Beyond Antidepressants
Mental Health and Wellness Measures
Depression involves many aspects of your being. It is not only a low or depressed mood. Depression negatively impacts every domain of your health and wellness. In addition to a depressed mood, a major depressive episode can negatively impact your appetite, sleep, relationships, energy level, and cognition. If depression is this all encompassing so too treatment should be. Medications and talk therapy are first-line evidence-based approaches for treating depression. However, a major depressive episode requires additional measures for optimal recovery. A holistic approach to treating depression is the most effective.
In this article, we will discuss a holistic approach to treating depression identifying 5 measures you can integrate into your health and wellness routine to ensure the best chance of recovery. These measures include healthy lifestyle choices that are effective towards improved mood and considered wise to integrate into your lifestyle in general.
Five health and wellness measures to integrate include: eating whole foods, avoiding illicit drugs and alcohol, exercising and nature, quality sleep, and guarding thinking patterns. Below we elaborate on these measures and the way to integrate these into your lifestyle.
1. Eating Whole Foods
Whole foods will not cure depression, however, making healthy choices including eating whole foods and avoiding processed foods will impact how you feel. Some research indicates foods with Omega 3 or fish oil and folic acid and vitamin B6 are good for your overall mental health.
2. Avoiding Illicit Drugs and Alcohol
Among other risks such as addiction and reduced insight and judgement from these agents, illicit drugs and alcohol are depressogenic. This means they depress or numb your brain. This not only affects your level of awareness and cognition but worsens your mood. It’s best to avoid these substances altogether for a multitude of health reasons including when experiencing clinical depression.
3. Exercise and Nature
Aerobic exercise, including as little as walking 30 minutes a day five days a week, has positively affected mood. Exercise helps in the production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter known to enhance mood. Additional heart health benefits are experienced from regular physical activity. Being out in the sun helps regulate your internal clock or circadian rhythm to assist with sleep. Having sun exposure on your eyes prior to noon daily helps your brain’s regulating mechanism.
4. Obtain Adequate Sleep
Sleep is restorative as well as helping you better cope with day-to-day stressors. Ideally, you should obtain 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Integrate nighttime rituals and relaxation techniques to enhance sleep. Settle to bed prior to midnight and rise at the same time daily to obtain the most benefits from sleep. Avoid distressing news and blue light rays emitted from screens that stimulate your brain 2 hours before bed. Try relaxation techniques such as aromatherapy with lavender oil, listening to soft relaxing music, or sounds of nature to assist with sleep induction. Many apps are available to help with relaxation.
5. Avoid Negative Thinking
Our emotions follow our thoughts. Focussing on the past and future are sure ways to feel overwhelmed. Therefore engaging in gratitude and pleasant thoughts will enhance your overall sense of wellness. Prior to rising, first thing in the morning actively engage your mind and set your thinking to focus on something positive. Thinking about a loved one or a favourable change in the weather will set the foundation for your perception and emotions for the rest of the day.
Despite your efforts at health and wellness measures and those of mental health specialists, some depression persists. If you or someone you love is not able to obtain relief from depression despite healthy lifestyle choices and trials of medications, adding repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation to treat depression may be effective. With Health Canada approval for treating depression Feel Light rTMS is conveniently located in Brampton Ontario. Call us today to see how rTMS can help you on your road to improved mental health.
