Depression is neither a temporary episode of grief nor is it elongated laziness. It is a serious mental health illness that countless people suffer through every year.

The causes of depression are as versatile as there are people suffering through it. Traumas, abuse, neglect, loneliness, and failing at something can result in mild to severe depression. Depression is classified as mild or severe, depending on how it affects your daily routine.

You may be able to function correctly through the day with mild depression. But, if it is severe, you will find yourself distancing from your “normal” life. And, it gets difficult coordinating day-to-day easy tasks and chores.

The following methods of treating depression works for both mild and severe depression. But, before you stop your medication in pursuit of a more natural treatment for depression, make sure to consult your therapist.

Natural Ways Of Treating Depression

Depression intervenes with your eating habits, productivity, motivation, and sleep. Other than the random mood spikes daily, you will feel distanced from your life. And at times, the negative thoughts can lead to suicidal behavior or self-harm.

However, you will find the following coping mechanisms helpful, whether you are treating depression with therapy and medication or without. So, practice all, or at least, most of them to start feeling better gradually.

A heads-up, you won’t find the motivation to practice either one of these, so you have to hold on. With a little bit of practice and a noticeable difference in your behavior, it will get easier keeping up with these coping mechanisms for anxiety.

Set Goals And Make Up a Routine

The very first victim of anxiety is your motivation and self-esteem. Because of the short-term failures in various tasks, your brain tricks you into believing you can’t achieve anything at all.

So naturally, that is precisely where you begin your journey back.

Set up goals to inspire routine. The goals you set should be carefully selected as they have to be something you can easily achieve. Start with something as small as tidying up your room or doing the dishes right after you eat.

Once you start checking off such small chores of the list in routine, it will build up your confidence. And then, you can start adding up more significant aims and goals to your list.

Once you find your lost motivation back bit by bit, start setting up a routine for yourself. Setting up a routine gets way more comfortable when you have a goal in mind. That way, you know what activities you have to prioritize throughout the day and how much work you need to get done.

The aim of setting up a routine is so that you do not aimlessly wander and make it through your day. But to gain control over yourself and rebuild the lost motivation. And with that, your self-esteem and sense of self-worth.

Fill Your Day With More Cheerful Events

Depression has a way of setting your life on repeat. The same unproductivity and chain of emotions chase you daily, with little to no elements of surprise.

And that’s why you need a few festive events in your day. Depression tends to wire your brain on “Punishment and Reward” principles, making you believe that you can’t have a good time unless you do something productive first. Or, you keep waiting to be in the right mood to work, study, or even go out with friends.

Making your hobbies a part of your daily life, taking short vacations, listening to your favorite songs, going out with friends, or even spending quality time with your family over dinner is going to give you something to look up to.

By making sure you take out at least one hour of your day to reward yourself, you rewire your brain. And more than that, it helps you feel better and less isolated from everyone and yourself. You build a better relationship with yourself by exploring hobbies and can keep your relationships up as well.

This is another effective way of getting back in the driving seat of your emotions. You need to fake it till you make it!

Change Your Diet

There certainly is no magic food that you can start eating, and your depression will go away. However, several studies prove that food items with a high content of fatty acids and folic acids help treat depression and anxiety.

But, what I like to believe and have seen is that choosing your diet carefully gives you more control. And that is all you need when you’re fighting depression because depression makes you feel cornered and at a loss of control and emotions.

There is no hard and fast rule for selecting your diet to treat depression. But, you can alter your eating habits to what’s right for you. Adding up a lot of greens on your table and taking fats and sugars away will improve not only your BMI but also your immunity.

And in turn, you get a relief knowing that you won’t be putting on a few extra pounds or losing some because of the abnormal eating habits during the depression.

Finding supplements and natural herbal extracts can also help relieve stress and depression. Various kratom strains help deal with depression as it calms you. Other than that, Chamomile tea, Cinnamon tea, and Rosemary extracts help you sleep and relax better.

Exercise and Sleep

A prevalent symptom of depression is an abnormal routine of sleep. You tend to either sleep too much, too less, or during the hours of the day instead of night. And in either of the above scenarios, you fail to get quality rest and feel exhausted.

You can improve your sleep by setting up fixed times for sleeping and waking up. This also helps you in sticking to a routine. And while it dramatically improves your sleep quality, you also can fall asleep much faster and not have moments of slumber during the midday.

Another very effective way of improving your sleep is by regularly working out. Any physical activity is going to work out those muscles and make them long for rest even more. But, the benefits of working out don’t just end up there.

Exercise is the best recommended coping activity because of its influences on various aspects of your life. It improves your sleep, immunity, metabolism, eating habits and even gives you a natural dose of feel-happy hormones.

Starting with any amount of physical activity may seem impossible at first. But, you have to trick yourself into small milestones and tasks until you get the hang of it. When it comes to exercise, no amount is too much, too little, or just enough.

You have to notice your body and workout according to that. If you want to keep up your fitness levels, you might want to do slightly intense exercises. Whereas if you merely want to suck the mental and physical health benefits, light to medium intensity workouts will work just fine.

However, the key to getting the maximum benefits from your workouts is routine. The more frequently you get up and get moving, the more benefits you are going to reap.

David Johnson

David Johnson is a versatile content writer known for his ability to breathe life into words and create engaging narratives on diverse subjects. With a passion for effective storytelling and a keen eye for detail, David crafts content that resonates with readers and sparks their curiosity. He is dedicated to delivering high-quality, informative, and enjoyable content, making him a respected voice in the digital landscape. Beyond the keyboard, David enjoys exploring the outdoors, immersing himself in literature, and finding inspiration in everyday experiences.