Are you feeling depressed? Ten proven ways to combat depression 26^th October 2021

According to the World Health Organization, around 57 million Indians suffer from some sort of depression. Depression takes a considerable toll on your health. It can make you feel physically weak and mentally drained, challenging your desire to seek treatment and get rid of it.

We've curated a list of ten beneficial tips to manage depression without the need for medicines and improve the quality of your life.

1. Follow a routine:
When circumstances become unpredictable, a routine can help you feel organized, minimize stress, and cope with change. When you stick to a schedule, you prioritize self-care activities which you often overlook when life gets complicated.

2. Value yourself:
Take out time for your interests or extend your skillset. Cook your favourite dish, go dancing with your earphones on, learn a new language. Do what pleases your mind and soul, and treat yourself with compassion and respect.

3. Consume healthy food:
Diet can affect your mental state in ways that you can't imagine. Make sure you consume a well-balanced diet that's low in saturated fat and rich in nutrients. A nutritionist or dietitian can assist you in analyzing your eating habits and identifying any dietary deficiencies that may be contributing to your mental health.

4. Exercise:
Exercise stimulates those chemicals in your brain which are in short supply due to the depressive phase. Studies show workouts help you boost your endorphins and truly make you happier.

5. Meditate:
Mindfulness can help you change how you react to negative sensations. Meditation teaches the brain to maintain continuous attention and focus when unpleasant thoughts, emotions, or physical sensations enter.

6. Change drinking habits:
Alcohol is a depressant, so that's already a big NO while combating depression. Coffee has proven to have adverse effects when combined with sugar. Try to lower down your consumption of coffee as a whole, and if you decide to have it, have it unsweetened. Strongly linked with depression are sweetened drinks, so it's a better option to distance yourself from them.

7. Socialize with people with a positive mindset:
Interact with people who lift your spirits. While it's OK to spend some time alone, strike a balance and avoid isolating yourself; otherwise, the sadness will persist.

8. Music therapy:
Music improves the mood and general well-being of a person. Music therapy involves playing music using various instruments, singing, dancing to music, or simply listening to it.

9. Get inspired by motivational content:
It can change negative thoughts and make a depressed person feel better. Depression-fighting literature, quotes, movies, and posters differ from person to person. Go online and read reviews to get a sense of what could work best for you. You can listen to podcasts or watch videos of motivational speakers.

10. Volunteer:
Volunteer for acts of kindness, donate for a good cause or commit a random act of kindness. Presenting or performing acts of charity can have comparable mood-lifting and well-being benefits.

Sadness is a complex emotion to deal with; these ways are only supposed to act as your support in the tough times. If you have chronic depression symptoms, always seek professional help. Understand that depression is just a bad phase in life that will eventually go away if you stay positive and strong.

By taking too much stress, you will affect today's strengths by worrying about future. One way you can avoid the additional worries of tomorrow and make your future secure is health insurance. Health problems due to depression involve medical expenses that may drain your pockets. So, consider buying health insurance to cover the losses. To simplify this, online Health Insurance provides you with a suitable plan to protect you from any impact on your financial plan.

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Disclaimer: The information provided above is for illustrative purposes only. To get more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before purchasing a policy.