Depression can be characterized as an inability to derive pleasure out of things in life and a sad and depressed mood for most of the day. This mood disorder has the ability to affect a person’s daily life significantly. It is estimated that around 8.1% of Americans have experienced depression at least once in their life. It is important to deal with symptoms of depression. If you or your loved ones are experiencing any symptoms of depression, it is important to seek treatment right away. Here are some of the best ways to deal with depression.
Incorporating coping strategies
People who are resilient bounce back from episodes of depression much faster than those who are not so resilient. Coping plays a big part in making someone resilient. There are many small coping strategies that you can use to fight depression. One of them is to try and find meaning (a concept given by Viktor Frankl) in the small things in life. Try doing something for someone else, it doesn’t have to be too big of a task. Even the smallest things are greatly appreciated by others. Find realistic and workable goals for yourself, and don’t beat yourself up in case you don’t meet these goals.
Meditation
Meditation has shown various beneficial effects for both the body and mind. Depression usually involves a lot of dark thoughts such as ‘no one loves me’, or ‘I am not enough’. Meditation helps you become aware of these thoughts in your head and teaches you to observe them rather than neglecting them. It can significantly help in stopping negative thought patterns that increase the symptoms and severity of depression. This has quite a lot of evidence-based backing and is even being used as a method of treatment by psychologists. Continued practice of meditation can help alleviate many symptoms of depression and can prevent episodes in the future.
Naturopathic treatments
Naturopathic treatments believe that the whole person should be treated, not just the symptoms. They use various techniques for restoring balance to the individual’s body. These focus on the importance of exercise, a good diet, and various methods of stress management. This form of holistic therapy uses various modes of treatment and prevention such as botanical medicine and even homeopathy. These alternative treatments help you incorporate good habits in your lifestyle which in turn decreases your symptoms of depression as well.
Virtual reality
Immersive virtual reality is a new and innovative method of treating depression. A study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry Open concluded that virtual reality can help train patients to be more compassionate towards others and themselves. Virtual reality has been used for the treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder effectively for quite a long time. It provides a controlled environment that gives the maximum benefit of therapy to the patient. Putting patients through pleasant scenarios can alleviate symptoms of depression quite significantly.
Depression is a serious mental illness. It is of the utmost importance to deal with it before it gets severe. If normal treatments do not work for you, try these alternative ways to fight depression.
