Depression is a psychological disorder with pervasive feelings of depressive moods. Depressions are due to an imbalance in brain chemicals. Sometimes without any event or incident one might feel depressed. Anyone can be a victim of depression. People get affected depending upon their life experiences, situations, incidents and personalities. Individuals can suffer from depression regardless of their age, sex and religion. But individuals who are suffering from serious medical conditions or those who have experienced negative life incidents are more at risk.
The term Depression is mostly used to describe a temporary mood called, “Feeling Blue”. Blue days are when you are just so upset, teary-eyed and down in the dumps for no apparent reason. Oh, how they sneak up on you, again and again. You could simply live with them, which is fine, or you could get up and take ACTION. You can’t think away the blues; you’ve got to beat them out with a stick.
Causes of Depression
There may not be just a single cause for depression or it may be a combination of many causes. A few of them are listed below:
• Being in a negative social environment
• Taking anti-depressants that change the levels of neurotransmitters (chemicals in the brain)
• Consuming excessive processed foods
• Following a hectic lifestyle, long working hours and insignificant leisure time
• Living under high levels of stress
• Developing low self-esteem and a pessimist personality
• Suffering from medical conditions like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and hypertension
• Having poor sleep quality and insomnia
• Developing post partum depression i.e. depression that occurs after giving birth due to hormonal changes in the body
• Experiencing negative life incidents and stressors
Symptoms of Depression
It becomes easier to identify depression if you are aware of the symptoms. Consulting a psychiatrist can be a good idea in case of severe persistence of more than three of the following signs for about two weeks:
• Feelings of sadness, anxiety and emptiness
• Experiencing loss of appetite, weight gain or weight loss
• Being restless or irritable
• Finding it difficult to think, remember and make decisions
• Feeling sluggish, low energy levels and loss of interest in social activities
• Getting up in the middle of night or insomnia
• Feeling lonely
• Trying to avoid attention
• Finding high noise levels intolerable
• Feeling constantly sick or getting headaches
• Fatigue sets in and you feel worthless
• Feelings of ending life or suicidal tendencies
Curing depression
Once you have identified the symptoms, do not leave yourself unattended. Find the right ways to come out of depression. Some basic but crucial action points have been listed below:
Do something
Get outdoors for some exercise, even if only for a walk. This will help you to keep physically fit, and will help you sleep. Even if you can’t work, it’s good to keep active. This could be housework, do-it-yourself (even as little as changing a light bulb), or any activity that is part of your normal routine. Tidy your cupboard or dust the dresser. Focusing on the task at hand will help take your mind off your worries. Use a little creativity. The change can work wonders to boost your flagging spirits.
Eat well
You may not feel like eating - but try to eat regularly. Depression can make you lose weight and run short of vitamins which will only make you feel worse. Fresh fruits and vegetables are particularly helpful.
Beware of alcohol!
Try not to drown your sorrows with a drink. Alcohol actually makes depression worse. It may make you feel better for a short while, but it doesn't last. Drinking can stop you dealing with important problems and from getting the right help. It's also bad for your physical health.
Sharp Dress Up
True, this may be one of those days that you don’t even feel like brushing your hair, much less dressing up, but push yourself. Wear a bright outfit, put on your make up and tell yourself you look like a million bucks. Don’t stop there, start believing it! Pretty soon you’ll start feeling it.
Set a Goal
Tell yourself you're going to finish that novel that's going to make you famous by the end of the year/month/week, and start working on it right away.
Connect with old friends
If you don't put a letter in your outbox, you're not going to get one in. So talk to your friend over phone or send off an email to a dear friend from whom you haven't heard from in ages.
Watch Movie/ Funny Programme
Surf the channels for a funny movie or serial and laugh your blues away. Highly recommended: view with Ice cream and Chocolates.
Cooking
Walk in to the kitchen and prepare some delicious food or try a new experiment with your innovative thoughts. This will divert your mind from depression.
Avoid Being Alone
Always try to be in the company of somebody,
who understands you and who can change your mind in a positive way. Sometimes you need not speak anything, just sit in a group and observe what people are speaking and how happy they are. Automatically without your knowledge you will mix with them.
