When you’re experiencing full blown depression, you probably need therapy or prescription medication. However, there are things you can do to help curb your depression so that you never reach this stage. You’ve probably heard that old cliché of wanting chocolate after a bad day. But have you ever had a piece of chocolate when you feel slightly depressed? If so, you may be surprised to note that you actually do feel a little better after eating it. Here are four different foods that can help perk you up from a mild depression.

Dark Chocolate is the first food. Note that milk chocolate, while very tasty, doesn’t contain anything that will help your mood. Dark chocolate contains several different ingredients that can help you feel better. The main one is called phenylethylamine. This ingredient can greatly alter our mood by increasing the amount of serotonin in our bodies. Serotonin helps regulate mood and stop depression. Dark chocolate also contains antioxidants, which can increase your health.

Tea is a great drink that can help make you feel better. Some of the ingredients in tea help reduce the amount of cortisol in your blood. This hormone is one of the things that makes us feel stress. Some types of teas, like green tea, also feature the same antioxidants as dark chocolate. In addition to the ingredients in tea that make you feel better, just the simple act of drinking tea can be relaxing. Taking the time to boil the water, make the tea, and then sit down to relax and enjoy your comforting, hot drink can help make you feel better.

Nuts of almost all kinds are also a great snack, especially if you don’t get enough fiber in your life. Nuts provide protein and other healthy supplements, but the main thing we’re interested in is the high amount of Omega-3 fatty acids that nuts include. These are the same acids that are found in most fish, and studies show that ingesting Omega-3 acids can help make us feel better. Ingesting a good amount of Omega-3 acids also helps us feel better overall.

Finally, salmon is another great food that has a ton of health benefits. As stated above, fish, especially salmon, is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon is also high in Vitamin D, another nutrient that can boost our mood. It, like dark chocolate, stimulates the body to produce more serotonin. Because salmon, and fish in general, are so good for us, nutritionists recommend we eat fish for two meals a week.

While eating these foods may not always keep you from feeling depressed, especially if you’ve lost a loved one or some other major event has occurred, they can help relieve mild depression and make you feel a little better about life.

Labels: anxiety, depression, health

Often, people who are suffering from depression are also suffering from something else: thoughts of suicide. During times of depression, especially deep depression, people no longer think rationally or clearly, even though they believe they are. This can lead to them seeing their life and their world as being the absolute worst it can ever be. This then leads to thoughts of killing themselves to end this horrible existence. People who suffer from depression and emotional issues need to get help before they start thinking of suicide.

As you may know, depression can affect anyone—teens, middle-aged professionals, retired people…depression doesn’t only affect specific people. There are many different studies and tests exploring depression and how it connects to suicide. Many of these studies are focused on college students because many students find themselves under a lot of stress. This stress can lead to depression, especially if the student is having difficulties in class. Failing students, especially during final exams, may start thinking of harming or even killing themselves.

If you suspect you may be suffering from severe depression and are having thoughts of suicide, or if you believe a close friend or family member is contemplating suicide, here are some signs to watch out for:

The person starts to give away his or her belongings, especially favorite items or items with significance. Often they make a presentation of the item or put stress on how much they want the person to have this item.

The person begins to have a strange fascination with death and with suicide. They may talk about it often, even to the point of making everyone around them uncomfortable. They might read books on the subject or watch macabre television shows or movies that feature suicides.

The person becomes a heavy drinker or dives into drug use. He or she may suddenly start trying all sorts of different drinks and drugs just to have the experience before ending their life.

The person starts talking about death and being dead in a very positive light. They may actually voice a wish for being dead. They will talk about how peaceful and clam the afterlife must be and how great it would be to be reunited with passed on loved ones.

The person may also have sudden mood swings. They may go from being happy to being very sad very quickly.

The person may also start widely spending money. They may take a sudden, expensive vacation, buy people expensive gifts, or even stop paying their bills because, as they may say, “there’s no point to it.”
Remember, depression and suicidal thoughts should be taken quite seriously. Many people who have suicidal thoughts do not go through with them, but a good number do end up killing themselves or making an attempt. Helping someone think positively and seek the help they need is absolutely a must.

