Fighting Depression without Drugs
53Fighting depression
Let's face it - every person gets depressed at some time in their lives, but there is no need to remain depressed. Take initiative over your life and your body.
Follow this checklist regularly and you will minimize depression in your life. Write it down and keep it handy to review when you become depressed.
1. Do something for someone else everyday - even something small counts!
2. Remind yourself of at least 5 things that make your life easier! (running water, electricity, soft bed, clothes to wear, food to eat, eyes to see, hands to touch, feet to walk, cell phone, shelter, indoor plumbing, air conditioning, friends, family)
3. Appreciate something every day and give thanks. (sunrise, sunset, flower, pet, family member, shelter, grocery store full of items, a person in your life, even the television counts!)
4. Learn a new word everyday. This aids by keeping your brain active.
5. Eat right. Don't over indulge in sweets or meats or carbohydrates. Check your balances.
6. Exercise. Spend just 5 minutes each day doing some stretches that you don't normally do and increase the minutes weekly to maintain your stamina. You can do these stretches in your normal routine as you walk around the house or office.
7. Rest. Do not sleep more than 8 hours. Force yourself to get up even if you don't want to.
8. Get out of that hum-drum routine. Take a different route to work or home. Seeing new scenery helps keep the imagination alive within you.
9. Plan to succeed. You can't change other peoples lives, but you can change yours by creating a plan and setting goals. Break the goal down into small benchmarks to reward yourself upon reaching them.
10. Keep a list of your dreams and add to it monthly. As one dream is reached or eliminated, continually add to your list. Review it regularly and make changes when appropriate. It's ok to scratch things off or change your mind!
As you review your list above each day, you will discover that depression has no place in your life because your life is full. You may want to carry the list in your wallet for quick reference or in your car. Summarize the ten statements above into one word phrases and keep the list with you to view when you find yourself feeling depressed.
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Comments
Great advice here, well done!
Hey great tips! Nice to have you here. Looking to more hubs from you!
Good advice. Depression has allot to do with will, or lack of it and having small goals and achieving is a great way to overcome such a terrible affliction.
Great advice, keep it going!
Great stuff! Very helpful. If only we would take this advice and apply it every day, the world would be a different place!
Great job Jeanine world would be a better place if every one would follow that advice daily.. keep up the good work my friend
Yes very good Jen.
You may not change their lives but you can be a good influence for them. In doing so you help yourself and them in a positive way and in doing so you will be happier and so will they.
I especially like the comment about having gratitude. Everyone needs reminding of that. Great work!! Good insite!!
great tips..stay positive
Amen to that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Very intriging artical. Like the advice of being thankful for what we have. and how eating right and just a minium amount of exercise is good for the body n the mind. Great motivating artical.
awesome tips!
Jeanine, your article very interesting and topical world is ... There are lots of depression and not know ... The most important things I like them: think of the positive and to know how to use your senses in all the desire to be in continuous contact with the surrounding ... Power of thought makes wonders in many ways ... With a well-ordered life and a brain to be organized,we can keep depression away! Continue your work... So many people you help and maybe the world will become more healthy and therefore better!
you have some good advice i will be looking forward for more thankyou smiles to you
Great advice girlfriend!
great advice
GOOD ADVICE...EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ THIS AND TAHE HOLD OF THERE LIFE
This is a great article and can be a big help to many people. They just need to follow it. Working in the mental illness field, I see a lot of depression and this is very good advise. Way to go!!! Keep up the great work.
IT IS GREAT ADVICE AND WE CAN USE ALL THESE STEP IN OUR LIVES... THANKS FOR SHARING THIS VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION WITH US.... SINCERELY, JUAN
Well written..and..so true...:)
Very good article, and it all sounds so logical to me. However, I know I am guilty of not doing some of those checklist items every day. I am also lucky in that I rarely feel or act depressed. Thanks for sharing this with me.
I find everything you have written to be so very true.
As a person who "lives" with chronic pain., I know...depression is often a co-partner with the pain.
Absolute control of the mind also controls the pain (bio-feedback).
All of the things you have listed go hand in hand. I enjoyed every sentence and smiled in agreement.
Keep it up, my dear friend, brilliant!!!
Jeanine great article and a great job on it, I agree with your article, hope you have a great day, bye. your friend clinton
great advice dear
Great article!!.....All the things you listed are so true, if only those suffering from depression could just manage to follow your guidelines and become a happier and healthier person, the present and the future would be so much brighter for them and their families.....I pray your article helps many of those afflicted with this illness.......Keep up the good work..
these are some very good tips to remind us that daily lives can be very enjoyable and help our selves and others to
Good work....
natural herbs are another option to help keep you mentally balanced. there is a great book called natural remedies encyclopedia that is very helpful.
sounds like good practices for everyone
this has alot of important information and can be used in alot of different ways to help with alot of different things. It will help for alot of different problems that come with everyday life.
Jeanine,
It is very good as a nurse I wish that more people would follow that advice. I see too many people on Medications that they don't need. I have printed it out and given it to several people I know and I will continue to do so. Great Job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is very accurate, informative and right to the point and as about as accurate as it could be without actually seeing a physician to tell you the same things, therefore no money outlay. Good points for everyone to think about and follow.
