a ‘bad day’ is to make us feel we have something to offer the world. Drop by drop the bucket fills.
Thanks, Mary.
.-= janice´s last blog ..Angels at my Table =-.
@ Rani
Thanks for putting the record straight about using St John’s Wort. I was going to call my post “Are You Depressed? How to Recover the Natural Way” – but I changed my mind last minute. So, you’re absolutely right about St. John’s Wort being a type medication….
I totally agree with you that seeking medical or psychological help if things don’t improve in a couple of weeks is crucial. The difficulty with depression is that inertia and hopelessness can set in fast – and that makes reaching out for help very difficult.
When I was working as a psychotherapist, I enjoyed working with depressed people. It was such a joy seeing them finally emerge! There were also a couple of totally scary moments when clients teetered on the brink of self-harm. I was lucky because all my clients survived – and thrived.
@ Janice
Thanks for your rich comment! Your idea of having a blood test done when you feel depressed is very useful. And thanks for the list of deficiencies that can cause depression.
Most of all I love what you say at the end of your comment:
“…the combined effect of the tiny details that may be all we can manage on a ‘bad day’ is to make us feel we have something to offer the world. Drop by drop the bucket fills.”
Is it possible to meditate regularly if you are an outgoing bubbly person!!! and enjoy being so!!! Is calming down and being peacefull going to take away the positive highs and feeling bubbly!!!!!!
Curious,
Cherryxx
This post sings hymns to my hippie therapist soul
I am interested in conversing with you about your journey from psychotherapist to zen mother hen of A listers
At the risk of being ”me too!” it appears your path is similar to my dreams & passion. I’d love to chat with you if you have time. Your warm response to my confusion earlier… I’m grateful for your kindness and would like the privilege of hearing your story.
Thanks for a great post. I have experienced mild depression several times in my life and while I have taken medication for short periods, never for long. I’ve always returned to natural methods and found them to be the most effective. I no longer suffer with depression, but I do still suffer from anxiety – my overall approach to coping with my anxiety is very similar, I simply focus on the things that make me feel good. When I’m eating well, exercising, getting rest, spending time with the people I love and doing the things I enjoy I find that my anxiety is at it’s lowest. It takes determination and commitment to keep all these area of life in check but I stay motivated because the results are well worth it.
.-= Laura´s last blog ..The Benefits of Exercise on Anxiety =-.
Depression is easy to relate to because I think if you are human you are sure to experience it. I believe that depression is caused by negativity in the mind. The most helpful thing I found for myself is to take responsibility for my own happiness. Appreciate everything good in my life. Then do the things that make me happy. It’s all about redirection. Your post is a very comprehensive list of strategies that people can incorporate into their lives to stay balanced mentally, physically and spiritually.
.-= Suzy´s last blog ..Relieving depression =-.
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