5 Tips to Manage Your Depression Without Medication
It’s common to hear that the main treatment for depression is anti-depressants. While medication can be helpful for some, it’s not the right option for everyone. Some people aren’t interested in taking medication for a variety of reasons. That’s understandable. The conversation around depression medication is complex.
But medication isn’t the only way to manage depression. Even if you choose not to take anti-depressants, you can do other things to keep your depression under control. Here are five ways to do so.
1. Relaxing Activities
Managing depression through relaxing activities and activities that make you feel better is an option. Everyone has at least one activity that helps them relax, like taking a warm bath.
But if you want to try something else, meditation and mindfulness, in general, have been found to help ease the effects of depression. It might be a little difficult to get into, but it’s nothing a little practice won’t help with.
Yoga can also be a possibility. It’s a relaxing activity that doubles as exercise, which has also been found to help ease depression. There are plenty of other activities you can choose from. With a little trial and error, you’ll all be able to find at least one or two activities that help you cope with depression.
2. Exercise
As was previously mentioned, exercise has been found to help ease the effects of depression. You don’t have to become a professional athlete. You can do something small daily, like walking or doing ten minutes of yoga. If you’re feeling a little more adventurous, you can try going for a jog or enrolling in a class at your local gym. You can even do this with a friend to ensure that you’ll see it through, with the added benefit of hanging out with a friend.
3. Friends
With depression, there is a tendency to self-isolate. You don’t want to be around other people, not even friends or family. But sometimes, that’s what hurts you the most. If you have friends you normally enjoy spending time around, friends that won’t try to guilt you because of your depression, then the best thing you can do is to ensure the friendship isn’t neglected.
You can enroll in a new class together, go for lunch every once in a while, or just stay home and watch a few movies together. Between all these activities and their support, depression will become much more bearable.
4. Small Goals
You can try setting small goals for yourself. They have to be small and achievable, one thing every day. It doesn’t have to be challenging. The goal could be something as simple as walking around the block once or going to that coffee shop you like and treating yourself to your favorite drink. It’s a small goal to make yourself feel like you are accomplishing one thing every day and boost your opinion of yourself. You might not feel like doing these at first, and maybe you’ll find excuses not to do them for the first few days. But in the long run, it’s much more helpful than you think, so why not give it a try?
5. Counseling
More often than not, the usual treatment for depression is a combination of counseling and medication. But if you don’t want to go on anti-depressants, that’s okay. It’s possible to go to counseling without taking medication. Counseling on its own can help you find ways to cope with depression and help you manage it better than you had on your own.
There’s nothing wrong with seeking professional help, especially for something as dangerous as depression. Go ahead and make an appointment. We’ll help you manage your depression in whatever way you need.