Labels: depression, health, online_pharmacy

We all see advertisements on television that tell us how depression and/or anxiety is caused by this type of chemical imbalance in our brains and how medication can fix that, but like all advertising, we shouldn’t take this information at face value. Some psychologists and health experts, in fact, believe that using medication to treat anxiety and depression is simply a bad idea overall. Many others, however, feel that anxiety and depression medication is the best way to deal with these issues. Both groups have a large number of supporters, and there is supporting evidence for both cases.

Drug companies and others who manufacture, promote, and dispense anxiety and depression drugs want us to all think that these products can quickly and easily re-balance chemicals in our brains to make us happy. However, the groups of psychologists who don’t believe in medication say that this isn’t as quick and simple as the commercials make it out to be. While they don’t deny that depression and anxiety can be made worse due to a chemical imbalance and that medication may help with this issue, they believe that the chemical imbalance is only one part of the problem. In order for a person to truly become less anxious or less depressed, other factors need to be addresses. Drug companies don’t focus on these problems, of course, and many who fight anxiety and depression don’t, either. For many of these people, medication does help their symptoms but it doesn’t make their depression or anxiety completely vanish.

Most psychologists feel like medication companies are just out to make money and prey on customers who are simply not educated enough about their condition. These companies offer a quick cure to an ailment that can have horrible effects on a person’s life, so of course they’re going to grab it. Psychologists and other health experts, however, point out that while severe chemical imbalances may be the cause of some anxiety and depression, it is not the cause in many cases. In these cases, a person needs to discover the emotional or psychological cause of their anxiety or depression and deal with it. Once they have handled this cause, they may find that they no longer suffer at all.

What it all comes down to is this: some depression and anxiety is caused by chemical imbalances and some isn’t. Medication companies, of course, want your money, and their commercials and other advertisements are aimed at those who want a quick cure for their anxiety or depression. However, since not all cases are caused by chemical imbalances, these medications are not always going to help. The only real way to discover if medication is useful in your case is to consult your doctor. Do this, of course, before you spend any money on expensive medication that may not help you at all.

Labels: anxiety, depression

Have you ever wondered why you feel down around the holidays? Aren’t they supposed to be happy times? Your holiday depression isn’t just your imagination—it’s a very real thing, and many people suffer from it. If you find yourself depressed around the holidays, here are some ways to help cheer you up.

- Acknowledge that your depression is real. If you’re recently lost someone close to you or are away from your family during the holidays, it’s normal to feel a little sadness. Forcing yourself to be happy and pushing away the feelings of grief you have will only repress the emotions.
- Don’t seek comfort in eating or drinking. Many people feel like they’re obligated to gorge themselves during the holidays, but if you’re feeling depressed, you may start comfort eating. Using food to dull your emotions only leads to weight gain, which causes more depression. Likewise, don’t drown your depression in alcohol, either.
- Look for support. If you’ve lost someone, talk to your family about it and share you emotions. If you’re far from home, turn to your friends, co-workers, or religious community. All can offer you support and friendship during the holidays.
- Likewise, you can always volunteer at a local soup kitchen. You’ll find plenty of people to talk to, and you’ll feel good for helping others.
- Make plans. Stress at the holidays can only add to your depression, so do your best to avoid it. Plan out your shopping, cooking, and travel so you have plenty of time to accomplish everything.
- Watch your budget. Again, stressing over money can lead to further depression, so know how much you can spend and don’t let yourself spend more. Look for more meaningful ways of expressing your affection if you have a small budget.
- Some people do experience seasonal affective disorder, a disorder caused by the shorter days. If you suspect this may be the cause of your depression, consult your doctor. You may need to purchase a special light to help fight off the depression.
- Go exercise. During the colder holidays, many people stop doing outdoor activities because of the weather. Find alternatives to these activities—join a gym, learn indoor exercises, or bundle up and go for a run.

Remember that during the hustle and bustle of the holidays to take some time out for yourself. You don’t have to always be on the go. This is why it’s important to plan. In amongst all the shopping, baking, and visiting, be sure you have a few moments each day to relax. Too many people get wrapped up in what’s expected of them during the holidays, and when they don’t accomplish it all, they become more depressed. Remember that holidays aren’t about giving but about being together, and don’t stress over it. Instead, focus on your family or community and enjoy giving what you can.

