10 Things that might just help with Depression

 

Here are some of the things you can encourage your Sufferer to try, in order to keep on top of depression. Some of them we've mentioned before but here they are, all in one place.

In no particular order!

1. Routine - To avoid feeling as though one day is just a continuation of the day before's drudgery, it's good to establish *some* sort of a routine. I realise that's easier said than done some times! But it makes sense that a bit of routine will give shape to the days and weeks so at least they don't blend into each other. I'm going to try to do this with my sufferer as we have virtually no routine from day-to-day or week-to-week!
2. Goal-setting - Start small but start nonetheless. Depression leaves the sufferer feeling incapable so each day that trickles by with nothing accomplished only makes it worse. Setting a goal - even if it is something as basic as loading the dishwasher every day - begins to fight that sense of uselessness. And, as each goal is achieved, their coplexity can be increased to slowly bring your Sufferer back up to speed.
3. Exercise - Healthy body, healthy mind. Very true. But better than just that, the chemicals released in the brain when we exercise - endorphons - are nature's natural highs. They make us feel better by flooding our brains with loveliness. Exercise can also tie in very well with forming part of a routine and with your sufferer's goal-setting.
4. Food, glorious food - avoiding lots of fat, sugar and caffeine can help. Also, eating bananas promote feel-good chemical production. There has been research that suggests that a low-carbohydrate diet is not helpful for depression and rather eating a good amount of carbohydrate by way of rice and pasta (not so much from potato) is beneficial.
5. Sleep - Get enough of it but don't get too much. That goes for both you and your Sufferer. Napping during the day isn't usually helpful. If you can get your routine in place, sleeping should form a part of that. If your Sufferer struggles to sleep, try to avoid watching TV/using a laptop in bed. Keep the bedroom as your sanctuary for sleeping only. (Well, and for baby-making practice - that counts towards exercise!)
6. Responsibilities - Make sure your Sufferer has some. My Sufferer has been struggling with work but is beginning to take on responsibilities at home, over and above those I refuse to ever adopt myself! [Bins are a boy job!] Tie these in with your routine and goals.
7. Negativity - Trying not to let it take over is hard enough. What your Sufferer needs to try to do though is focus on their negative thoughts in order to rationalise them and then, eventually, find a different way of looking at them the next time they crop up. Mindfulness courses might help - my Sufferer has undertaken one recently but only time will tell if it's going to help him to think differently!
8. Medication - There are many different anti-depressants available now which can help to avoid the very lowest of lows. They tend to keep the Sufferer on an even keel. There are other supplements thought to help such as Omega-3 and folic acid which you could talk to your doctor/pharmacist about.
9. Try something new - anything goes really! This is a tricky one though. Although there's a lot to be said for the feeling of satisfaction we derive from trying something new - excitement, satisfaction - for a sufferer of depression, the perceived risks associated with it and their generally negative outlook can make this impossible. If they can be persuaded though, there are rewards to be had.
10. Fun - It sounds glib to suggest you tell your Sufferer to try to have fun. Depression's main aim can often seem to be to strip the joy and fun out of the Sufferer's life, leaving it devoid of pleasure and happiness. Try really hard not to let it. I've noticed that we're having more fun lately - just silly stuff like dancing around the kitchen with the kids or laughing at silly pictures on the internet. It all helps release a few more blobs of happy chemicals in the brain. And we ALL need as much of that as we can get!

I'm going to start implementing some more of these suggestions tomorrow - starting with drawing up some kind of schedule/routine with my Sufferer. I'm hopeful this will provide the framework for a lot of the other elements to slot in to. Here goes!
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The Chicken or the Egg?

I have learned so much today and am armed with an array of further research that should keep us in blog posts til about Christmas! Assuming I can find the time to actually read it all!

Today has been a food day though so I just had to tell you about it.

My Sufferer is a fussy eater. In fact, he is in a league of his own with his fussiness! No just certain foods but flavours, textures, levels of ripeness, methods of cooking... you name it. It's annoying and often embarrassing - my 31 year old partner requires more thought when planning food than any one of our 3 children! Today's hardship was apparently the wrong flavour gravy to go with the lovely roast my aunt had prepared.

Is this a depression thing or is he just incredibly fussy?

I have no idea. However, I have learned that there are foods that Sufferers should be eating and not just for general health reasons but because they actively help with mood. These include:

• Brown rice
• Brewer's yeast
• Whole grain oats
• Cabbage
• Raw cacao
• Brazil nuts
• Dark molasses
• Walnuts
• Flaxseed
• Oily fish (salmon/tuna)
• Bananas

The crux of it seems to be boosting B vitamins, selenium and Omega-3 fatty acids. For lots more info, take a look here.

This is only part of the picture though. Apparently there are a whole host of drugs - prescription and non-prescription - which reduce your body's levels of these vitamins and minerals.

On top of that, Sufferers should avoid caffeine, smoking and foods high on fat and/sugar. My partner drinks lots of Coke, eats sweets by the tonne and would happily live on McDonald's which might explain something.

He might be happy to learn that chocolate is on the menu for its ability to increase endorphin levels but not the yummy milk choccie that is also rammed with sugar!

Have your Sufferers identified foods that affect them? Have you noticed any patterns? I'm going to see what we can do between us to test this theory. Don't expect anything too scientific bit I will report back.

Good luck!

Follow on Facebook and Twitter @PondersNeverEnd or use #CrazyStupidDepression