Depression (clinical depression or depressive disorder) is a common severe mood disorder. It causes serious symptoms that affect how you think, feel, and handle daily activities, like eating, working and sleeping. In order to be diagnosed with this condition, the symptoms should be present for at least 2-3 weeks.
Approximately 19 million people in America are living with major depression. This number dramatically grows every day.
Natural Remedies for Depression
Depression can make you feel really helpless. But you’re not. There’s a lot you can do on your own to fight back. Changing your lifestyle, improving your behavior, your physical activity, and even your way of thinking — are the most powerful natural treatments for this condition. Here are some of the most powerful natural remedies for depression that you can try and get rid of this terrible condition:
- John’s Wort
In accordance with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), this amazing plant can help mild forms of depression. St. John’s wort is native to Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia. In this parts of the world, this plant is really popular for treating this condition, as well as many other health conditions.
St. John’s wort increases the amounts of serotonin, a feel-great chemical in the brain that is usually low in people who suffer depression.
- Drink St. John’s Wort tea and relax your body and mind;
- Use St. John’s wort oil as an essential oil for massages, or
- Consume 1 teaspoon of it every day. That will improve your mood and will be truly beneficial for your overall health.
- Eat healthy to be happy
Eating healthy will help with the mood in general. There are certain foods that can help with serotonin – the “happy” chemical!
The best foods that include this chemical are:
- Eggs
- Fish oil, rich in Omega-3 fatty acids
- Flaxseed oil
- Sour cherries
- Healthy fats, such as pumpkin seeds and coconut oil
In order to improve your mental and physical condition and get rid of depression, you should also include these foods in your diet:
Foods That Contain Magnesium
Experts suggest that depression and magnesium deficiency are related. Therefore, you should consume foods that are rich in magnesium, as dark leafy greens, whole grains, nuts, fish, beans, pumpkin seeds, avocados, bananas, yogurt, dried fruit, and dark chocolate. The current daily dose of magnesium is 400m.
Foods That Contain B-Vitamins
Vitamin B has an important role in the brain. It is producing chemicals that impact mood (serotonin, epinephrine, and dopamine). You should add more B vitamin-rich food to your diet, like vegetables (such as peas), fresh and dried fruit, eggs, wholegrain bread, liver, and some breakfast cereals.
- Drink Chamomile Tea
This condition can cause sleeping problems. It is something between – you cannot get out of your bed during the day, but also you cannot fall asleep in the night. Chamomile tea contains chemical, called flavonoid, which contributes to relaxation and sleeping.
Make yourself a cup of chamomile tea every night before going to bed.
- Just boil 1 cup of water and add 1 teabag of chamomile tea (or 2 teaspoons of dried chamomile). Leave it for 10 minutes. In the end, put some honey and a dash of milk and drink it half an hour before bed.
You can also put a little lavender sleep sachet under your pillow or light a lavender candle in your sleeping room before you go to bed.
- Meditation
Meditation helped numerous people around the world who suffered from this condition. Researchers from Harvard University found that meditation produces psychological changes in the brain’s gray matter.
Visit your local mediation center and find some meditative program for depression that will help you. Moreover, you can meet other people with the same problem on these meditation classes, talk with them and share your experiences. Many people have also found the love of their life on this kind of classes. So, if you are single…who knows!
In case, you cannot find free meditation classes in your local area, and you cannot afford to pay, don’t worry! You can find some good meditative music online to enjoy and relax.
- Exercise
You probably heard it before, but exercise is one of the most important and popular treatments for depression.
Try to spend more time in nature and jog every day for 30 minutes. Even a 15-minute walk can do wonders! Exercises release endorphin in the brain, a chemical that makes you feel good.
You can also visit some aerobic classes or try yoga.
Conclusion:
Most of the mental health experts agree that these are the most powerful natural treatments for depression. As a person who experienced this condition in some period of life, I personally suggest you spend more time in nature. You can do some gardening or just walk in the park.
When you are depressed, just getting out of your bed can seem like a great move, let alone exercising. But exercise is one of the most powerful tools for dealing with depression. Actually, researchers prove that exercising can be as effective as antidepressant medicine at decreasing feelings of fatigue and increase energy levels.
You should also spend more time with your family members or friends. Talk to some person about your feelings, go to the cinema and watch some comedy movies, or get tickets to your favorite concert. Try to eat healthy, consume chamomile and St. John’s Wort tea, and listen relaxing meditative music.
Make the first step! Find the beauty in the simple things and moments! Remember, that’s the art of life!
