With a worldwide pandemic, many people are feeling depressed and anxious about their health, their loved ones, and about how life as they know it, will likely change.
Fortunately, you don’t need to resort to further chemical treatments or therapy to get help. There are many natural solutions for depression, including those below.
Get Regular Exercise
While exercise helps your physical body get in shape, it can also help your mental health. Although doctors are not sure how exercise helps depression and anxiety, they know that an exercise routine can reduce their symptoms.
These three ways can do so.
- Release Endorphins – When exercising, your body releases endorphins, which provide energy and emotional boost for up to two to three hours and lingers for 24 hours. Exercising for 20 to 30 minutes helps to release these feel-good hormones.
- Reduce Stress – Exercise helps reduce stress and gets your mind off your worries. Reducing stress reduces the release of cortisol. This hormone can increase your blood pressure, cause weight gain, and lead to other detrimental results for your body.
- Healthy Coping Mechanism – Instead of engaging in destructive behaviors, like drinking or overeating to feel better, an exercise routine gives you a healthy way to work out your depression and anxiety.
Set Goals for Yourself
Many people with depression feel that they cannot accomplish anything in their lives. By setting gentle goals, you can begin to accomplish small things in your life and see yourself succeed. Then, when you gain confidence because of your success, you can set more complicated goals to achieve.
Take Herbal Remedies
St. John’s Wort is an herb that is commonly known to help with depression. While research is mixed on its effectiveness, it can help those with mild to moderate forms of it. Another herb that helps with depression is Ashwagandha.
This herb originally comes from India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan, and it is used in Ayurvedic medicine. Its primary uses are for solemnness and sleeplessness. So, it can help those who take it sleep better and give them a mood boost to reduce anxiety and depression.
Develop Good Sleep Habits
Depression makes it difficult to sleep or stay asleep. However, sleeplessness worsens depression, so it’s important to develop a sleep routine. Set a time to go to bed every night and get up every morning. Avoid naps that can disrupt your routine.
Get all distractions out of the bedroom, such as TVs or computers. Also, do not use your phone or computer right before bedtime because the blue light it emits can agitate the brain and make it difficult to fall asleep. Sleep at least seven to eight hours at night, even on your days off.
Eat a Healthy Diet
Although it’s not a magic elixir, having a healthy diet that includes Omega-3 fatty acids and folic acid can help ease depression symptoms. To cope with depression, many people eat comfort foods, which tend to be laden with carbohydrates like refined sugar and flour, as well as salt.
A diet that has these foods can lead to diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and weight gain. To reduce the chances of medical complications, including depression, eat a healthy diet of lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds.
By incorporating these five suggestions into your daily life, you can naturally ease the symptoms of depression and anxiety. They may also help boost your immunity and reduce your chances of getting the novel coronavirus.