Natural Remedies for Depression

Depression is severe despondency and dejection, accompanied by feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy. It is also defined as a condition of mental disturbance, typically with lack of energy and difficulty in maintaining concentration or interest in life.

WebMD lists the common causes of depression here. The purpose of this post is not to debate causes of depression or the merits of various treatments. The purpose is to increase your awareness and give you tools that can be used in your battle with this very real and serious problem.

Many people with depression issues experience mood swings. There are dietary factors that you can control that may aid in easing these sudden mood changes. Blood sugar levels can be a major factor in the rapid changes of mood many people experience. You drink a soft drink, have some candy, or even fruit juice and this causes a temporary high feeling that creates a false sense of energy and well being. This feeling lasts until the pancreas kicks in and releases a large burst of insulin to compensate for the large amount of sugar you just took in. This insulin spike can cause depression, fatigue, bad temper, and numerous other ill effects. Cutting out sugars and pursuing a balanced diet can work wonders for stabilizing the emotions.

A great quick remedy for depression is deep breathing. Indian yogis have a saying that goes if you control your breath you control your destiny. In my experience this is precisely the case. Asian medical paradigms say that oftentimes depression is caused by insufficient qi or prana. The common thread between the ideas of qi and prana are that both come from the breath.

The technique for using the breath to combat depression is simple. Select a quiet place and sit with a straight back. Breathe deeply inflating your belly and then your lungs and then breathe all the way out emptying lungs and belly.

Breathe in, then hold for a little bit, then breathe out.

As you breathe in, think that all good things are entering your body.

As you breathe out, think that all the bad things in your body are leaving.

Try this for a few minutes and you will notice many positive effects.

Other tools in your anti-depression toolbox are: regular exposure to sunshine, exercise that raises your heart rate, doing something creative (writing, painting, doodling, singing, etc.), and acupressure.