Did you ever feel depressed?
If you have, you know there are many medicinal drugs available which we call the anti-depressants.
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My encounter with depression
I was under the influence of depression medication for 5 years.
One day I realized those anti-depressants have stopped soothing my mind.
And I was in desperate need of permanent solutions.
I asked myself:
What is the best way to overcome depression naturally?
How can I overcome depression without medication naturally?
I even tried connecting to people whom I thought would comprehend my disorientation to thoughts and emotions.
I was not too late to realize:
Though it’s easy to give theoretical pieces of advice on how to overcome depression, it looks impossible when it comes to its practical implementation.
The person who never felt depressed at any point cannot guide you with the remedies to overcome depression.
Therefore, it becomes imperative to express yourself to a person who can completely comprehend what you are going through.
Bits of advice like try to be happy and stay away from negativity can do more harm than good to you.
That’s because these suggestions indicate the person cannot feel even 1 percent of your plight.
Every depressed person is aware of these bits of advice the question remains ‘How?’
Here, I shall share a few practices which I followed in my gloomy past and came out of it strong.
14 ways to overcome depression naturally
Meditate
It is the best way to overcome depression naturally.
To be honest, until my mind tasted the meditated feel, this technique sounded very boring to me.
Always thought it was a waste of time but once I started practicing it, it was a magical feeling which I had never experienced before.
Want to know the best part? I slowly revived my lost feel which made me realize the true meaning of being aware in the present moment.
Check out: 8 meditation techniques for complete beginners
Follow compassion
Helping others and bringing a smile to the faces of unfortunate people is the best you can bring a smile to your face.
Don’t believe me? Try it.
If you are capable enough to feed the emotional or financial pain of people, never hold back.
Trust me, Compassion is a gateway to the feeling of contentment, which is one of the best counter-attacks of depression.
Listen to upbeat music
It is one of the simplest ways to overcome depression naturally.
Music is the food for the soul.
Listening to cheerful music not only uplifts the mood but always keeps you away from thoughts.
And once you start thinking less, the mind cuts the chords with depressive thoughts.
Eat healthy to feel healthy
Your mental health is deeply connected to your physical health.
Enrich your diet with food high in unsaturated fat like omega3.
And did anyone tell you about the miracle ingredient turmeric?
Never ignore its remarkable powers working as antidepressants.
Please stay away from alcohol—the silent killer.
It is an elusive stress buster.
Not only it harms your physical health, but it also ruins your mental health as well.
Accept yourself the way you are
Keep reminding yourself you are a beautiful soul.
So please be good to yourself.
You need to realize quickly that everyone is wired differently and you cannot be the best in every field.
Please do not expect an ideal condition out of every situation.
It is quite human to fail and commit mistakes.
Be kind and gentle to yourself and try to forgive yourself.
But yes, learn from it and never repeat those mistakes again.
Must read: Let us fall in love with none other than oneself
Engage with anything productive
A conscious mind is a gateway to happiness; An idle mind is a gateway to depression.
So engage yourself in any activity which diverts your countless negative thoughts to time-productivity.
I can relate to this phase when you might not have anything to do, or you might not feel to do anything.
But you have to show some courage and initiation.
After all, we are trying to overcome depression naturally.
And it is not as easy as pie.
Try to find a motive for your existence
Ask yourself:
Which is that one thing you love to do?
That one thing which does not tire you but energizes you?
What could be that push which motivates you to leave your bed?
Spend some alone time and ask these questions to yourself.
You could feel lonely but always remember:
You can find yourself only in confinement!
Don’t be afraid of spending time alone.
Take this as a blessing because many can only dream about this time in this fast-paced money world.
Make meditation the best companion at this time.
It is certainly a road to self-discovery, one of the definite ways to overcome depression naturally.
Express out your negativity
It’s vital to express your negative emotions in any form.
Expressing out negativity is the best way to unburden yourself.
It doesn’t matter whether you are an introvert or extrovert, you need to flush out negative emotions.
Wondering how?
There are many ways of expressing yourself- talk to somebody, write a journal, go for a quick work-out, paint, whatever.
I express myself via writing by the medium of my blog.
Exercise— Engage in physical activity
It is an instant way of releasing happy hormones.
Wear your sports shoes.
It doesn’t matter whether you walk, jog, gym, dance, play a sport or involve yourself in any sort of physical activity.
What I feel is it’s essential to sweat out for at least half an hour, 4 days a week.
It evokes a feel-good factor for oneself, which is essential in overcoming depression naturally.
Count your blessings
Always appreciate the fact that you are privileged than many out there.
Whenever you feel depressed, compare yourself with the ones who are not only underprivileged than you but also deprived of basic necessities for survival -food, water, and shelter.
You will feel bigger and better about yourself.
Develop self-control
Beware! The phase of depression is the time when you are vulnerable to get carried away by the materialistic illusions.
But remember, it is the time when restricting the pull of alluring drives is immensely important.
Better said than done, I know how difficult it is.
But you need to start by resisting small temptations. It’ll automatically evoke confidence to resist the stronger forces.
Connect with nature
Nature is calling but you are not listening.
You might be surprised to know that you are surrounded all around by the biggest healer of depression.
Yes, nature is the biggest source of positive energy that purifies your body and soul.
Patiently, try to spend some time sensing nature.
Allow the sense organs to perform their assigned roles to feel the natural environment, and it shall make you realize how beautiful life is.
Let it go
The unpredictable life can hit you really hard. But here’s a positive reminder:
You are not alone, everyone is on the same boat.
As I always say, life is all about peaks and valleys where highs and lows are in balance. Don’t you think it’s unfair to only enjoy the highs?
Let us respect the lows, and let it go without triggering the over-thinking mode.
Ask for help
It works!
When you are not able to battle it alone, seek help from the person whom you think can help you to overcome depression.
Irrespective of whether the recipient has a solution or not, when you speak out, you unburden.
But depression being a sensitive issue, make sure to ask for help from the person on whom you confide your trust.
Final thoughts
It is easy to find excuses not to follow these steps but remember, only one reason(overcoming depression) is strong enough to negate all the excuses.
I have overcome depression naturally implementing the above-mentioned ways.
I firmly believe that if I can, so can you.
You have to be patient because overcoming depression is not an over-night but a continuous process.
You may fail many times but never give up.
It is your life which you live only once. Stop dying before you die.
However, if the depression persists, please consult a doctor before taking depression medication by yourself.
Good luck!
