How to Deal with Depression without Medication

By making dietary changes, being communicative to your close ones and taking help of alternative treatments, you may find it easy to deal with depression without medication. However, it is not advised to discontinue the prescribed medications without consulting your psychologist. Enlisted below are some ways to help you further.

[Read: How to Deal with Depression on Your Own]

Make Changes in your Diet: You diet plays a major role in preventing your condition to get aggravated. Sometimes lack of proper enzymes and abundance of junk food in the diet stops your body to produce enough energy for day to day activities, ultimately resulting in depression.  Try to include enough quantity of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy items (milk, yoghurt and low-fat cheese), poultry foods (turkey, tuna and chicken) in your diet so that your body is not deprived of essential carbohydrates and proteins.

[Read: Foods that Help Fight Depression]

Find an Emotional Outlet: Depression harms more if you confine yourself within the four walls of your room. To cope with depression without using drugs, the general advice is to TALK, TALK and TALK! Isolation trims your chances of recovery. So, share your thoughts and feelings with your family and close friends. Do away with your afflictions to control your unexplained emotional outburst. Confiding in  people who do not judge you and understand your mental condition is the best  way to fight depression without medical treatment. You may also take help of a talk therapist to swing back to the normal track of your life.

Take Aromatherapy for Depression: Aromatherapy cannot cure depression, but it can lift your mood and trigger a positive emotional state of mind and physical well-being. Aromatherapy works effectively for depression, especially when it is used along with healthy lifestyle practices such as exercising and healthy eating. This alternative technique boosts happiness by stimulating the body’s limbic and endocrine systems that are important for improving the condition of a patient suffering from  depression. The fragrances used in aromatherapy are considered beneficial to the treatment of mild forms of depression and to those patients who are not benefitting from anti-depressants.

[Read: How Exercise Helps Fight Depression]

Follow Herbal Treatment: Traditional herbal treatment of depression includes the use of herbs such as St John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum), gotu kola (Centella asiatica), ginkgo biloba and Lavender (Lavendula augustofolia). These herbs do not cause any side-effects on the health of the patient and are available in individual and combined packs in various commercial outlets. It is advised that before taking these herbs, you may consult a practicing herbalist to find out their suitability for your condition.

Taking adequate sleep and avoiding caffeine are another two important considerations for keeping your serotonin (happy hormone) levels within the normal range to treat depression without medications.

Read more article on Depression.