If you have depression and you want to treat it without the use of medicines, there are plenty of alternative therapies. These therapies vary from diet and exercise to lifestyle change and mental conditioning.

Not everyone is fond of medicines when treating mental health illnesses. Medicines can assist you for a small period but alternative treatments like lifestyle changes can help you cope with life’s challenges long-term. Here are some of the therapies and activities that can be used in addition to talk-therapy for treating depression effectively:

Exercise

Exercise is an excellent way of rebooting your energy and dealing with mental health challenges. By doing different forms of exercise, the body releases hormones that are effective in reducing stress, inducing relaxation, and boosting the energy levels. It is a fast and easy way of improving your well-being. Do check with your doctor first before adopting any exercise. Adding a little amount of exercise in your daily routine can help you cope with daily challenges in the most effective ways.

Meditation

Meditation is an excellent way of establishing inner peace to effectively deal with your depression. It is a sort of relaxation therapy that induces calmness and it must be added to daily exercise for a few minutes. Even 10 minutes of meditation can help you clear your thoughts and let you focus on peace rather than all of the negativities around you.

Massage

A massage helps to decrease tension and stress while helping you to feel more relaxed. It releases hormones like dopamine and serotonin while reducing cortisol which accounts for the symptoms of stress, depression, and it helps to improve sleep. Getting a massage can also improve the mind-body connection that raises a person’s awareness to what is happening internally. There are several techniques of massages (such as deep tissue, Swedish, hot stone, and reflexology) that can help to relieve symptoms of depression and stress.

Yoga

Even when you are depressed and not really feeling like getting up, a quick session of yoga can bring you the calm and peace that you may lack in the moment. The practice of yoga can be a simple stretching and breathing technique that helps you feel energized, ignoring all the negative vibes around, and it can calm your mind even when you are in a state of anxiety. This type of exercise is a link between your mind and body. Yoga consists of specific postures and positions to within the exercise practice to help your body feel stronger.

Acupuncture

It is an ancient Chinese technique in which very fine and solid needles are stuck into the body at specific points that help in preventing and curing disease. Acupuncture induces balance in the body by producing the chemicals that eliminate painful sensations. Recently, many studies have found that acupuncture is effective in treating depression as well. Some people have found acupuncture to reduce symptoms of depression in a way that can be more effective than other therapies. But, when it is added to the talk therapy, it can certainly enhance its effects.

All of these activities and therapies are very effective in treating depression. If you are at the start of it, these activities can help you get a hold of your depression before it begins to feel really out of control. But, even if you are following some type of psychotherapy protocol, these are a few alternatives to medicine that can enhance its effect and set you on a better, long-lasting path to wellness.

Written by Rida Farhat

Edited by Tracie Stewart