How to Deal with Depression Using 5 Amazing Natural Remedies

Updated on February 4th, 2020
depression

Feeling an unnecessary burden of anxiety, frustration, and detach from everything around you can often make you lose interest in living. Depression is indeed one of the most common mental illnesses which are fast enveloping the world in an illusionary trap. Day to day pressure and unhappiness are some of the leading causes of this problem. If you are also facing it, then don’t run away from the situation rather fight it out bravely. This article will provide you the best remedies on how to deal with depression so that you can win your battle with flying colors.

What is depression?

Depression is a mood disorder which often makes a sufferer feel down or low about themselves or their surroundings. Although quite common nowadays, it poses severe threat to health and mind. This severely affects your mood and often causes sudden anxiety. Depression tends to loss of interest in activities that you once enjoyed doing.

What causes depression?

  • Change in body hormones
  • History of depression in family
  • Brain’s physical structure
  • Medications like blood pressure
  • Stressful, traumatic events

What does depression feel like?

The signs of depression include:

  • Feelings of sadness
  • Sleep issues
  • Frustration
  • Lack of concentration
  • Changes in appetite
  • Thoughts of death or suicide
  • A headache and backache

Types of depression

  • Major depression- It is also known as clinical depression or crippling depression. It fosters loss of interest and pleasure in daily activities. Parts of major depression are melancholia, psychotic, antenatal, and postnatal depression.
  • Bipolar disorder- It is also known as manic depression. In this period the sufferer goes through periods of depression and mania along with periods of normal mood in between.
  • Walking depression- It refers to the in-between phase of depression.

How to deal with depression with the help of natural remedies?

Natural remedies are a boon for tackling depression and anxiety. These natural treatments are not only beneficial for the body but also prevent any harmful effect on the body in the long run. You can try your hands on some of the best natural remedies for treating depression by using food, essential oils, and herbs. A long list of natural treatments is covered in this article so that you can choose according to your convenience.

1. Foods

Food plays an essential role in maintaining a healthy body along with an active mind. When you are struggling with depression, it is critical to eat the right kind of food. Indulgence of some of these rich foods in your diet will help to decrease depression symptoms and will leave a positive impact on your daily life.

Banana

Bananacrush
Image: Shutterstock

Banana helps to fight depression and anxiety. This nutritious fruit has a magical taste and is also a storehouse of countless health benefits.

How to use:

You can eat a banana as a whole, or you can make a delicious banana shake. However one of the best recipes for banana intake is a banana almond flax smoothie.

Ingredients:

  • One large banana
  • 2/3 cup of buttermilk or almond milk
  • One tbsp of roasted unsalted almond butter
  • One tbsp flaxseeds
  • One tbsp honey
  • Few drops of almond extract or vanilla extract

Procedure:

  • Mix all the ingredients in a blender
  • Add a few ice cubes
  • Blend until you get a smooth mixture

Precautions:

  • If you are suffering from cold, avoid adding ice cubes

Benefits:

  • This smoothie helps to enhance both mental and physical health. Flaxseeds and almonds are rich in omega-3 which works wonderfully to fight anxiety and depression

Eggs

eggs
Image: ShutterStock

It is always advisable to include eggs in your diet to keep your body healthy. Eggs are delicious when cooked, especially, the mouth-watering egg curry.

How to use:

You can eat boiled eggs by slicing them into small pieces and sprinkling black pepper and salt. Poached egg is an easy and effective remedy for how to deal with depression.

Procedure:

  • Crack an egg into a bowl
  • In a medium-sized pan allow water to simmer
  • Don’t add any salt as this will break the egg white
  • Now pour this egg into the pan in a way that the yolk should follow the white of the egg
  • Cook for two minutes. Then turn the fire off
  • Leave the pan for 8-10 minutes
  • Now use a slotted spoon to lift the egg out from the pan
  • Drain it on kitchen paper
  • You can add this poached egg on top of boiled chickpeas
  • Add onions, tomatoes, coriander, and spices of your choice

Benefits:

  • Eggs have a high content of vitamin D and vitamin B which help to lift mood and fight depression

Other essential foods to deal with depression

  • Fish
  • Nuts
  • Beans
  • Chicken and turkey
  • Vegetables like spinach, kale, watercress, etc.

