Depression as an illness that is not totally preventable. Like any illness there are certain things you can do in your life to help offset the severity of depression and its progression.
What can you do to help prevent illness?
You can stay healthy, live longer, and delay or prevent many diseases by:
#1. Exercising -Do any physical activity you enjoy for 20-30 minutes five or six days a week. Talk to your doctor about the right exercise program for you.
#2. Eating well-Eat a healthy diet of different foods like fruits, vegetables, protein (like meat, fish, or beans), and grains (like rice). You should also limit the amount of saturated fat you eat.
#3. Keeping a healthy weight - Watch your portions, and try to balance the number of calories you eat with the number you burn by exercising.
#4. Not smoking -Talk with your doctor about getting help to quit smoking.
#5. Getting preventive services - Delay or lessen the effects of diseases by getting preventive services like screening tests to find disease early, and shots to keep you from getting dangerous infections.
Exercise or other forms of physical activity are known to reduce debt anxiety and stress and reduce the effects of depression. Whether you join a gym or take classes or simply walk around the block a couple times a week it is not only good for your body and your physical health which are mental well-being as well.
What can you do to help prevent Depression?
- Keeping yourself connected to your family, friends and loved ones
Another problem often encountered by those suffering from depression is a desire to cut themselves off from the other people around them. Withdrawing from others is a common symptom of depression but is counterproductive. Keeping yourself connected to your friends and loved ones gives you someone to talk to will understand your problems and sincerely want to help you. It also keeps you active in your social life and keeps your mind busy and not focused on the problems that cause you stress.
Keeping up with your old friends and your family as well as meeting new people helps to alleviate feelings of depression and loneliness. Another common symptom of depression is the feeling of overwhelming uselessness end helplessness. Keeping connected with others helped to defeat these feelings.
- Doing activity
As above one of the biggest keys to preventing the effects of depression is activity. As opposed to the way you feel when you are depressed wanting to hide under the covers of not do anything activity is the most important thing you can do to help yourself. Get involved in a new hobby or escalate an old one. It doesn’t matter what it is you can go bowling or build model airplanes as long as you keep your mind active busy and concentrating on tasks that you enjoy and can accomplish easily.
- Enjoying your hobbies and simple things that are fun to do
Another major symptom of depression is feeling overwhelmed. By enjoying your hobbies and simple things that are fun to do you help to alleviate that problem. Being frustrated with over exalted goals can compound the anxiety and stress of depression. If you have big projects at work or home break them up into smaller easily accomplished goals. This will give you the status faction of completion at each step and make the bigger goal less daunting.
- Pay attention to your own physical needs
Pay attention to your own physical needs. People dealing with depression often become so overwhelmed but they ignore their body’s everyday needs. Getting plenty of sleep, eating well, getting regular checkups are important aspects of your overall health and combat the effects of depression.
- Keep away from alcohol and nicotine
Moderate your consumption of alcohol and nicotine. Alcohol is a depressant that can severely affect those suffering from depression. Even small amounts can escalate the feelings of inadequacy and guilt and overall dissatisfaction and depression. People who are depressed are prone to alcoholic addictions. There’s a tendency to want to drown away their problems when in reality the problems still exist and will still be there when the alcohol wears off.
One of the best thing is you can do to help prevent depression is to conquer the feeling of being overwhelmed by your problems. Plan out your days and plan out your goals and tasks to help alleviate the stress and anxiety that trigger depression.
