Is it possible to beat depression and anxiety naturally?
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at
11:00 am
I suffer frequently with depression and anxiety. I have been on tablets for sixteen years from the doctor but nothing has worked. Can I beat this naturally? If so how? I have adopted a healthy diet. Stopped alcohol, caffeine and started taking regular exercise, is there anything else I can do?
Filed under: Anxiety Attacks
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
I suffer from depression, anxiety, panic attacks and stress….
I can not take any of the medicines that doctors prescribe for these conditions they tend to make me worse… so I have had to do the following to keep myself on an even keel…
Find a good counsellor attend sessions weekly for three months… take a break then do it again… repeat as long as is required..
Exercise: This is not the 101 situps ten mile run kind of exercise….. Just simple exercise like walking swimming or cycling for at least 20 minutes each day… do this very day… do not push yourself too hard at first walk powerfully enough to start tofeel your heart working and then slow dow a bit then build it up again..Do not hurt yourself or push yourself too hard or fast…be kind to yourself even if it takes you a year before you can exercise steadily for 20 minutes that doesnt matter it is just important that you do this daily and do it with gentleness towards yourself.
Eat fresh foods as much as possible. include grains fruit and vegetables in every meal… be creative when preparing meals and use a lot of colourful foods to make eating a true pleasure. Prepare and eat your food while listening to some pleasant music. Make eating a wonderful gift to yourself.
Drink more water: Water flushes toxins out of your system drink lots of water…
Take up a creative pursuit: this can be gardening (nothing fancy here stick a geranium cutting in some dirt and add water) drawing ( a pencil and paper and away you go) music make music with whatever you have, paint, write anything that gets the creative energy flowing,
Learn to pray, meditate and or contemplate…. there is lots of info on the net about prayer and meditation and contemplation means just being quiet with yourself… noticing little things, allowing your mind to gently explore things..
Join an interest group… real time gatherings are best rather than net groups… spending time with other people who have a common interest is an easier way of being with people as the focus is not on you or them but rather on the topic at hand, there are interest groups for many different kinds of interests, lapidary groups (gemstones rocks etc), writers groups, local history groups, motor cycle clubs, land regeneration groups, photography groups, parenting groups, walking groups (bush walking, power walking), pet care groups, charitable groups and organisations. Find a group that you share an iterest with and get involved.
Listen to music that you enjoy and explore a whole range of music like indigenous music from various countries, classical music, opera, rock, blues, listen to many kinds of music and build your cd collection.
Spend time sitting on the ground leaning against a big old tree.. feel the earth supporting your weight, notice how the tree supports your spine allow yourself to feel safe and supported by the universe.
Spend time outdoors in the sunshine and fresh air… the sun interacts wit your body to create some happy chemicals in your body. The fresh air allows your lungs to breathe in and circulate more oxygen.
Laugh! Get some comedy cds or dvds or go out to comedy shows and funny movies. Buy a good joke book and read it. Learn a new joke each week and share the joke with others. Spend time allowig yourself to build up to a good belly laugh. Hang out with people who are funny.
Keep a daily journal. You dont need to record everything. Just record some of your activities, thoughts and ideas for each day.
BE KIND TO YOURSELF
There is no point in being hard on yourself, being negative about yourself, putting youself down…. trust me there are enough people on the planet who will do that for you so don’t you do it too…. Instead find the good things about yourself and remind yourself about all of the good things about you.. When you think of good things about yourself record them in your journal…
You can of course combine several of these things…. be outdoors with a group of people that are exercising and you will achieve several of these points in one go… So don’t fret about this list seeming long… just introcude one or two of these things to your daily/weekly routine at a time and get used to doing it… don’t make it too hard on yourself it is more important that you do these things than how well you do them… just add one and get used to it then add another…
Best of Luck with it all and I am sure you will find a way that suits you..
I put my own experience with depression in a website. Hope it sheds some light
yes its hard but it is very possible i take zoloft and it helps me SOOO Much i am a totally different person now
Sometimes, yes….but NOT ALWAYS.
Keep taking your meds…but also…start meditation, yoga, increase exercise, go outside more often, walk more, eat right…no junk foods, no fast foods, no fried foods.
Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables….and whole grains…like oatmeal.
I have been able to handle both of mine without medicine. The best advice I have is to practice good breathing. The biggest problem with those with anxiety is shallow, quick breathes. Try breathing in and out in counts of 5. It really helps relaxing. Plus, you can get the amount of Oxygen needed flowing throughout your body. Take a yoga class so you can learn other techniques.
Many cases of depression can be but I happen to be one of those cases who couldn’t a lot of times depression is all about a chemical imbalance in your head and without medicine that can’t be fixed.
This is just my opinion…….. I also suffer from frequent depression and anxiety. My Dr. has me on Celexa + I take a zanax if something really stressful is going on. I wish I could beat this naturally but I know that I am not as strong of a person to do it on my own. I have been on these meds. for quite a few years now. I have gone off them and did good for a while but then it all go’s back to the same old crap. There are people that smoke for years and then decide one day to stop. And that’s the end of it. Then there are people that need help. A lot of help. I fall into that kind of category. If you find a way please let me know. Wouldn’t that be cool! : )
Any feeling you can fully accept will be fully transcended.
In other words let your feeling pass through you, feel it completely.
try music. sing and dance to it. u can beat it with will power. try talking to people. i can be ur support. been thru alot. so my experience can help u. try me dogmicjoe@yahoo.com. also go to nolongerlonely.com 4 support. try st.john’s wart. it is a natural stufff sold at the drug store. call 1800 lifenet.
If you tell your dr that the meds don’t seem to be working–the doc can change your meds until they find some meds that do work. Sometimes it is possible to beat it without meds. For me–I am not going off my meds because I finally found some meds that work. Sometimes it is trial and error before you find the right med
I fell into a deep depression this past October. I had to walk away from someone i was deeply in love with, I have been in therapy for about 6 months now. My counselor suggested that i see someone else because her supervisors felt that i needed to be on meds. When i saw the other doctor i told her that i wanted to try to get through my depression without meds, it was hard but i did it. Here is what she told me to do:
1. Get lots of sunshine
2. Find new friends
3. Continue to see my counselor
Plus i have a journal i write in everyday. My depression was triggered by a broken heart {mine’s}, i had to face the fact that i was played by someone i was sincerely in love with, and all they did was play me for whatever they could get out of me.