Foods to avoid

  • Artificial sweeteners
  • Junk food like burger, French fries
  • Caffeinated beverages

2. Herbal Remedies

Herbs are naturally occurring substances which originate from plants. They have shown immense potential in curing a lot many diseases effectively. Herbal remedies for depression are easily accessible and are feasible too. You don’t have to empty your pockets for them. Depression is a mental disorder, and the use of herbs is beneficial for fighting different types of depressions. Some of the best herbs for how to deal with depression include:

Holy Basil

holy basil essential oil for calming
Image: ShutterStock

Holy basil or tulsi is a popular remedy for many health problems. This wonderful herb helps in mood lifting and also vanishes away from the symptoms of seasonal depression. This happy herb makes up for a refreshing cup of tea which is very useful in bursting your anxiety and dullness.

How to use:

Enjoy a refreshing and soothing tea made of holy basil which will take you away from the winter blues.

Procedure:

  • In a pan bring two cups of water to simmer
  • Now add a few leaves of holy basil and grated ginger to this water
  • After 2-3 minutes add cardamom powder
  • Switch the fire off after 8 minutes
  • Strain the tea and add honey and lemon juice to it

Precautions to follow:

  • If you are suffering from depression during pregnancy, avoid using tulsi as a remedy for how to deal with depression

Ginseng

Ginseng helps to improve mental clarity and helps to reduce symptoms of stress. These useful properties help ginseng in dealing with motivation issues which are quite common in depression. People with bipolar depression should avoid the use of this herb as it can trigger mania.

Chamomile

Chamomile provides effective relief from the symptoms of depression. It also proves to be effective in helping people to get over anxiety.

General precautions to follow while using herbs for how to deal with depression

  • Be cautious about the quantity of herbs you are using while you ingest any of the herbs
  • Always use 100 percent pure herbs, herb powder, etc.
  • If you are allergy prone make sure to consult a doctor before using herbal remedies on your skin
  • Pregnant women should take proper care while using herbs

3. Essential oils

Our sense of smell plays a vital role in giving a lift to our sad mood. Whenever you smell something pleasant or enchanting, you happen to travel into a beautiful world free from stress and anxiety. Essential oils are the products of aromatic plants, and they help to rejuvenate our sense of smell. Concerning mental health, depression is one of the most common issues which affect your daily routine life adversely. If you are one of the many sufferers of this disease, then rely on the following essential oils which work as a terrific remedy for how to deal with depression.(1) You can also learn the use of essential oils for depression in this article.

Lavender Oil

Lavender essential oil is world-famous for its calming properties which have enticed people from a time dating back to infinity. This useful oil help to combat depression and eliminate insomnia and anxiety.

How to use:

Diffuse

Place a diffuser in your bedroom and add lavender oil to it. Enjoy its sweet smell while you sleep at night. This helps to increase clarity and avoids depressive thought build-up in mind.

Inhale

When feeling sudden anxiety, inhale lavender oil right from the bottle and get instant relaxation and calmness.

Topical use

You can rub this oil behind your ears or on the inside of your wrists for positive results against anxiety and depression

Ylang Ylang Essential Oil

how to deal with depression
Image: Shutterstock

This incredible essential oil for depression cure helps to culminate the negative thoughts which pop in the minds of the sufferer. Its sweet smell and floral aroma allow to vanishing anxiety, depression, and sadness. It promotes hormonal balance and calmness.

How to use:

Topical use

You can easily rub a few drops of the oil directly on the wrist, neck, and at the back of your ears. This will lift your mood and bring a smile to your face.

Diffuse

When used in combination with orange essential oil, the mixture helps to decrease cortisol levels in the body which in turn maintains hormonal balance. Add three drops of both the essential oils to the diffuser and relish a happy feeling.

Grapefruit Essential Oil

This fantastic natural remedy for how to deal with depression helps to alleviate mental stress and fatigue. It lifts the mood of the sufferer and energizes the body both mentally and physically.

