10 Tips to Help Depression

Exercise has been proven to help depression as much as antidepression medication, and without the side effects.

Start small. Take a short walk, or stretch for five minutes, or do yoga, or a qigong video. Just do something that gets your body moving. Just for five minutes. Do ten minutes the next day, and fifteen minutes after that. Do what you can!

Exercise boosts the immune system, starts endorphins moving again, and can clear blockages in the body that keep us stuck. I know when you are fatigued, depressed, and barely able to think, it seems nearly impossible to get off the couch and do something, and it's necessary.

This is one of the paradoxes of depression -- the very things that most help are the things most difficult to do. Start with five minutes.

Unless your doctor tells you not to, take this supplement! Every day! Most of us are really deficient in Omega fatty acids, and they are crucial for our brains to work well. This supplement can help nearly everything in the body function better, and it is a vital component of an anti-depression diet.

Your brain will thank you.

If you are depressed, a good mental healthcare professional can really help. However, talking with anyone can really help. Make it a point to interact with someone every day. At least get the dog outside and have a good conversation with it.

Call someone you know or haven't talk with in a long time. Find something on Meetup.com. Just interact.

It is easy to withdraw from the world when suffering with depression. Unfortunately, the withdrawal can just perpetuate more depression. Force yourself to get dressed and meet someone for lunch or coffee or something, anything. It will take effort, and the effort is usually worth it.

Spinning inside the painful thoughts of your own mind will keep you on the downward spiral. By talking with someone else, you give your mind a break from the negative self-talk and circular thinking so pervasive with depression.

Healthy sleep is crucial for the brain and body to repair themselves. Most people who are depressed do not get fulfilling sleep.

To program your brain for sleep, only go to bed if you're drowsy. If you can't sleep, get up after fifteen minutes and do not go back to bed until you think you can sleep. Try to avoid sleeping in other places in your house like the sofa or in front of the television.

Try to keep a schedule. By doing the same nighttime rituals such as brushing your face and teeth before bed, you train your brain to wind down. Try to go to sleep and wake up at similar times.

Avoid bright light or flickering images before bed. The late-night Internet surfing or QVC watching can contribute to a poor night's sleep.

Turn your thermostat down and bury into covers. We tend to feel inherently safer with covers over us, and nature's rhythm is a decrease in temperature after it gets dark. This can all help prompt your body to sleep more easily.

Use progressive relaxation, meditation music, or sleep hypnosis CDs to help you fall asleep and stay asleep.

Sleep is a vital component to feeling better and helps everything in our body work more smoothly. Feel free to read more sleep tips.

Along with a multivitamin, take extra B Vitamins. These are often depleted and can help give you a boost towards better health and increased energy. I particularly like a liquid B-12 vitamin in addition to a B Complex vitamin.

You can take a bit of the liquid B-12 throughout the day to increase your energy level and decrease some of the fatigue associated with depression. With less fatigue, you are able to do a little more activity and escape some of the negative thinking that takes over in isolation and lethargy.

By joining a support group, you get the benefits of being involved in something, having something to go to, helping others, and sharing part of yourself. You can find a support group at MeetUp.com or by calling your local resources hotline.

It can be scary to think about sharing your vulnerabilities with strangers, and at the same time, if everyone is struggling with the same thing, there is an opportunity for a lot of support and shared experience. You may make lifetime friends.

Email support is another option. While it doesn't replace face-to-face communication and support, it is exponentially better than receiving no support at all. Email support can provide for more sharing because it is anonymous. It is also beneficial because you have more time to reflect since the emails you receive are saved in your Inbox. Having the words to read and reread can be especially helpful during the more difficult and tearful times.

Email counseling, coaching, and support have been shown to be as effective as traditional modes of help and can be a very good fit for many people's lifestyles due to its flexibility, affordability, and confidentiality.

One of the trademarks of depression is that you no longer enjoy doing things you used to enjoy. It can be helpful to make a short list of activities you used to really like. When you are restless, ruminating, and feeling worse, pick something from that list to engage in for half an hour.

By doing something, you direct some attention from the brain. By directing some attention from the brain, you can give yourself some relief from the constant rumination that takes place in an unoccupied mind.

When people keep a rumination chart, they often find they feel the worst when they aren't doing anything. If you know this, you can help yourself by filling small segments of time with hobbies, even if they aren't enjoyable at the moment. Over time, the momentum will build, and you are likely to find yourself beginning to enjoy them again.

Fill half an hour with an activity from your list.

If you enjoy reading about spirituality and self help, please feel free to visit my Spirituality and Self Help blog.

A lot has been written about the vaue of volunteering. I think volunteering is great. However, I propose a different way for someone depressed to begin volunteering.

First of all, if you aren't already a volunteer somewhere, it is next-to-impossible to find an organization you like, sign up to be a volunteers, go there as a newbie, get trained by overworked and underpaid staffers, and not be exhausted. It's too much, too overwhelming.

If you aren't already an established volunteer, there are still ways you can make a difference. Do you know someone in your neighborhood who is old and could use some help? Churches are another place that have volunteer activities in place without requiring too much hoopla to start. You can go through your closet and donate clothes you no longer wear. You can go online to Kiva and make a small microloan to make a difference in a life, family, and community. Then track the recipient's progress as they use your money to create a better life.

There are numerous, small ways you can be of service and help quell some of the depression in your mind. Do something service-oriented today.

Learning something new exercises the brain and helps us get out of rutted thinking. You can learn anything, and even fifteen minutes a day will produce results. You can take a class in something you've wanted to learn, you can explore YouTube videos, you can read....there are numerous ways to engage your mind in a new acitivity and help develop new pathways in the brain while weakening the ones that no longer serve you.

While it's best if you learn something with others, it isn't crucial. Learn a new guitar riff, practice a foreign language, or look up a new recipe. Anything new will provide stimulation for your hurting brain.

One caution is to learn something that doesn't cost a lot of money unless you've wanted to learn about the particular topic for a long time. The reason I say this is, when I was depressed, I spent a small fortune on an easel and art supplies. I thought painting would be therapeutic. Not only did I not paint, but every time I looked at this expensive easel set up in the corner with unopened paint, I felt like more of a failure.

The point of learning something is to make it easy for yourself to succeed and divert your mind to something beneficial in short chunks of time. Keep it easy and simple.

Do something nice for yourself!

Get a massage. Eat out at a favorite restaurant. See a movie you want to see. Get your hair done. Go to a museum if you like art. Drive away for a weekend.

Do something that nurtures your soul, your mind, and your body. By nurturing yourself, you subconsciously remind yourself you can be okay. It is reassuring to a hurting brain to take a reprieve from all the negativity it usually swirls around in. Allow yourself to be nurtured in a way that is meaningful to you. Then repeat. Often.