Depression : Don't be afraid (Part 2)

The three biggest things that I would recommend supplementing are a quality B vitamin complex, vitamin D, and fish oil (make sure it’s one with an especially high quality omega-3 fatty acid).

I can’t stress this point enough…

I felt a noticeable turning point in my cognitive functioning, mood, and ease of getting to sleep, when I started taking vitamin d, omega 3’s, and a B vitamin complex. It was a night and day difference and it largely happened within the first week of taking them on a daily basis. I wish I had done it sooner.

Omega 3’s especially have shown to be an extremely promising antidepressant replacement, with zero side effects.

Stephen Ilardi, the author of The Depression Cure, writes:

“Because the brain needs a steady supply of omega-3s to function properly, people who don’t eat enough of these fats are at increased risk for many forms of mental illness, including depression. Across the globe, countries with the highest level of omega-3 consumption typically have the lowest rates of depression.

Clinical researchers have even started using omega-3 supplements to treat depression, and the results so far have been highly encouraging. For example, British researchers recently studied a group of depressed patients who had failed to recover after taking antidepressant medication for eight weeks. All study patients stayed on their meds as prescribed, but some also took an omega-3 supplement. About 70 percent of those who received the supplement went on to recover, compared with only 25 percent of patients who kept taking only the medication. This study–along with a handful of others like it–suggests that omega-3s may be among the most effective antidepressant substances ever discovered.”

If you want to read more on this, I deep dive further into eating for anxiety and depression in tip #2 of this article.

Eating right – seed habit: pick up an omega 3/fish oil supplement, vitamin D, and B vitamin complex and take them all daily. Also, if you can, drink a green smoothie every morning.

3. Prioritize quality sleep

If you’re slamming coffee, isolating yourself indoors, and only sleeping for an hour a night, it is absolutely inevitable that you’ll feel terrible within a week (whether you classify yourself as depressed or not).

Sleep is when we recharge at the deepest level. This is when we regenerate and rest.

Do whatever you need to to prioritize high quality sleep. It can be challenging to do when your mind is racing, but there are steps that you can take to overcome this.

Do as many of the following as possible/as you feel called to do:

– Cut off your interactions with all tech/blue screens at least two hours before you go to sleep. The blue light messes with your sleep patterns.

– Keep your bedroom at a cooler temperature. People have an easier time falling asleep and staying asleep when the room is a few degrees below normal room temperature.

– If you do have to look at screens before bedtime (maybe watching TV/Netflix relaxes you) then make sure that you wear blue light blocking glasses.

– Hang blackout curtains in your room to block out all excess light. The darker the room, the more likely it is you’ll fall asleep with ease and stay asleep until your body wants you to wake up (as opposed to just waking up when the sun rises).

– Read a part of a fiction book before bed or anything that engages your mind away from ruminative thinking.

– Journal out your thoughts before you go to bed. If you write them down on paper, it will feel like you’ve somewhat let go of them and allowed the book to hold your thoughts so that you don’t have to.

– Cuddle someone and/or have sex. Physical touch releases happy brain chemicals that relax you. If you don’t have access to someone to touch, then give yourself a massage (you can use lavender essential oil or magnesium oil for added benefit) or cuddle with a stuffed animal or pet

(to be continued...)