Music Therapy
Switch on to FM. Listening to the DJ's yak will give you a feeling of connectivity to the outside world. Just sit quietly in a room, listen to some soft music and start thinking about good times spent with your friends or loved ones. I am sure it will help. It helps you feel peaceful and relaxed. The music should be slow and preferably classical.
It is the rhythm of the music that has a calming effect on us. When we feel relaxed we forget our worries even if it is for a short while. To incorporate music into a busy life, try playing CDs in the car and listen to your favourite music in your leisure time
Sleep Tight
If you can't sleep, try not to worry about it. Settle down with some relaxing music or television while you're lying in bed. Your body will get a chance to rest and, with your mind occupied, you may feel less anxious and find it easier to get some sleep.
Sleep will increase your lifespan, and prevent certain serious health problems. If a person does not get enough sleep his performance - both at home and at work place - will be lacking. Low creativity, laziness, irritability - all these are associated with lack of sleep.
How much is needed is another doubt. While the amount of sleep required varies from person to person, eight hours of sleep should be adequate. However, some people manage on four and five hours of sleep as well - but on the whole seven to nine hours of sleep is what the majority of young and middle aged men and women require. As we age, we require less sleep. In any case, what's more important than the quantity of sleep is the quality.
Tips to sleep well
• Drink a glass of warm milk before retiring for the night
• Avoid caffeinated drinks. They are known to keep you tossing and turning well into the night
• Sleep at roughly the same time every night
• Wake up at the same time every morning, even if you have a holiday. Try and get your body accustomed to a sleep rhythm
• Don't exercise within three hours of your bedtime. Exercise early morning or early evening, at least four hours after lunch
• Don't work in the bedroom. Your bedroom should be only used for relaxation and should consequently be associated with feelings of tranquility and rest
Yoga and Meditation
Meditation is a very old and religious technique to achieve enlightenment and cultivating a more relaxed and peaceful frame of mind. Yoga is one of the best gifts which our ancient spiritual saints could give to their coming generations. Simple Yoga comprises of certain special poses and deep breathing. Yoga brings very soothing effect on physical and mental plane of an individual. Continuous practice of Yoga can give wonderful results in controlling the emotions and stress. It can give new life and enables a person to fight depression in more efficient manner. Relaxation and breathing techniques show instantaneous results. Similarly meditation is part of Yoga. The purpose of meditation is to increase focusing power. It is aimed at enhancing the concentration power which in return gives lot of health benefits.
Massage
Another remedy to get relaxation is body massage. Massage with essential herbal oils induces soothing effect both on mind and in the body. Massage will be a great way to cool down depression.
Laughter Therapy
Laughter is a good exercise for the facial muscles as it relaxes most of the muscles of the face. Laughter creates a positive attitude in the mind and is thus one of the best relaxation techniques. You should have noticed group of people laughing in the park of your area in the early hours. Therapists also suggest that laughing helps ease most of our tensions away. Laughter therapy is recommended for those who are depressed and feel low all the time. But does it really work? Yes, Laughter Therapy is being considered as one of the best remedies to get rid of depression. It boosts the levels of the immune system which helps the system's ability to fight illness and boost healing. Laughter decreases stress hormones that narrow blood vessels and suppress immune activity. This is proven fact now that humour strengthens the immune system. It reduces pain. When a person cracks jokes and laughs in the company of his friends, he feels light. Laughter can provide good cardiac conditioning especially for those who are unable to perform physical exercises.
Take a Break:
Taking a break often proves very helpful. Almost all of us might have experienced that stressful situation blocks our mind making the circumstances more complex. Taking a break, sometimes, offers good opportunities to find desirable solutions. So take a break from your tight daily routine. Switch off all your activities for sometime in the day and relax for a while and feel the difference. A short break can fill you with a sense of refreshment and get you back with new and fresh approach.
Final Advice:
First try to understand the cause for it, then checkout whether it can be solved or is it something which can be discussed/shared with others. Try to view the greater/broader picture of the problem. Have a nice and long bath, cry if you want, but don’t be shy. Eat a good meal. Sleep and get relaxed. Then, go out for a walk, go to some cool place, not too much noisy, or try to visit your friends' or go out with them. Choose nice and calm friend to go out with.