Nice article. Expecting some other articles related to this topic like anxiety, panic attack, depression etc.
Thanks,
pinakigoswami
Jen, as a certified Bi-Polar Depressive, I can attest that these ARE positive things that can be done and should be done and THEY DO WORK!!! Getting out of yourself and helping others, interacting with them and taking note of those (there are always many) less fortunite than yourself is a sure fire way to kick it in the butt.
All the suggestions are really wonderful, but I would add one more: Prayer . . . a heart to heart discussion with the Lord of the problem and your problems can work wonders. Sure worked for me!!!
Bob
I think this is solid and concrete advice!!!!I just need to be reminded.
Seems like it would work for a person who does not have a brain chemical imbalance... or for minor depression it would be worth a try or anyone with depresson ,, why not give it a try...
great job- good advice-well done
its really nice to read.i agree with u that every one has a depression some time and the only thing to get rid of it is to be thankful to the GOD wat all HE has blessed us and v must always look upon the people down below and we will always feel satisfied and happy.the problem starts most of the time once we start looking on the people upon us or who r beter then us so we start cribing and complaining which is not good.thanx so much 4 writting such a nice artical 4 the needy and m sure people will get benifet out of it.u must feel proud to help others and thankful to the GOD as HE has given u the power to do such good things 4 others.
keep smilling always and have nice day
regards
That's a well written article Jeanine with lots of good points. I'm printing it off and keeping a copy in my purse to review.
J: keep up the good work and good luck in the future
These are all great tips and I am glad you've voiced them so well. I think a couple more tips like love on your pet every day, they appreciate it, and it makes you feel better. And hug a photographer, it would make me feel better, LOL. Good job.
Good advice, I carry this mental list with me all the time and if we don't have dreams what do we have to look forward to in the future. My dreams friends and family have helped me through many hard times.
Depression is a part of every day life. But by doing most, or at least some of the things listed above, one's life would surely be less stressful and could practally eliminate depression ! I think!
Now as far as doing a good deed every day. I try very hard to do just that as a matter of fact I wrote a quote on the subject ...It is below. Plus there's a few more on my quote page, at the url above.
"At the close of another day; the time lost is of little consequence, if I have accomplished - But one good deed in that time." --Rick Ray [22 August, 2005]
If a person truly knows they want to get out of depression, these are good first steps to recovery. The only thing is: many depressed are just lost - upset over who knows what - they certainly do not have the amibition to take action (in many cases) Good deeds, good thoughts, all these things, are hard to perform/find when the mind is in this state. But, all in all, the suggestions here are of great value at the onset of recovery but not during the pits of depression.
Hi Jeanine, I am not a big fan of using drugs to fight depression, unless in very chronic cases. Therefore, I loved your article because you help others recognize and follow preventative steps to being a healthy happy person. Which is great! Many of us often fall into a slump of feeling bad for ourselves. Yet we don't realize how blessed we really are :) Thank you for the article, and for sharing your intelligent thoughts in order to help others :) I am looking forward to reading more of your articles :)
great information is contained in this artical. i hope that is of great use to everyone
Great article with great tips! I have been on a roller coaster here for the last 4 or 5 years...My wife is bi-polar and we have been fighting the depression thing now for a while...Thank you for sharing this info with us...
thank you jeanine,
depression hurts,, good advice you have given here.
Great hub, thanks and welcome to hubpages.
Good advice as i 'm sure i have suffered depression for the last two years due to a life changing injury never went to a doctor as i did not want med's but what you say in regards to sleep is very true i got in the habit of getting kids off to school then sleeping most of the day then not at night unable to fill the time normaly filled with work during the day silly since there is a whole world out there but i guess thats depression i do force myself out of the house now even just to take a drive so you are right on in your article Hilary H
Hillary - I can so relate to you there! I'm a nite-owl by nature and I've learned to discipline myself to go to bed earlier so I can function with the "normal" people's routine during the day. Keep up the good work - and don't be harsh on yourself.
Loved your article and I agree "do something nice for someone else". I mentor children via Big Brothers and Big Sisters you have no idea how much impact you can have a child that needs an adult and how it also impacts you as the volunteer. You realize how much you can help a complete stanger, this is very powerful, very energizing. When you think your too tired or you have too many problems, too many bills etc... God gives you the strength to be able to help others. Volunteering and helping others is great for the body and soul!
Lisa - that's marvelous that you offer an extra help to our youth, because it's just that sort of giving of self that shows others how to do it! Sometimes the parents cannot provide the little extra time that our youth needs desperately - and it does make a HUGE impact in their lives! Great job Lisa.
Very good advice for persons who are able to recognize that they are either depressed or heading back to depression. I think it most important that you tell yourself repeatedly that your not a bad person and deserve has nothing to do with it. Depression is a physiological condition and not some sort of natural retribution demanded for aberations in your normal self. Also, avoid the numb face meds and deal with those aberations often and early!
