When I was depressed, I tried almost all the different forms of medical treatment available out there. One of them was going on anti-depressants. I was put on different types of anti-depressants and none of them worked. I felt good after I took them but as the effect wore off I got worse. I would be unstable, overly emotional and suicidal. There was one thing that the doctors had right though and that was that there was something wrong with the chemistry in my brain. My state of mind was illogical and I had no control over it. So I decided why don't I try to balance the chemicals using natural methods. This set me on a search for finding my own anti-depressants. In the same way that certain people respond better to certain drugs than others, these anti-depressants are what worked for me and they may not necessarily work for you. However being a researcher myself, I looked into the literature to see if there was any proof that what I found to be helpful ways of controlling my depression were actually identified/recognised as alternative methods of treatment by the scientific community. To my surprise I came across this paper published in the Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience by Prof. Peter Young who has been the editor n chief of the Journal of Psychiatry for the past 21 years (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2077351/) which corroborated with what I found by myself in my struggle to find an alternative solution.
These are just suggestions and harmless things that you could try out for yourself to find out what works for you.
Exercise - It is commonly known and medically proven that exercise helps to regulate serotonin (a chemical that is known to be responsible for maintaining mood balance, a deficit of which leads to depression) levels. Even though I myself prefer milder forms of exercises like yoga and Pilates, more rigorous exercises like aerobics have been shown to be more effective in increasing serotonin levels. I know its hard to make yourself get out of bed let alone make yourself run several kilometres when you're depressed. That is why I started with what worked for me. I joined the nearest gym which had yoga and Pilates classes. I had always enjoyed these types of exercises as I used to do them with my mother when I was in my teens. So I decided to attend them even though the hardest part was getting dressed and getting out of the house. The first few classes were very difficult. I always went early and found a place at the back away from everybody and I couldn't do all the moves correctly because after being depressed and suicidal for so long, my body felt detached from my mind. But I soldiered on and made it through my first month. Even after just a month I started noticing the difference. Then I started combining my exercise regime with more rigorous forms like more cardio and weights. I was always careful not to overdo it because the last thing I wanted was to injure myself and end up not being able to go to the gym for a long period of time. With the right combination of exercises I was able to kick start my healing process. This was probably the most effective anti-depressant which got me on the path to finding others like this.
Plenty of "me-time" - This was one of the most enjoyable forms of anti-depressants that I came across. When I was depressed I didn't want to talk with anybody but everybody kept telling me to put myself out there, to meet up with friends and to not be by myself. I tried doing this but every time I ended up feeling more miserable than before. As most of you would know, its extremely difficult to interact with people when you're depressed. Even having a simple conversation about the weather felt like a Herculean task and I would be more depressed than before because I felt like such an idiot not being able to carry on a simple conversation with somebody. It was like a vicious cycle that kept me continuously depressed and forever alone. So I decided to give it up. I was going to break the cycle. I need to be happy being with myself. I need to be a person I was happy being with before I start hanging out with other people. So I started allocating time for "me-time". I was always too hard on myself. I needed to take care of myself. I needed to be kind to myself. So I scheduled regular "me-time"s for myself and filled them with activities that made me felt loved and taken care of, things that made me happy.
- As you all know, when we're depressed we tend to neglect to take care of our appearance. I realised I was doing this too. So some of the activities included in the me-time were having a mani-pedi, going shopping and getting my hair done. The way you look and the way you felt about the way you look was very important in uplifting your mood and in improving confidence.
- I find time during the weekend to go to a nice, relaxing place like the beach or a park, find a sunny spot and read a book. Reading was something that I always enjoyed but life got so busy that I didn't have time for it. But because of this new concept of "me-time" I decided to include this as one of the activities. I mostly read feel good novels and blogs like http://nelhunter.blogspot.com and http://www.happysimpleliving.com/blog/.
- Sometimes in the evenings after work I'd come home and take the time to enjoy a glass of my favourite wine with some soothing music(smooth jazz is my music of choice). For me this is like a spa treatment for my soul.
- Speaking of spa treatments, they are another wonderful way to enjoy your me-time. Not only does it help you relax after a busy week, its yet another way to make yourself feel loved and taken care of. If you feel spa treatments can be a bit expensive and above your budget, you can do the same thing at home for a fraction of the cost. It all about awakening your senses and altering the chemistry in your brain. One way of doing this at home is a soothing bubble bath. We all have different fragrances nd combinations of fragrances that we like. Find yours and find bath soaks, salts and scented candles to match your taste. Light the candles abound the tub and add the soaks and salts and bring the temperature in the water to a level that suits you and enjoy.
Coffee - Although coffee in large quantities taken over long periods of time it's known to have a negative impact on brain chemistry, having a couple of cups of coffee in the morning certainly has an anti-depressant effect on me. Having a cup of coffee is actually more of a ritual than anything else, a way of taking a break to enjoy the simple pleasure of a warm cup of coffee. Take the time in the morning to make yourself a nice cup of coffee and enjoy it in a relaxed setting preferably with a view of the sunrise. It is quite a wonderful start for your day and you feel awake and refreshed. I generally have my second cup around 10/11 after going to work. I try to take that time to have a chat with a friend or just by myself. Its both a way to keep the right balance in your mind as well as a way to take a break from work which helps in regulating the chemicals in your brain. These two cups of coffee are all I have in a day and I generally have them before noon. If you are like me, and find it harder to sleep after having coffee later in the day, you should try to limit your coffee intake as well as the timing of it, like having it before noon. This is so that you allow the caffeine to leave your system by the time you go to bed at night.
Sunshine - Getting plenty of sunshine is another way to regulate your brain chemistry. Especially, if you're like me and are prone to get more depressed during winter or rainy/cloudy days. What I try to do is get at least a little bit sunshine on sunny days. If I'm at work, I go for a 15 min stroll or try to have my lunch outside. If its on a weekend, I try to enjoy my "me-time" in the sun. It is actually a scientifically proven fact that bright lights help increase serotonins levels in your brain. So get some sunshine into your life!
Chamomile tea - This was a fairly recent discovery for me. I had heard of the calming effect of chamomile tea but I had never tried it before. I don't know if it works for everybody, but it certainly has a significant calming and sedative effect on me. So I have started to combine my treatment with a cup of chamomile tea every night. Too much of anything, even a good thing might not be good. So I've decided to stick to one cup a day for now.
These are just a couple suggestions of the kind of things that worked for me. There may be others that are more suitable for you. But you need to get started and its only when you get into this process and your brain is altered in such a way that it learns to enjoy these simple pleasures in life, that you start to identify the things that work for you.
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