Labels: depression, no_prescription, online_pharmacy

In this day and age, it seems like the vast majority of people are constantly dieting and trying to lose weight. If they aren’t actively working on slimming down, they’re working on maintaining their ideal weight. Losing too much weight is, of course, a health risk, but the opposite is certainly true as well. Obesity seems to be more and more of a problem, especially with teens. There are many causes of weight gain. Some of it is hereditary. Some of it is simply eating wrong. However, there’s another cause of weight gain that many people fail to address: depression.

When we get depressed, we often turn to something comforting to temporarily make the depression go away. We want to be happy, but rather than dealing with the cause of the depression, we want a magic cure—something that makes us feel good right away. For some, this is becoming engrossed in a hobby or in their job until they shut out the rest of the world. For others, it’s food.

Comfort eating is the term most commonly used to refer to people eating as a way of feeling good. To some extent, we all do this. Who hasn’t stopped off for some ice cream or had a candy bar after a bad day at work? These little pick me ups generally aren’t a sign of depression, and most of the time, they’re harmless. They’re just little treats that we use to make ourselves feel a little better after a bad day. However, when it goes from an every now and then treat to an every day necessity, it has crossed the line.

It can be hard to see the signs of comfort eating right away. In fact, to some extent we even encourage comfort eating in those who are suddenly depressed, which is a danger. After someone has died, friends and family often bring over food for the gathering after the funeral. Usually, this is food that makes people feel good, and it’s this food that starts the eating. Other times, people will take a depressed friend out to dinner at our favorite restaurant as a way of trying to cheer them up. This starts the mental association of food and good times or at least time spent with friends and family.

Following the immediate “food therapy” that friends provide, people begin seeing every day as a horrible day, and they start falling back on their comfort foods to cheer them up. These are usually foods that aren’t good for them in large quantities, such as ice cream, chocolate, and greasy foods. During depression, diets are thrown out the window, and even healthy eating is set aside so we can eat food that makes us feel better about the world.

Battling comfort eating is not easy. If you find yourself gaining weight immediately following a depressing event, take a good look at your eating habits. Often, breaking out of eating comfort foods is the first step towards getting out of your depression.

Labels: depression, online_pharmacy

Everyone gets depressed from time to time. There are many causes of depression. Some are beyond your control, such as the death of a loved one or a natural disaster destroying your home. Other causes, such as losing a job or causing a car crash may have been avoidable, and this leads to an even deeper depression. However, if you allow depression to take control of your life, you’ll end up spiraling down into despair so deep and so dark that you may not easily be able to get out of it. If you find yourself slipping deeper and deeper into depression, here are some coping techniques that may help you.

- Talk to someone. It may sound like a cliché, and it may be much easier said than done, but talking to someone else about your depression and the causes of it can be very helpful. This doesn’t mean you have to go out and see a therapist. Just talking to a close friend or relative can be enough. However, if the person you’re talking to isn’t a good listener or criticizes you to the point that you feel worse after talking to him/her, you may want to find someone else to chat with.

- Get out of the house. Too many depressed people stay shut up in their home all day. They don’t do anything very productive, either—most simply sit around watching TV, sleeping, or just wallowing in their depression. This doesn’t help. Even if you are sitting at home doing something productive, it’s still a good idea to get out every now and then. A change of scenery can help a lot, even if it’s just running to the grocery store or having a quick lunch with a friend.

- Don’t change your habits. Often, people who are depressed will stop exercising, working on their hobbies, and in general disrupt their entire routine. Do your best to not allow this to happen. While your depression may be caused by a life-changing event, you should not allow it to disrupt every aspect of your life in the long term (short term disruption is to be expected). Try to get back to your regular (or at least as regular as you can make it) routine within a few weeks at the most.

- Talk to a professional. If speaking to a friend or family member just isn’t helping, you may want to seek professional help. This doesn’t always have to be a long-term commitment—some people only need a few sessions to start climbing out of their depression. Others, though, may need years. Cost may not always be an issue—some employers offer a set number of free counseling sessions as part of their benefits package.

- Finally, consider medication. Your doctor or therapist may recommend you take an anti-depressant. This is nothing to be ashamed of. Some people find themselves depressed without any reason to be. The cause of this is often a chemical imbalance, and prescription drugs can correct it. However, don’t jump straight to medication as the only answer. Sometimes, other methods work just as well.

Labels: depression, online_pharmacy