Excellent ideas and advice Jmell..thanx so much :)
Frosti....good catch for those who recognize the depression! Some people don't! They simply think this is the way life is.....or this is how I am - and they never recognize the opportunity to make changes.
Great tips. My friends tell me that have had a lot success with certain product. But as many mentioned here, it takes the desire to want to change and consistently follow whatever methodology you choose.
Edward Pena
That's so true Edward......you have to commit to WANT a change, but if you don't change what you're doing, you can't expect different results!
As somebody who does take medicine for depression, these are great. Medicine can give you the foundation to help cope but you come to a point where YOU have to make the decision that you are going to use the edge the meds have provided and get to work. I have major recurring depression that has to do with chemical imbalances, relationships, and current situations but I would never ever want to rely on medicines alone or take so many that the happiness was artificial.
I also have Borderline Personality Disorder and these same things can help. With borderline, mood swings can occur several times in a day. Being able to help me control those mood swings so that I am ABLE to do the sort of things on your awesome list would be what I am most grateful for.
I do think it is important that people with severe depression seek help. Many in the world would write off all depressants as lazy and self-centered (not you guys of course)but its simply not true.
Well I kind of got on a bit of rant there. Have always had a strong opinion on this subject:) Probably got a little deep with the depression there...but this is what I'm thinkin'! Goooood hub!
These are some great tips. I was hoping it would be suggestions that I could use to help a friend who is really depressed right now. But the problem I have is he does not want to help himself so he would not do these things on his own.
well Dan.....maybe YOU can suggest a few things to him as you talk to him personally. Sometimes people are open to trying what a friend suggests even if they aren't excited at the moment in hearing the suggestion.
CAMPING DAN - I really really have something I want to say about that - your friend needs you. I didnt want to help myself either! Like I really fought getting help. It took a friend saying you ARE going to do something about this. I still had to make the choice but when she did, I was sooo much more willing. She was right there. She drove me to my first appointments and still makes me report on them. He probably won't do anything on his own. Sometimes people with these issues are in such bad shape they are truly incapable of doing it alone. I'm sorry if I come off strong - I've just been on the othe side of the coin. :) I hope you read this and your friend allows a difference to be made in his life bc being depressed SUCKS!!!!!!!!!
THANK YOU Sarah.....that's exactly right! Some people are so caught up in depression that they can't take a step forward even if they want to. As friends, we have to join in and encourage them - and yes, sometimes demand that they make changes. Great comment and thanks for being honest......I've been there too! That's how I developed the list above - personal experience!
very usefull thanks
Good advice. I know they have made lots of advances in curing depression with drugs but I think if you can do it naturally, you are so much better off.
I agree and if a person is educated how to compensate naturally for those mood swings and negative thinking before they are chronic situations, then woooohooo, glad to help!
Recently, i experienced first hand how bad an affliction depression can be.My man resides outside my location and suddenly had this afflication, i was practically feeling same way as i did all within my power to help him out.
your write up is most helpful as i had already forwarded the write-up to him.
well done
Sometimes understanding that we are not alone helps us to work through those times of depression.
Good tips. Praying also brings a lot of comfort and healing might I add. I was severely depressed for five months and that really helped me get through everything. I encourage you to keep writing and I will join your fan club to help you expand, feel free to help me expand as well. Thanks in advance.
-h
Yes absolutely Hannah....prayer is a major part of healing for all of us.
Great advise keep up the good work.
thanks Patsy..... I really do practice my own advice - because like anyone, I too am prone to depression.
Good Advice And keep On Giving Them
Wow I certainly didn't expect a comment from you Tiger, big hug and thank you.
I shall print this list....an excellent piece of advise to deal with whatever brings one down. Excellent Jen......
Carlos.....good for you - taking action. Sometimes the hardest thing we can do for ourselves or others, is simply action.
Interesting... not overpowering, while looking like a LOT of things to do each step broken down into tiny bites... not one of those bites being a massive change but added all together and persevered with they look like thye could make a huge difference. Excellent advice!
You're absolutley right there Limey, tiny steps produce big results!
fantastic thankyou
love the article Jeanine an excellent article
Zorgon, thanks for visiting and responding.
MichiganGoodman, hope this gives you something you can use and share too!
GREAT ADVISE HERE ON THIS SITE
Thanks Patsy - I appreciate your comments.....I do try to live by these tips - like everyone, I too get depressed and have to fight that state of mind also.
This is so true and there are alot of people that should read tgis!! Do you ever take it to AA meetings for their use??
David....that's an interesting idea taking this to the AA meetings! I hadn't thought about it. LOL
"Indeed the peace is in remembrence of [ALLAH] The God." Al-Quran.
Thanks for caring enough to share these tips, they are very helpful. We all need reminders like this from time to time
Yes that's very true Eaysa!
Brenda, you are so welcome - and yes, I use these as reminders myself.
Jsmell
I will take ur advice and practise your tips
Asghar - thank you for leaving a comment.....and best wishes to you!
see you on tagged!
DonnaCSmith says:
8 months ago
These are good tips. Welcome to hubpages.