Depression can impact your life in many ways. You may experience physical symptoms, along with mental and emotional symptoms. And when your symptoms hit, you may find it difficult to do any of the normal activities in your life. It can leave you wondering if there a cure for depression and, if so, how to cure depression.
What Is Depression?
Depression is a mental health disorder. There are several different diagnoses that are related to depression. This can include things like major depressive disorder, postpartum depression, and seasonal depression. It impacts your mood and can bring with it many different symptoms that can impact your mental, emotional, and physical health.
Some of the common symptoms of depression include:
- Feelings of sadness or overwhelm
- Lack of interest in activities and hobbies
- You don’t feel like yourself or feel like a shell of yourself
- Feeling numb or empty / lack of emotions
- Sleeping too much or not enough
- Eating too much or not enough
- Lack of concentration or memory
- Physical pain that can’t be connected with another condition
- Digestive issues like constipation or diarrhea
- Irritability and anger
If you’re feeling depressed, you may find that you pull away from the loved ones in your life. You may not want to make an effort to talk to anyone or be around anyone. You may also find that your work gets affected, your relationships struggle, and you just lack the energy to care the way that you want to.
If you’re wondering if you’re struggling with depression, you can take this depression quiz to see if you’re at risk.
How To Cure Depression
If you’re experiencing symptoms of depression, you may be wondering, can depression be cured? While there is no one set cure for depression-like, there might be for other are treatment options available. It is possible for you to treat depression in a way that alleviates your symptoms. While that’s not a guarantee that you’ll never feel depressed again, it also doesn’t mean that you will have symptoms in the future.
There are many options for treatment for depression available, both treating depression naturally and through traditional forms of therapy and medication that can help you find relief from and overcome your symptoms of depression.
Ways To Treat Depression
There are traditional forms of treatment and alternative forms of treatment. Some you’re able to try on your own from home, and others involve seeing a professional.
If you’re looking for the best treatment for depression, here are some options to consider.
Traditional Forms Of Treatment
1. Therapy
There are many different ways that working with the therapist can help if you’re looking for a depression cure. If your depression is related to a specific situation in your past or present, a therapist can help you determine what the root cause is. Then they can help you address this situation, the difficult emotions that you have around it, and possibly even reframe the situation to remove some of the negative impacts of it.
A therapist can also help you learn effective strategies to use to deal with your depression. Some people experience relief in symptoms from traditional psychotherapy, but there are other options to consider as well.
2. Medication
There are prescription medications that are known to help with anxiety and depression. If you think that this is an option you want to explore, then you’ll need to speak with a doctor or psychiatrist. Most therapists are not psychiatrists and therefore are unable to write prescriptions for you.
If you’re taking medication, it’s important that you take it exactly as your doctor prescribes. These medications can also take time to begin working, so it is important not to quit on them after a few days if you’re not experiencing relief unless you talk to your doctor first.
Alternative Treatments For Depression
If you’re looking for how to treat depression naturally, there are several different options that you can consider either on their own or along with traditional forms of treatment.
3. Exercise And Physical Activity
Moving your body might not feel like the easiest thing to do when you’re struggling with depression, but it can help boost your mood and provide some relief from your depression. However, you don’t have to do strenuous activity in order to experience the benefits.
If you don’t have a lot of energy or don’t want to make a big effort, simply go outside and go for a walk. Not only will you experience a benefit from walking, but Vitamin D from the sun is also good for you in multiple ways. Soaking up a little sun can help improve your mood and energy a little as well.
4. Practicing Self-Care
Self-care can be one of the first things that you stop making an effort on when struggling with depression, but it’s an effective form of treatment as well. Making sure you do the little things to take care of yourself when feeling depressed can go a long way in helping you to feel better.
Self-care includes everything from eating the right types of foods and trying to get 7-9 hours of sleep each night to practicing yoga or mediation. Take time to do things that help you to feel your best. This can even be making sure you take a shower in the morning and get dressed instead of staying in your pajamas or yoga pants.
Practicing self-care is all about finding what works best for you.
5. Acupuncture
Acupuncture originates in ancient Chinese history. It’s the practice of placing needles into different parts of the body. There are certain areas that are associated with treating different areas of the body. It has been found to be effective in treating many different kinds of physical pain throughout the body. It’s also been found to be helpful for treating depression, especially for those that experience chronic pain and depression symptoms.
6. Meditation
Meditation is more than just trying to clear your mind. It’s about not judging and stressing over the thoughts that do come into your head. It’s about learning how to be in the moment and gain control of your thoughts. If you’re interested in learning how to meditate, there are plenty of free and paid apps that you can choose from.
7. Essential Oils
Some people find that they experience a boost in their mood from using certain kinds of essential oils. You can research the types of essential oils that are most helpful for depression.
Essential oils need to be used carefully, so if you’re unsure how to use them, make sure you do your research and speak to your doctor before getting started. Some commonly used oils for depression include:
- Lavender
- Orange
- Ylang ylang
- Bergamot
Can Probiotics Cure My Depression?
If you have heard people claim things like, “probiotics cured my depression,” you may be wondering if it’s true. Probiotics are known for helping people that have problems with their gut health. And there is a connection between the gut and the brain.
This leaves a natural connection for people to believe that their probiotics could have a positive impact on their depression, but the official results are unclear on if this is possible. While it could be true that you may experience a boost in mood, it may be more from having relief in digestive issues and not that probiotics are the depression cure.
Find The Right Treatment For You
Keep in mind that there are no real depression cures. However, there are many different options when it comes to how depression is treated. It’s important to remember that the right treatment is going to vary from one person to the next. What works for someone else you know might not be the best cure for you.
For example, the best mild depression treatments might not be the same as the best treatments for major depressive disorder. You may find that a mix of treatments is where you get the best results to “cure” depression. Combining more traditional treatments like therapy or medicine, along with self-care techniques and essential oils, may be what helps you feel the best.
If the first thing that you try doesn’t work, don’t give up. Some major depression treatments take time to begin working. If you have questions about your best treatment options, reach out to your doctor or a mental health professional like a therapist. They can help you customize a treatment plan to meet your specific needs to help you overcome depression.
