Recently, there has been a new trend of taking ORS for Sahur. People are now of the habit of drinking the oral rehydration salts mixture during or immediately after the pre-dawn meal in Ramadan. This habit is more prevalent in Kano State, even though other states have...
Have you heard of Vaginal Yeast infections? I ran into an old secondary school classmate at the university clinic where I interned. She came in with a medical report for a test to be carried out. Upon carrying out the test and dispatching the results, she...
Many ladies experiencing dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation) have asked this question over and over again, "Should I take pain relievers for cramps?” Some have received “Yes" but have been battling with the question "What then should I take? Some have received “No"...
Kayan Mata translates as "women's property." This category, Kayan Mata Hausa encompasses all of the products used by women. However, aphrodisiacs are more commonly referred to by this term. Aphrodisiacs are substances that arouse or are thought to arouse sexual...
Thanks to psychology, we understand that our experiences and actions have an impact on the way we think, comprehend, and behave in our daily lives. While some of our experiences influence our behaviours positively, others could negatively affect the way we perceive and interact with ourselves and our environment, thus impacting our behaviours. An example of such negative conditions our experiences could lead to is depression. There are many ways we can cope with depression both medically and naturally, however, we’ll be looking out for ways to avoid depression naturally.
Depression is a negative affective state characterised by feelings of extreme sadness, pessimism, and despondency that interferes with daily life. Now, this is different from the mood changes that people regularly experience as a part of life.
Depression can be caused by major life events, such as grief or the loss of a job. However, feelings of grief are only considered to be part of depression if they persist and affect the daily life of an individual.
You might have heard people or even you easily say “I’m depressed”. It is important to know that depression is an ongoing mental state and not a passing one. Feelings of depression must consist of episodes in which its symptoms last for at least two weeks before it is considered as such.
Depression is characterised but not limited to:
Other than medication and therapy, there are a lot of activities and behaviours you can engage in to combat depression. These behaviours influence your behaviour, physical activity, lifestyle, and even your way of thinking. Such behaviours are all means to avoid depression naturally.
Examples of behaviours you can engage in to avoid depression include:
Depression often settles in with feelings of worthlessness and helplessness. This feeling makes you think you can’t accomplish anything in life, thereby making your condition even worse.
To fight these feelings, set daily goals for yourself. You could start with little things you know you could easily do such as tidying up your room and doing the dishes. As you feel much better about yourself, you can set more challenging daily goals.
It is no news that regular exercise helps keep our physical body healthy. What you might not know is that it is a way to avoid depression naturally. When you exercise, you boost the production of endorphins (known as feel-good chemicals) in your body. Endorphins stimulate your brain to rewire itself in positive ways.
Depression affects the daily life of an individual. The overwhelming feeling of helplessness makes it difficult for people to organise and function properly. Having a routine will help you function and organise your day, thereby managing your feeling of helplessness and developing in you, a feeling of accomplishment.
While there is no food that magically fixes depression, you might want to be careful with what you eat if depression tends to make you overeat. Eating healthy foods accompanied by proper eating behaviours could help reduce the impact of depression in your daily life.
Some food items containing omega-3 fatty acids (such as salmon and tuna) and folic acid (such as spinach and avocado) have been associated with the ability to help ease depression and lots more.
Psychologists have identified a strong connection between depression and insomnia. Having difficulty in sleeping is a common symptom of depression which worsens the condition.
Below are some tips you can use to improve your sleep naturally:
Many people who feel depressed seek to wash away the feeling with alcohol or drugs, sometimes both. In reality, alcohol and drug use drown them in their feeling of depression by making them focus on the symptoms they exhibit, thereby making the condition even worse.
As explained earlier, depression is accompanied by feelings of worthlessness and helplessness. A little word or act demeaning a depressed person further worsen symptoms of depression, just as a word or act of encouragement towards a depressed person helps with symptoms of depression.
Focusing on the right relationships that encourages you to feel comfortable, goes a long way in maintaining a healthy mind free of depression.
Symptoms of stress and depression can be triggered by numerous factors; this might be different in individuals. To reduce these symptoms, you could avoid being exposed to triggers you’ve commonly identified. For some people, these triggers could include exposure to certain news, movies, things, places, or even people.
Another major symptom of depression is the loss of interest in activities previously enjoyed. In depressed moments, what you use to do to have fun might feel like a chore, nonetheless keep trying to enjoy them. This would help keep your mind engaged positively.
Also known as Psychotherapy, talking to a mental health professional helps a lot in cases of depression. Here, psychologists help you identify the cause(s) of your depression and proffer practical solutions to help you cope and manage the symptoms.
Such therapy could be one-on-one, with your partner, family members, or a group of people with similar symptoms who meet just for therapy.
Depression cannot always be prevented or avoided as most causes are stressors that are part of life. However, effective treatment is available and an adjusted lifestyle can help you cope and manage symptoms.
