10 Natural Ways to Relieve Depression and Anxiety

In this 21^st century it became very popular to be prescribed medication. But in the long run it can cause internal organ damage and horrible side effects. I’ve been there and done that and honestly say that the antidepressant and other anxiety medication made me feel worse. Causing bad headaches and stomach problems. So I decided to become chemical free.

Once you have depression or anxiety, you have to find remedies to get its sharp corners polished, but there’s always a risk of it coming back. After you do your house up you need to put a lot of work in to making sure you keep it clean and damage free. Same goes for depression and anxiety. It requires a lot of hard work, inspiration and positivity.

When my depression and anxiety was very severe, I have done a lot of research on natural remedies. Remedies to give me my life back, without having to go to doctors who didn’t seem to care about me as much as giving me medication.

Many people tried telling me that many of the natural remedies will not be strong enough to cure my dark thoughts or fears. But I took the risk and tried it anyway.

You may think at first that this is a waste of time or that you will not get better, but you will. Behind all your dark emotions and thoughts, there is that positive, inspiring and unique individual. All you need to do is experiment and challenge yourself.

1• Physical Activity

Exercise is very popular when it comes to clearing your mind and relieving stress. Choosing an activity or a sport will depend on your physical abilities. Physically healthy people have more choice, but if you are like me and due to certain problems are limited, choose yoga, walking, swimming or what helped me a lot- gardening.

Start moving and choose something to do that you enjoy that doesn’t add additional stress to your body

2• Talking your heart out

While you may not feel like talking, you need to understand that keeping all the smelly rubbish inside, will only make it you feel worse. If you don’t have anyone you can talk to, seek help online, there are many blogs and forums where you can find people who can give you some advice or just listen. If you do choose sending someone and email, writing your feelings and experiences down will help you throw some of the rubbish out.

3• Sleep

Sleep is very important for your body and mind to restore itself. But sometimes it’s hard to get any sleep when you have insomnia due to your depression and anxiety. But then again some people with mental illness could sleep for days. It’s also important to not overdo it, as this could make you end up in an even darker place than you already are.

Install an app or go on YouTube where you can find many sleep hypnosis videos or recordings. Also, few hours before going to bed, avoid any social media sites or TV. Invest in a good book and choose reading.

4• Go out

I know that when you are feeling isolated, but try to push yourself, you will feel better once you do it. Go see friends and family, get involved in charity events, visit a museum or help someone with something. This will give you distraction from your present thoughts and emotions, because your mind will be too busy concentrating of something else, rather than staring at your walls.

5• Avoid drinking

Alcohol will make you more depressed than you already are. Especially day after it is something to be afraid about. Low mood, anxiety, upset tummy and loneliness.  You really don’t want this on top of all the black clouds you are under already.

6• Cold water therapy

I once watched a TV program to prove people they didn’t need medication or not as much as they thought they did. So they had a woman who had been suffering from depression for many years join the experiment. They took her for a swim in the lake at the end of autumn/ beginning of winter. After she was asked how she felt, she told the show she was much happier just after that one swim. She carried on with swimming in cold waters and swimming pools and in her final interview she announced that she was medication free, living a more positive life and actually looked forward in to what the future had in mind for her.

Cold water decreases stress hormone. It may also help the balance of the feel good neurotransmitter serotonin.

7• Get a pet

We all know how pets can be good at relieving stress without even knowing they are doing it. Taking them out for a walk will also do them and you good. You will always have those special/ sweet eyes looking at you, begging for your attention.

8• Eat healthy

There is no magic diet for treating depression. Eat healthy and try to stay away from greasy, full of cholesterol foods. Drink fresh juice and eat foods with Omega-3 fatty acids, which can be found in tuna, salmon and seafood. Healthy body leads to a healthier mind.

9• Light therapy

The fluctuation of natural light can cause mood-related chemicals to shift, causing depression. Invest in a sun lamp to help you get through those rainy days until you can enjoy natural sunlight.

10• See a therapist

If your symptoms do persist, go see a therapist to get some professional advice. They are not there to prescribe you drugs, they are there to offer you some help in understanding what’s causing your depression and anxiety.

KMinderland