See the part of glass which is half full. Get yourself a hobby and only have happy people around you and encourage people to NOT sympathize with you. Think positive about yourself & see that you have people who love you & want you to love yourself as they do. Share you problems with your loved ones, think of how people have loved you, think of those unprivileged people, thank god for whatever happiness you have.
The term Depression is mostly used to describe a temporary mood called, “Feeling Blue”. Blue days are when you are just so upset, teary-eyed and down in the dumps for no apparent reason. Oh, how they sneak up on you, again and again. You could simply live with them, which is fine, or you could get up and take ACTION. You can’t think away the blues; you’ve got to beat them out with a stick.
Causes of Depression
There may not be just a single cause for depression or it may be a combination of many causes. A few of them are listed below:
• Being in a negative social environment
• Taking anti-depressants that change the levels of neurotransmitters (chemicals in the brain)
• Consuming excessive processed foods
• Following a hectic lifestyle, long working hours and insignificant leisure time
• Living under high levels of stress
• Developing low self-esteem and a pessimist personality
• Suffering from medical conditions like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and hypertension
• Having poor sleep quality and insomnia
• Developing post partum depression i.e. depression that occurs after giving birth due to hormonal changes in the body
• Experiencing negative life incidents and stressors
Symptoms of Depression
It becomes easier to identify depression if you are aware of the symptoms. Consulting a psychiatrist can be a good idea in case of severe persistence of more than three of the following signs for about two weeks:
• Feelings of sadness, anxiety and emptiness
• Experiencing loss of appetite, weight gain or weight loss
• Being restless or irritable
• Finding it difficult to think, remember and make decisions
• Feeling sluggish, low energy levels and loss of interest in social activities
• Getting up in the middle of night or insomnia
• Feeling lonely
• Trying to avoid attention
• Finding high noise levels intolerable
• Feeling constantly sick or getting headaches
• Fatigue sets in and you feel worthless
• Feelings of ending life or suicidal tendencies
Curing depression
Once you have identified the symptoms, do not leave yourself unattended. Find the right ways to come out of depression. Some basic but crucial action points have been listed below:
Do something
Get outdoors for some exercise, even if only for a walk. This will help you to keep physically fit, and will help you sleep. Even if you can’t work, it’s good to keep active. This could be housework, do-it-yourself (even as little as changing a light bulb), or any activity that is part of your normal routine. Tidy your cupboard or dust the dresser. Focusing on the task at hand will help take your mind off your worries. Use a little creativity. The change can work wonders to boost your flagging spirits.
Eat well
You may not feel like eating - but try to eat regularly. Depression can make you lose weight and run short of vitamins which will only make you feel worse. Fresh fruits and vegetables are particularly helpful.
Beware of alcohol!
Try not to drown your sorrows with a drink. Alcohol actually makes depression worse. It may make you feel better for a short while, but it doesn't last. Drinking can stop you dealing with important problems and from getting the right help. It's also bad for your physical health.
Sharp Dress Up
True, this may be one of those days that you don’t even feel like brushing your hair, much less dressing up, but push yourself. Wear a bright outfit, put on your make up and tell yourself you look like a million bucks. Don’t stop there, start believing it! Pretty soon you’ll start feeling it.
Set a Goal
Tell yourself you're going to finish that novel that's going to make you famous by the end of the year/month/week, and start working on it right away.
Connect with old friends
If you don't put a letter in your outbox, you're not going to get one in. So talk to your friend over phone or send off an email to a dear friend from whom you haven't heard from in ages.
Watch Movie/ Funny Programme
Surf the channels for a funny movie or serial and laugh your blues away. Highly recommended: view with Ice cream and Chocolates.
Cooking
Walk in to the kitchen and prepare some delicious food or try a new experiment with your innovative thoughts. This will divert your mind from depression.
Avoid Being Alone
Always try to be in the company of somebody,
who understands you and who can change your mind in a positive way. Sometimes you need not speak anything, just sit in a group and observe what people are speaking and how happy they are. Automatically without your knowledge you will mix with them.
Music Therapy
Switch on to FM. Listening to the DJ's yak will give you a feeling of connectivity to the outside world. Just sit quietly in a room, listen to some soft music and start thinking about good times spent with your friends or loved ones. I am sure it will help. It helps you feel peaceful and relaxed. The music should be slow and preferably classical.
