Some Practical Thoughts to Combat Your DEPRESSION.

I was just reading an article that was talking about the difference between Grief and Depression.

GRIEF is categorized like this;

· Sadness, melancholy, or despair
· Low energy or fatigue
· Weepiness or persistent tears
· Changes in appetite and sleep patterns
· Poor concentration
· Guilt or hopelessness · Unbidden happy and sad memories

DEPRESSION is categorized like this;

· Worthlessness
· Exaggerated guilt
· Suicidal thoughts or plans
· Low self-esteem
· Powerlessness
· Helplessness
· Exaggerated hopelessness
· Agitation or restlessness
· Loss of interest in pleasurable activities
· Exaggerated fatigue
　
Now I am not going to try and play psychiatrist here. I have felt all those things and some added. But I do know the science behind it. Serotonin (the happy chemical in your brain) to make a long story short gets attacked when your stomach acids tend to run high (anxiety and stress).
(it is a way longer explanation, but let’s keep it simple)

I don’t want to try and one-shot to everyone’s depression out there with a cure-all, but while we are busy getting to the root of our problems, I do want to add a few quick ways to get your serotonin up (with or without the antidepressant-your choice, your call on those) Hope some of these I am sharing are helpful.

· Drink a ton of water. Your body is made up of 70% water. When you are anxious, upset and crying, you are dehydrating yourself and water can keep the high tension headaches at bay.
　
· Omega 3 supplements and fish oil naturally build your serotonin levels up again.
　
· Exercise also naturally builds serotonin and keeps your brain thinking clearly. I do morning hikes and they make my day way better.
　
· Keep sleep sacred. I started taking 10 minutes in my living room before bedtime to make a list of things I want to accomplish the next day. I leave the list on the coffee table so nothing on it comes to bed with me.
　
· Music; the number 1 healer. And ART! Whether I am writing it, cranking it or having it on in the background (especially when I was going through depression) keeps my thoughts busy. Sometimes too much thinking time can be bad.
　
· Stop engaging in negativity. This could be everything from negative emails to TV News, hanging out in negative circles to being part of criticizing groups. I try and keep my reading material light and positive now. I will read a few headlines to be informed, but I never engage in anything that is cutting down another person for anything. "Misery loves Company" is one of the truest sayings on the globe.
　
· FRIENDS! Call them up, they WANT to help you!
　
· Light! I understand the need to save energy, but while you’re saving energy by sitting in the dark, you run the risk of running low on vitamin D. Open some windows to let fresh air in too!
　

Hope some of those help, they in conjunction with each other, helped to save me!
Karen :)

"Depression is the inability to construct a future." ~Rollo May