How to overcome depression: 10 Research-backed tips

How to overcome depression: 10 Research-backed tips

How to overcome depression

Are you depressed? Are you trying to get rid of depression? Ok, let's see some research-backed ways about how a person can overcome depression.

1. Diet plan:

It is found that omega–3 fatty acids, vitamin B (e.g. folate), and magnesium deficiencies have a link with depression. [1] So, Include these ingredients in your daily plan especially omega-3 fatty acids (source: mackerel, salmon, cod liver oil, etc.). And of course, try to avoid drinking.

2. Exercise:

The Hippocampus, a structure of the brain, regulates your emotion, motivation, mood, and memory. It becomes smaller in a depressed person. But can be improved by exercise as exercise releases some growth factor to grow your nerve cells. These causes improve of the hippocampus. As a result, your mood changes into positive. [2] So exercising daily can reduce your depression.

3. Meditate:

According to scientific study, meditation helps people both physically and mentally. It also contributes to brain activation patterns as found by MRI images.[3] It is effective in depressed persons. So meditate daily can be a solution for most of the depressed.

4. Enough sleep:

Sleep disturbance is a strong reason for depression. It's a common symptom of a depressed person. Excessively sleepy students during daytime have three times more strong depression symptoms than others, as study finds. [4] Sleep deprivation is also harmful to mental health. Hence, maintenance of sleep can be helpful to overcome depression.

5. Get enough sunlight:

Lack of sunlight may reduce serotonin production which is linked with the feeling of depression.[5] Light has also affected on brain blood flow. It is found that cerebral blood flow has been improved by sunlight.[6] So try to get a daily dose of sunlight. It will decrease the chance of being depressed as well as increase your freshness of mind.

6. Social support:

Loneliness does nothing but increases your depression. To build a strong social network. Share your feeling with your family members, friends or teachers. Talk to them about your anxiety. They will support you. Social support has positive effects on depression.[7] These effects can reduce your depression and hale you positively.

7. Avoid negative thoughts:

Negative thinking, a cause of depression, will always harm you. It can lead to your depression worse. On the contrary, depression increases the accessibility of negative thoughts and decreases the accessibility of positive thoughts.[8] To stop negative thoughts, cognitive-behavioral therapy(CBT) may be helpful. But it takes time to change your negative thoughts into healthy thinking.

8. Do something new:

You may feel bored by a monotonous daily routine inside the wall of your room which may push you into depression. Then you should try to do something new or try to have fun. Do things that have the power to make you happy. It may be cycling, swimming, painting or spending some moments in nature. Passing time with nature is effective to reduce stress.[9] But keep it in mind that whatever you are doing should be ethical from a religious perspective.

9. Forgive others :

Forgive others. It's a great virtue. If you do so, you may feel good in yourself. Research says forgiveness and depression are inversely related.[10] That means more forgiving people have less depression. Hence, forget how people treated you. Move forward and forgive them for your own sake.

10. Be religious:

A higher level of spirituality and religiousness is associated with several health outcomes.[11] These also help to lessen depression, suicidal thoughts, and behavior, drug or alcohol abuse.[12] This is why you need to be more religious. Tell your pain and pleasure to the Almighty. This will heal your mental situation.

This is for today. If this article is helpful to you, inform us by dropping comments.

References:

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2738337/
[2]https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/exercise-is-an-all-natural-treatment-to-fight-depression
[3] https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2018/04/harvard-researchers-study-how-mindfulness-may-change-the-brain-in-depressed-patients/
[4] edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/06/09/sleep.deprivation.depression/index.html
[5] https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder-sad/
[6] https://www.nc bi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2728098/
[7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4242489/
[8] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/19171612_The_Nature_of_Negative_Thoughts_in_Depression
[9] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200225164210.html
[10] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/229971096_Why_forgiveness_may_protect_against_depression_Hopelessness_as_an_explanatory_mechanism
[11] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-35380-w
[12] www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1516-44462006000300018


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