It is the rhythm of the music that has a calming effect on us. When we feel relaxed we forget our worries even if it is for a short while. To incorporate music into a busy life, try playing CDs in the car and listen to your favourite music in your leisure time
Sleep Tight
If you can't sleep, try not to worry about it. Settle down with some relaxing music or television while you're lying in bed. Your body will get a chance to rest and, with your mind occupied, you may feel less anxious and find it easier to get some sleep.
Sleep will increase your lifespan, and prevent certain serious health problems. If a person does not get enough sleep his performance - both at home and at work place - will be lacking. Low creativity, laziness, irritability - all these are associated with lack of sleep.
How much is needed is another doubt. While the amount of sleep required varies from person to person, eight hours of sleep should be adequate. However, some people manage on four and five hours of sleep as well - but on the whole seven to nine hours of sleep is what the majority of young and middle aged men and women require. As we age, we require less sleep. In any case, what's more important than the quantity of sleep is the quality.
Tips to sleep well
• Drink a glass of warm milk before retiring for the night
• Avoid caffeinated drinks. They are known to keep you tossing and turning well into the night
• Sleep at roughly the same time every night
• Wake up at the same time every morning, even if you have a holiday. Try and get your body accustomed to a sleep rhythm
• Don't exercise within three hours of your bedtime. Exercise early morning or early evening, at least four hours after lunch
• Don't work in the bedroom. Your bedroom should be only used for relaxation and should consequently be associated with feelings of tranquility and rest
Yoga and Meditation
Meditation is a very old and religious technique to achieve enlightenment and cultivating a more relaxed and peaceful frame of mind. Yoga is one of the best gifts which our ancient spiritual saints could give to their coming generations. Simple Yoga comprises of certain special poses and deep breathing. Yoga brings very soothing effect on physical and mental plane of an individual. Continuous practice of Yoga can give wonderful results in controlling the emotions and stress. It can give new life and enables a person to fight depression in more efficient manner. Relaxation and breathing techniques show instantaneous results. Similarly meditation is part of Yoga. The purpose of meditation is to increase focusing power. It is aimed at enhancing the concentration power which in return gives lot of health benefits.
Massage
Another remedy to get relaxation is body massage. Massage with essential herbal oils induces soothing effect both on mind and in the body. Massage will be a great way to cool down depression.
Laughter Therapy
Laughter is a good exercise for the facial muscles as it relaxes most of the muscles of the face. Laughter creates a positive attitude in the mind and is thus one of the best relaxation techniques. You should have noticed group of people laughing in the park of your area in the early hours. Therapists also suggest that laughing helps ease most of our tensions away. Laughter therapy is recommended for those who are depressed and feel low all the time. But does it really work? Yes, Laughter Therapy is being considered as one of the best remedies to get rid of depression. It boosts the levels of the immune system which helps the system's ability to fight illness and boost healing. Laughter decreases stress hormones that narrow blood vessels and suppress immune activity. This is proven fact now that humour strengthens the immune system. It reduces pain. When a person cracks jokes and laughs in the company of his friends, he feels light. Laughter can provide good cardiac conditioning especially for those who are unable to perform physical exercises.
Take a Break:
Taking a break often proves very helpful. Almost all of us might have experienced that stressful situation blocks our mind making the circumstances more complex. Taking a break, sometimes, offers good opportunities to find desirable solutions. So take a break from your tight daily routine. Switch off all your activities for sometime in the day and relax for a while and feel the difference. A short break can fill you with a sense of refreshment and get you back with new and fresh approach.
Final Advice:
First try to understand the cause for it, then checkout whether it can be solved or is it something which can be discussed/shared with others. Try to view the greater/broader picture of the problem. Have a nice and long bath, cry if you want, but don’t be shy. Eat a good meal. Sleep and get relaxed. Then, go out for a walk, go to some cool place, not too much noisy, or try to visit your friends' or go out with them. Choose nice and calm friend to go out with.
See the part of glass which is half full. Get yourself a hobby and only have happy people around you and encourage people to NOT sympathize with you. Think positive about yourself & see that you have people who love you & want you to love yourself as they do. Share you problems with your loved ones, think of how people have loved you, think of those unprivileged people, thank god for whatever happiness you have.
No comments:
Post a Comment