For someone who is clinically depressed life can seem to crawl at a miserable pace, and all the joy in life feels like it has been sucked away. Going to the doctor to admit you are depressed and unhappy is difficult, and the medications they prescribe come with a number of unwanted side effects. Natural depression relief is become more popular as people seek relief for the symptoms that trouble them while they work through the problems which caused the depression in the first place.
Defining Clinical Depression
• As good as natural depression relief is, it is not for everyone. Understanding clinical depression and just how severe your depression is, is essential before you decide if natural depression relief might be right for you. It is important to consult with a doctor or therapist as well, diagnosing your own depression is risky and may lead to more serious issues.
• Depression is described as feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or despair. It can vary in intensity from mild to severe, and even to a point where a person may be suicidal. Mild depression may be temporary or could be a low grade long term depression that does not get better as circumstances change. Natural depression relief works particularly good for this type and level of depression.
• The term clinical depression is used to describe a more severe form of depression termed major depression. At this point depression symptoms are more than just feelings of sadness, but in fact in many cases may be physical in nature. Symptoms for this type of depression include depression on a daily basis which never gets better, a loss of interest in activities you used to love, insomnia or sleeping too much, Fatigue, weight loss or gain, poor concentration, or possibly thoughts of harming oneself or suicide.
Can Natural Depression Relief Help?
Natural depression relief includes not only herbal remedies, but also things such as exercise, meditation, and nutritional changes. Clinical depression is serious and must be at least monitored by a professional. Most natural depression relief remedies can help, but may not be enough on their own to relieve a major depression. You must also take into consideration the fact that herbal natural depression relief can interact with anti-depressant medications, intensifying their effects, and leaving the door open for serious side effects. If you are taking anti-depressants you must check with your doctor before adding in any sort of herbal remedy.
On the other hand if you are in pyscho-therapy and want to try natural depression relief, not all therapists are adverse to it. With the right regime of therapy and natural depression relief you can manage clinical depression without the use of pharmaceuticals that come with serious side effects.
Natural Depression Relief Options
No matter what type of medication your doctor prescribes for you, self-care is an important part of recovery. One of the first things that happens when people struggle with clinical depression is that they stop taking care of themselves. This ranges from not eating properly to not taking time for your mental or physical health. Proper nutrition and exercise are important elements of natural depression relief, and things you can do no matter what type of medication you are taking and whose care you are under.
• Research has shown that eating a diet high in nutrients can help depression. Further studies have revealed that the brain is particularly at risk for free radical damage. From a practical point of view eating carbohydrates has been shown to have a calming effect on the brain. Researchers suspect that there might be a connection between carbohydrates and serotonin but more research needs to be done.
• Exercise has been shown to boost mood both because of an improved self-esteem and because it triggers endorphins that act as a feel good chemical similar to morphine. They are what is responsible for what is referred to as the "runners high" that runners experience.
• Another form of natural depression relief, meditation has been studied by a number of experts who are finding it to be even more helpful than drugs or counseling. The use of mindfulness based cognitive therapy teaches people to focus on the present rather than brooding over the past, or worrying about the future.
• Herbal natural depression relief should not be undertaken if you are under the care of a doctor and taking other medications, without his knowledge. There are a number herbal remedies available, most of which are effective for mild and moderate depression. If you are working with a psychotherapist, let them know your desire to try natural depression relief in the form of herbal remedies.
Severe depression can bring life to a grinding halt, the right natural depression relief along with the right medical treatment can hasten your recovery and get you back on the right track. The trick is to work with the right doctor to choose the treatments that are best suited to the type of depression you’re a suffering from.