Happiness and Sadness are two sides of the same coin.
Sadness doesn’t always need treatment. And it’s important to remember that the pain mechanism and the joy mechanism are the same. If you can’t feel one, you won’t feel the other.
Our system fallows natural laws of life expansion we may call it growth or evolution. So each action leaves a track on our system. Our thoughts, emotions, speech and actions that have life-supporting frequencies enhance the functioning of our system and we experience joy, while life destructive frequencies (thoughts, emotions such as envy, frustration, resentment, and regret speech and actions) accumulate into an unpleasant experience, pain and finally escalate into a disease.
Below recommendations are to get out of painful dependencies and generate more joy and happiness in your life.
- Avoid Processed Food. Processed food, fast food and commercial baked goods are linked to depression. Focus on eating real food-it eliminate additives known to contribute to depression like white sugar, MSG and artificial sweeteners, getting the vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other nutrients your brain needs- increase blood levels of omega-3 essential fatty acids.
- Do not skip meals but eat moderately.
- Avoid caffeine, which reduces serotonin levels.
- Get in a routine. Depression can strip away the structure from your life.
- Set goals. Set daily goals for yourself. “Start very small”, “Make your goal something that you can succeed at”.
- Get enough sleep. Too little sleep can make depression worse. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day.
- Get your hormones balanced. If your thyroid, adrenal or sex hormones are out of whack, your mood can get all wonky. See a good integrative medicine doctor.
- Expose yourself to sunlight, which can boost mood and increase Vitamin D levels.
- Eat Healthy Fats like nuts, avocados, coconut oil, and olive oil, wild salmon and grass-fed meat.
- Get Physical Exercise to boosts feel-good chemicals called endorphins. The best things you can do for elevating your mood. Exercise builds a healthier brain by increasing the levels of brain chemicals that promote new brain cell formation and new neural connections.
- Practice Meditation. The evidence is overwhelming that regular TM meditation is one of the best ways to heal depression.
- Do something new. When we challenge ourselves to do something different, there are chemical changes in the brain, it increases dopamine, which is associated with pleasure, enjoyment, and learning. So be more authentic in all aspects of your life.
- Take on responsibilities – Staying involved and having daily responsibilities can help you maintain a lifestyle that can help counter depression.
- Challenge negative thoughts – beat back those negative thoughts before they get out of control – change how you think.
- Try to have fun – you have to work at having fun until fun things really start feeling fun again. Make time for things you enjoy.
- Develop An Attitude Of Gratitude to reduce underlying toxic emotions. Have a daily practice of gratitude, research shows it will improve your health, relationships, self-esteem, sleep and make you happier. Gratitude and depression cannot coexist.
- Accept the life gifts as it comes, pleasant and unpleasant do have reason by going through the experiences we grow. Do not oppose the flow of life, thinking that God or destiny is not just to you. By accepting sunshine and rain too and doing your best in every situation nature provides you are making fertile ground for growth and joy of natural life.
While adopting a healthy lifestyle is always recommended, it won’t always be enough.
Herbal Remedies For Depression
- Arctic root (Rhodiola rosea).
- Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng).
- Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) have been used for depression for thousands of years. Now science is beginning to understand how these ancient herbs work – increase the activity of the mood-enhancing neurotransmitters serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine increase blood flow to the brain.
- Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera). ability to reduce stress by reducing cortisol.
- Turmeric (Curcuma longa), renowned for its brain-boosting properties. Curcumin works by increasing levels of the two “feel good” neurotransmitters, serotonin and dopamine.
- Saffron one of the most promising herbal remedies for depression. It works by acting on serotonin metabolism.
- Some of the best homeopathic remedies for depression include Arsenicum album, Aurum metallicum, Ignatia Amara, Lachesis muta, Natrium muraticum, Pulsatilla nigricans, and Sepia.
- The B vitamins, especially folic acid and vitamin B6, can be helpful in mild depression.
- St. John’s wort is an herbal remedy that has long been used in Europe as a treatment for mood disorders.
- SAMe (S-adenosy-L-methionine). Has the advantage of working more quickly than St John’s wort.
- Make sure you are not taking any over-the-counter or prescription medications that contribute to depression.
Prescription antidepressants work for less than half of those who try them and have a high relapse rate. There’s evidence they are no more effective than a placebo but have a lot more side effects. But if all else fails and you need anti-depressants, don’t beat yourself up. Sometimes you can do everything right, and if your imbalance is biochemical, you may need the drugs. But don’t forget to nurture yourself with the other methods listed here.
