Natural depression treatments

Alternative treatments for depression

Use natural depression treatments to avoid all the horrible side effects from prescribed antidepressants and stay in control of your own recovery.

Please seek help from a doctor or mental health professional right now if you are feeling suicidal at this moment!

How to overcome depression without medication

Taking prescribed antidepressants may contribute to your feeling even more out of control.  There may well be already enough in your life that makes you feel powerless.

Your own body is very capable of producing the very best and safest natural antidepressants.  It only needs a bit of encouragement.  If you want to know how to overcome depression, use all the advice available here to increase your very own supply of natural antidepressants.  That will not only sort you out now, but it is much more likely to prevent a relapse in the future.

8 Natural mood lifters

Pick one you can do today!

1. Go for a massage or reflexology.  Do a course in massage yourself!
2. Go for a brisk walk or a cycle ride (at least 30 min. 3 x a week). Aerobic exercise increases feel-good hormones (endorphins) in your body.
3. Join a gym or aerobic exercise class.
4. Go swimming regularly. Take swimming lessons - learning any new skill helps.
5. Join a tai chi, yoga or meditation class - fantastic for lowering stress and feeling great.
6. Improve your mood instantly and effortlessly with hypnosis, directly accessible from HypnosisDowloads.
7. Do something creative - dig out your long-forgotten projects, find a course.
8. Stop giving yourself a hard time!   Relentlessly bullying yourself generates depression!
9. Make that decision - stop procastrinating.  Here is a very interesting tool to help organise your thoughts if you are considering various options
   

Grade your mood

Consider how you are feeling between 0 and 10 before and after any activity - 0 = suicidal, 10 = ‘deliriously’ happy.  

Remember that if you are feeling low, you may not necessarily be suffering from depression - you may just be having a lousy day!

Every morning decide on, and commit to, actions that are most likely to make you feel good.  Plan your day.

5 Tips to challenge negative thinking

1. Keep a journal/diary and note down during the day when you FEEL OK.  It will deal with your negative bias and you might be pleasantly surprised.
2. Notice and challenge ‘black and white’/’all or nothing’ thinking and listen out for it in other people, without judging it in either yourself or others.  Focusing on others will stop you becoming too self-absorbed.
   
3. Allow yourself time to worry (if you really need to!) - half an hour a day.
4. Write your worries down to ‘separate’ yourself from them at that time.
5. Make a list of six things to distract yourself when you find yourself worrying, so that you can focus your attention outwards, rather than inwards.

7 Tips to raise your self-esteem

1. Stretch yourself -- physically, intellectually, emotionally; self-esteem comes from being competent in several areas of your life.  Ensure you set achievable goals - you want to be pleased with yourself TODAY.
   
2. Frequently remind yourself of your achievements: passing an exam, promotion, bringing up children, organising a party, managing a move, sorting finances, finishing a project, or simply going out. Write them down.
3. Find and get involved in a new interest, perhaps something you have always wanted to do; contact your Adult Education Center/local college.
4. Do some voluntary work to help you meet your emotional needs.
5. Remind yourself that there is no failure, only feedback.
6. Look after yourself: create a super healthy menu for the week, then shop.
7. Forget about following a diet to loose weight, other than prescribed by a professional for health reasons - 9 out of 10 diets fail.
8. Use your passion/interest/knowledge/experience to build your very own internet business.  Yes ... you can do that.
   

How are you sleeping at the moment?

• First and foremost follow the advice on changing negative introspection.
• Follow the advice on exercise.
• Visit my page on natural sleep remedies.
• Solve problems you do have a measure of control over.  Visit problem solving stages and techniques
• Set realistic, achievable goals, so that you can measure your success
• Reward yourself after any activity that is not rewarding in itself.

Natural depression treatments

You can get better - all by yourself, by using natural depression treatments!  Look at all the ideas offered here.  There must be some that really appeal to you.

Don't rely on one of two - decide on several.  Keep an eye on your budget of course - I would not want you to add to any money problems you might have.

Bit by bit you can piece your life back together.  The colour will return and you can feel better than ever!  'Trying' isn't going to do it.  You just have to believe it and go for it.  You deserve to feel happy.

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