Clinical depression means you’re at your breaking point. It is no more your everyday life stress or anxiety. It’s a severe psychological disorder that requires prompt treatment or else, it can eventually make you suicidal. You’ll be surprised to know that most suicides in the world are a result of untreated depression.
Although many people are now aware of this issue and they immediately seek psychiatric care, it’s not all you need to do. Having antidepressants can help but antidepressants alone cannot help you as efficiently as lifestyle adjustments can.
That’s right, guys. Treating clinical depression requires you to make certain lifestyle changes. Without them, you cannot counter the symptoms of this mood disorder. Let’s have a look at all the details you need to know about it:
Symptoms of Clinical Depression
In order to get diagnosed and treated properly, the first thing that you need to be clear about is the symptoms of clinical depression. Clinical depression has various symptoms and you need to have them for at least two weeks for a diagnosis. They include:
- Loss of interest in everyday life activities
- Persistent stress and sadness
- Insomnia or hypersomnia
- Loss of appetite or binge eating
- Digestive problems that don’t go away
- Frequent body aches and muscle tension
- Suicidal thoughts or possible attempts
Natural Ways to Counter Clinical Depression
As mentioned earlier, you must make a few lifestyle changes to speed up your process of recovery from clinical depression. Not to mention, antidepressants alone won’t be as effective as when combined with a healthy lifestyle. Yes, you heard that correctly. Here’s what you need to do:
An Organic Diet
First and foremost, you must ensure to have an organic diet when fighting any physical and mental health disorders. After all, you are what you eat; thus, it’s important to maintain a healthy diet at all times. For example, you must avoid caffeinated beverages.
Caffeinated beverages, including tea and coffee, can negatively contribute to your stress levels. Due to this reason, experts recommend having herbal tea instead of coffee or other caffeinated beverages. I used to add cannabis flowers to my tea when I was coping with depression. It used to help me calm my mind and body simultaneously.
Increased Physical Activity
The second thing is increased physical activity. If you work out regularly, it can have a significantly positive effect on your mind and body. That’s right, guys. Regular exercise can increase your levels of endorphins naturally, which means you’ll have a better mood and increased energy.
The best part is that there is no particular exercise that you need to perform to counter the symptoms of clinical depression. You can either work out at home like perform yoga or walk around or you can hit the gym and practice hardcore exercises. Swimming is another fabulous option to ease the symptoms of clinical depression.
Alternative Medicine
The third option for today is alternative medicine. Due to the massive number of side effects that allopathic medicines bring along, many people are now turning towards alternative medicine. For one, they’re safe. Secondly, their results are not targeted. They take care of your mental and physical health at the same time.
When it comes to depression, there’s nothing that works better than body massage. A few minutes of body massage can release oxytocin in your bloodstream, which naturally alleviates stress and anxiety. It also eliminates digestive problems and body aches that depression accompanies.
Apart from that, there are other options, too, including aromatherapy, meditation, mindfulness-based yoga, and more. Just make sure to stay committed to them and you’ll be good to go.