5 Effective Ways to Beat Depression Naturally Without Medication

Depression is a common mental disorder affecting 5% of the world population. Around 280 million people around the world suffer from it. With stress being one of its key causes, it is a major contributor to the global burden of disease. There are treatments available for mild, moderate, and severe depression. Although antidepressants and therapy help, there are also ways to beat depression naturally.

Read on to know more and learn the best ways of managing depression without medicines.

What Is Stress and What Is Depression?

Stress is the way your body responds to pressure. There are two kinds of stress, good and bad. While good stress improves productivity, bad stress increases palpitations and makes you unwell. If you experience bad stress for a prolonged period, it may turn into depression.

Depression is a psychological illness that can affect your feelings, thoughts, and actions negatively [1]. It brings constant sadness, and a lack of interest in life and activities you once enjoyed. If you are suffering from depression, you may feel hopeless, helpless, and worthless. It can affect your normal functioning. Pessimism, signs of stress, and difficulty sleeping are all symptoms of depression [2].

How to Beat Depression Naturally?

Exercise Regularly

You can get rid of symptoms of major depression with 30 minutes of brisk exercise three times a week, as per a study. For the short term, doing workouts is as effective as medication. Research also suggests that people who continued exercise were less likely to encounter depression again [3].

Regular physical activity improves physical health, cognitive functioning, and psychological well-being [4]. With a low-intensity activity for half an hour every day, you can improve your

mood and quality of life. Through exercise, you can also boost endorphins, the feel-good chemicals that help you beat depression naturally.

Try Relaxation Techniques

Depression can lead to sleeping difficulty and restlessness. With this mental disorder, you may also experience fatigue. To calm your mind and reconnect with the things you love, you can try out the following:

• deep breathing
• progressive muscle relaxation
• relaxation imagery
• autogenic training [5]

Practice Yoga and Meditation

By practicing mindfulness, you can relieve:

• Stress
• Pain
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Psychological distress [6]

Doing it on a daily basis can help you control your feelings and reactions, and combat depression.

Yoga is also a stress buster for your body and mind. With yoga, you can reduce stress, rejuvenate your nervous system and find clarity. Together, yoga and meditation help you improve:

• Flexibility
• Balance
• Strength
• Focus

Guided Imagery and Music Therapy

Looking at vibrant images can make you can feel happy and refreshed. Guided imagery thus uses the power of positive thinking to help you relax. To produce the same outcome, you can also listen to positive and relaxing music. Melody, as a form of therapy, helps people with depression by improving their mood. Both guided imagery and music therapy reduce stress and boost well-being [7].

Eat Well and Sleep More!

Choose your diet wisely to keep your mental and emotional state in balance. Food affects all your body functions including energy, healing, and hormone production. It can also affect how you think and feel. Go for a wholesome and nutritious diet. Fish, nuts, and probiotics are some foods with which you can beat depression naturally.

Apart from eating healthy, getting adequate sleep is equally important. Lack of enough rest can affect your mood as well as productivity. With good sleep of 8-9 hours, you can maintain positivity and give your best efforts in whatever you do. Follow a sleep schedule and avoid screens before going to bed.

Knowing what is stressful for you helps to identify depression triggers. Once you have identified the signs of stress, you can choose a suitable stress buster. Doing this is essential to treat depression and anxiety in women as well as men. Do not ignore the signs of depression and seek professional help immediately. You can book an appointment with doctors online on Bajaj Finserv Health. This way you can manage stress and depression better.