How to use:

  • Add a few drops of oil in the diffuser to increase your concentration
  • You can also add this essential oil to your shower for instant refreshment

Sandalwood Essential Oil

Sandalwood essential oil has a warm and calming aroma which fosters mental clarity and focus. Owing to its potential effect on the brain’s limbic system, the oil is a fantastic emotional balancer as well. It helps to get away with depression and enhances your sleep quality.

How to use:

  • You can inhale the essential oil directly from the bottle or by rubbing onto the palm and inhaling
  • Massage blend- You can make a massage blend with sandalwood essential oil which will prove to be fantastic as a remedy for how to deal with depression. Follow the given steps to make a massage blend:
  • Mix six drops of sandalwood essential oil, two drops of rose oil, and a few drops of jojoba oil
  • Massage this oil under the feet and on your wrists. You can also perform a full body massage with this oil mixture

Basil Essential Oil

With its rich content of antioxidants and vitamin C, basil essential oil helps to reduce inflammation. It also helps to deal impressively with fatigue which is a primary symptom of depression. Pregnant women should avoid the use of basil essential oil.

How to use:

Combine three drops of basil oil and one drop of peppermint oil in a diffuser. This would give an instant lift to your mood and revitalize your mind and body.

General precautions while using essential oils

  • Always use 100 percent pure essential oils from trusted dealers
  • Keep these oils away from the reach of kids and pets
  • Always dilute essential oils with a suitable carrier oil
  • Use essential oils in small quantities or as prescribed by the doctor

4. Natural treatments

Some of the best natural treatments to cope up with depression include:

Exercise

Regular exercising helps to maintain a healthy body for a long run. It is vital for you to always indulge in activities that involve the movement of bones and muscles. Exercising not only helps to maintain a good physique but also makes your mind work properly. A healthy body leads to a healthy mind. With the help of a healthy mind, you remain more focused and active towards your work.

It serves as one of the most inexpensive yet helpful remedies for how to deal with depression, anxiety, and mood swings. Aerobic exercises release mood-lifting chemicals in the brain which fosters reduction of stress hormones in the body. Choose any form of physical activity which makes you happy like going to the gym, signing up for dance classes, or an even an early morning walk for nearly thirty minutes can work magic on your depressing state of mind.

Precautions to follow:

  • Increase your exercise time gradually
  • Never over strain your body
  • Don’t indulge in any activity which you don’t like as this would adversely affect your body and mind

Yoga

Yoga counts for one of the best remedies for how to deal with depression. This magical process helps to tackle emotional stress and severe depression. Striking your favorite yoga pose can reduce stress, anxiety, depression by enhancing energy level and sleep quality in the body.

Meditation

Meditation serves as a perfect way to deal with several health problems, including depression and anxiety. It is one of the safest methods to get away with almost all kinds of depression like seasonal depression, situational depression, and respiratory depression. In this competitive society, depression in children and teen depression have become quite evident.

Enrich your kids with the benefits of meditation as a potential treatment for how to deal with depression at an early age. Meditation also helps to calm your senses which allow to eradicating ill thoughts that often surface during the depression.

5. Supplements

Certain supplements work well in tackling with the significant symptoms of depression. Some of the best supplements for how to deal with the depression include:

Fish oil

Fish oil is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Deficiency of this vital element causes mood swings and depression. You can also add omega-3 rich foods to your diet in case you don’t want to go for pills.

Vitamin D

Use of vitamin D helps to cope up with the significant symptoms of anxiety and depression. Perform proper consultation from a doctor before using vitamin d supplements.

5-HTP

This supplement helps to increase serotonin levels in the body. It helps to tackle the symptoms of depression and anxiety and usually do not leave any significant side effects on the body. However, people who take 5-HTP sometimes have loose stools, so it is advisable to intake a fat-soluble version for easy digestion.

Conclusion

Depression is like slow poison. It hardly shows its symptoms in its initial stages. It becomes difficult for the sufferer to understand what they are going through and what all preventive measures they need to adapt to get rid of the problem.

After reading this article, you are now well aware of what depression is, what causes depression, and also explains the signs of the problem. With the help of extraordinary natural remedies for how to deal with depression, you can even get away with the issue readily. Choose your favorite solution and start and end your day with a refreshing mood, a broad smile, and a healthy body.

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