It is advised to reach out to a mental health professional if symptoms of depression are overwhelming, such as thoughts of inflicting pain on oneself or others, death, or suicide.
Depression is often mistaken for just being sad. They are sometimes caused because of one another. However, they are not always identical.
Being sad is a symptom of depression but we also have times where being sad is normal such as when we lose someone. Depression on the other hand differs from sadness in its intensity and duration. Depression is experienced daily turning into weeks and months affecting our work, family, and personal life. That is not normal.
Depressions mostly occur as a result of an extremely stressful experience. There’s no certain way to avoid depression but you can reduce your risk for it by getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, eating well, improving your self-esteem, reaching out to friends and family if things get hard, and getting help if you think you are depressed.
While depression is mostly caused by experience and social interactions, the special interactions of multiple genes in our body have been identified to contribute to various types of depression in families. No particular gene is responsibly known as the “depression gene”, however, many genes are known to contribute small effects towards depression when they interact with the environment.
As explained above, depression can be caused by any event or experience that you find extremely stressful and overwhelming. However, some happenings are known to trigger the feeling of depression the most, these major causes are:
From the moment you think you are depressed, you could strategies by doing some research on lifestyle changes attributed to depression from reliable sources such as a therapist’s website or material before proceeding to see a therapist.
You could also directly reach out to a therapist. It is always better to seek professional help rather than wait for the symptoms of depression to grow on your mental health.
You could also check: 15 Foods That Will Boost Your Immune System
Sleep is one of the best gifts given to man by the Creator. Imagine how life would be if there was no night at all, and one has to work for a good part of the 24 hours. Scary, right? Well, apart from getting an opportunity to rest, sleep also has several other...
The rambles of traditional medicine sellers through loudspeakers is the hallmark of northern Nigerian markets. We buy a myriad of regimens to strengthen our physical health, but the noun ‘mental health’ sounds unfamiliar to our intellects, even though many people...
Ulcer medically means a wound that does not heal and becomes ulcerated. It is a sore that forms in the lining of the stomach or the first part of the small intestine and it is researched to be majorly caused by helicobacter pylori (H. pylori); a bacteria that attacks...
Knowing your body posture and how to increase body posture in general is very essential for the human body. Posture is the position in which you hold your body while standing, sitting or lying down. A good body posture involves training your body to stand walk, sit...
Emotional Abuse, unlike physical abuse, can be complicated to identify. While physical abuse often comes with obvious signs, emotional abuse isn't that obvious especially when you are the victim as you must be in some kind of relationship with the abuser. Emotional...
There is a current craze about having a slim figure. This is especially common among female folks. As a result, it has led many to the use slimming teas. The effectiveness of the slimming tea is the center of most adverts. But wait, is slimming tea really effective?...
Ever heard of the old adage "You are what you eat?" Well, it has never been truer! As time goes by, exposure to ultraviolet rays can cause premature aging of the skin and a sign of sun damage such as wrinkles, leathery skin, sunburns, skin cancer, and the list goes...
Managing your work, family, and personal life, trying to find balance in the daily hassles you encounter can become overwhelming to your body and mind. In response, your body develops certain symptoms, these physical symptoms are collectively identified as signs of...
You have probably taken several measures to avoid bad breath, including regular brushing, flossing, rinsing with a mouthwash, and many others, but it all does not seem to be working. The culprit could be right under your nose – the food you eat! Here, we are going to...
Ramadan, the best month of the year is just a few days away and perhaps you are already thinking about how to do away with the unpleasant mouth odour that usually accompanies the fast. Well, you're in the right place, as this article seeks to tell you how to prevent...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Over time, I have come to realize that you don’t necessarily have to register at a gym or join a weight loss community to lose weight. You can achieve your goal in the comfort of...
When it comes to how to lose body fat quickly, there are so many steps on the internet, some would tell you to go on a high protein diet, some would tell you to work out...
Dear September… this is a month dedicated to raising awareness of sickle cell disease, celebrating the achievements of survivors living with sickle cell and it entails things to...
Constipation is defined as when stool moves too slowly through the digestive tract. It also occurs when stool cannot be eliminated effectively from the rectum, which causes the...
Eyes are the window to the soul. Without our vision, almost everything comes to a halt. Without the eyes, you won’t be able to read this today. Good eye health starts with the...
Weight loss has been on the trend nowadays. People wanting to get rid of body fats, belly fats, and so on to be fashionable, or to just lose weight because of people body shaming...
Amalala Mai pitsarin kwan ceYa tsula ya koma tsulawaDa ya tsula sai da ya kai Sokoto The above is a very popular song used to shame those who bed wet as kids. They are asked to...
Breast cancer is an abnormal growth of cells in the mammary gland. Mostly affects the inner lining of the milk duct and the lobules that supply them with milk. However, the signs...
The increasing rate of diabetes is alarming, resulting in about 1.6million death yearly, with its major percentage amongst developing countries, Nigeria included. Both young and...
Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our Editorial Team.
0 Comments