Numerous people are turning to drug-free treatments backed by science to tackle depression. These recommended methods have been scientifically proven to ease and reduce the symptoms of depression. What have you got to loose? Give it a try.
Exercise – Physical activity jump starts the neurotransmitters and gets the endorphins (analgesic hormones) flowing. The power of exercise has been documented extensively on how it desensitizes the body to certain kinds of emotional stress. The key is increasing core body temperature which leads to warming the brain stem, and that has a relaxing effect.
Mindfulness training – You are what you think. With only 8 weeks of mindfulness based cognitive therapy (like meditation and yoga) has shown to reduce anxiety and depression better than antidepressants (JAMA Psychiatry – 2016)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – We call it “simple talk therapy” and it directly focuses on retraining the negative thought patterns that cycle through the brain. Effective as medication, but reprogramming and correcting our thought patterns takes practice (e.g. 15-20 sessions)
Behavioral Activation Therapy – this approach “brings you back” to this world as most folks tend to escape, withdraw, and retreat. This approach involves identifying what spirals you into a black hole, and you learn to establish meaning in your life through helping others such as volunteer efforts or donating, which stimulates specific sections of the brain. See Evolution of Kindness post on how helping others impacts the brain.
Source: Time Magazine, Copyright 2018
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