DEPRESSION CARE AND TREATMENT: LIFESTYLE CHANGES
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Depression Care and Treatment: Lifestyle Changes
When you feel depressed, you normally find it hard to cope with daily routines. Something simple that you used to enjoy doing may no longer bring about the same amount of satisfaction. You will also feel tired and have no energy to do anything.
Read more about depression symptoms here:
If this feeling is overwhelming and keeps you from going on with your life, seek help and talk to the people around you. Certain lifestyle changes may help you get your life back on track. However, if things get too overbearing, consult a doctor and see which treatment option suits you best, reminding yourself that you are not going through this alone.
Lifestyle Changes
i) Exercise
Exercising releases endorphin in your body, which in turn makes you feel good and fresh. Allocating 30-45 minutes a day for physical activity (e.g: brisk walking, aerobic activity) can also trigger the growth of new brain cells.
ii) Social Support
Strong social support from your family and friends is an important factor in combating depression. Regular contact with your family and friends keep you less isolated and alone.
If you don’t have strong social support from family and friends, consider joining a group or class in an activity of your interest. From there, you can meet new friends and keep yourself occupied with something you love to do.
You can also consider volunteering as it helps you to find new friends, reach out to a community, learn new skills and discover new things. Extending help to others in a small simple manner can improve your health and happiness.
iii) Healthy Eating
Healthy eating gives you strength mentally and physically. Eating well and having balanced meals throughout the day will help keep your energy levels up and minimize mood swings.
iv) Sufficient Rest and Sleep
Lack of sleep aggravates your mood and makes you feel sad, tired and easily irritable. It is recommended to have at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night.
iv) Stress Reduction
Certain things in your daily life may give you too much stress and that will possibly cause depression in the later stage. Analyse the problem and find ways to solve or minimize the problem.
If lifestyle changes can’t help to treat your depression, reach out to a health care professional for help. Your doctor will advise and prescribe the right amount of therapy and/or medication. It’s important to not take antidepressants without your doctor’s prescription as it will cause side effects and poses as a health hazard.
Next up on Healthtips by Teleme, Depression Care and Treatment on Therapies.
Disclaimer. TELEME blog posts contains general information about health conditions and treatments. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. The information is not advice and should not be treated as such.
If you think you may be suffering from any medical condition, you should seek immediate medical attention from your doctor or other professional healthcare providers. You should never delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice, or discontinue medical treatment because of information on this website.