Depression. Now i need a breakthrough.

To give you the best answer we must first differentiate between a clinical depression and what is thought of as depression. A clinical Depression is a depressive episode that lasts for at least 2 weeks and shows 7 of the following 9 signs (taken from the DSM-5): Fatigue or lack of energy Guild or feelings of worthlessness Lack of concentration/indeciseveness Excessive sleeping or insomnia Anhedonia → markedly diminished interest or pleasure in almost all activities Restlessness or feeling slow Having thoughts of suicide or death on a regular basis Significant weight change (5% in either direction) If any of these signs appear every day, or almost every day, we are talking about a major depression in which case the first, and most important step is to SEEK HELP FROM A PROFESSIONAL! There is always someone willing to listen and help. You must find someone that knows how to deal with this and that can help you. A major Depression is very serious and you need to find some kind of help. 20% of all pople suffering from major depression develop real psychotic disorders. So please, seek help. That being said, a lot of us struggle with depressions and anxieties constantly throughout our lives. Currently speaking 5% of all people suffer from this depression and it is estimated that nearly 100% of all people go through at least one major depressive episode in the course of their life, most before they are even 30 years of age. (Source: Psychology Professors). Anxiety disorders as a whole affect a whole 40 million adults in the U.S. (18%) according to the National Institute of Mental health. This shows just how serious depressions have become, and, as with all important things, if you run into this SEEK HELP! Luckily, most of the “depression” talk nowadays just involves feeling down for a longer period of time and experiencing at most a few of the above symptoms for a longer time, which shows a minor depressive episode that can be more easily tackled. Knowing the difference can be life-saving so it is important you assess how bad your situation is first! After that, here are some of the best tips I have learned in college, from psychotherapists, life-coaches and psychological experts: Looking at the problems objectively. A Depression in any form starts with problems showing up in great abundance. These problems are not the real problem, but the fact that we maximize or minimize the problems to something far greater/smaller than they are. A break-up becomes the worst thing in existence and loosing your house doesn’t matter. Looking at the problems objectively creates a real chance to solve them accurately. Make sure you only focus on the facts, not the feelings, and talk it through with a friend, removing emotions from the problems entirely at first. Meditation. As guru-like as this may sound, meditation is receiving a much higher role in psychotherapy and is used in a lot of different approaches to many psychological disorders, but has shown to be especially helpful in combating depression. The reason for this is the fact that meditation helps calm the thoughts, which are extraordinarily negative during depressions. Limiting those thoughts limits the negativity and you can focus more on what is actually happening rather than what you believe is happening. (The specific therapy that uses this a lot is called ACT → Acceptance and commitment Therapy) Exercising. The most common symptom in people suffering from Depression is apathy towards life. They are not motivated to do anything and simply sit around, trying to waste time. If you are experiencing this then force yourself to do something! Anything is better than nothing, although exercise is one of the best things to do. Workout, do some physical activities, or be productive in some way. When you accomplish something you always feel better because you see that life can keep moving on! Accepting your situation. Most people try to deny the fact that they are depressed, hide from the negative events in the world and, simply put, run away from the truth. This denial causes them to misinterpret other events and the depression is left room to grow. Accept that there is a problem, but also accept the fact that you can change. Nothing is forever and you can do something about it. But you must believe in this first otherwise all the help in the world is not going to do anything for you. Realize it is only a season. Most depressive episodes are just that: episodes. Meaning that they show up… and then they go away. Sometimes, we just have a bad day. Period. There is no dwiddle-daddling around it and nothing we can really do about it. Accept the fact that this will happen to you but think of it like the changing of a season. We all have to go through a winter too, but eventually spring and summer will appear! Focus on what you can do. There are millions and millions of things that you cannot change. There are so many things that you wish you could do but can’t that focusing on it all the time is bound to make you depressed. Instead, focus on the actual things you can affect and change. You can do so much but you must focus on what you can do. The 3 most powerful words I have learned to do this are: “Okay… what now?” Given the situation, given everything that is going on, what are you going to do about it now? Get help. I know I have said this 3 times already but it is just that important. You are strong… stronger than you think you are, but that does not mean you have to do this alone. We are all allowed to be weak at times. No one has to carry the entire world on just their own shoulders and no one should. Getting help, even from a therapist, is nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone suffers from depression at some point so everyone needs the help. Knowing where you are weak is a sign of strength and you should get all the help you can. I mean… are you really so proud you would bet your own life on it?

So, what I am strongly recommending you is (I know it takes little will power but if I were you, I would have done everything possible to get me out of this mental hell): Do something that engages your mind. Absolutely important. You know why? It keeps your mind off of your depressing thoughts. And gradually, your mind will come out of autopilot. More you bring your mind out of autopilot, lesser it tends to fall back to old ways of thinking. Resolve right now that you will get up every morning and do some physical workout. Doing some physical workout will release feel good endorphins in your brain. Do Anuloma Viloma pranayama at any cost. Learn the right technique. This pranayama has very calming effect on your mind. This pranayama will give maximum benefits when you concentrate your mind while doing it. Don’t listen to music while doing this. Another pranayama that I would like to mention is Kapalbhati. It is a powerful pranayama which shows effects from the day 1 itself. Kumbhaka is another powerful breath retention technique that calms mind to a great extent. Do yourself a favour by learning mindfulness. Do it daily. Try to be with people. Don’t sit secluded. THIS IS IMPORTANT. If you stay alone, talk to someone. It would be even better if you could talk to someone who would understand what you are going through. Instead of taking allopathic antidepressants, use ayurvedic medicines like Ashwagandha. I have found it very effective. Antidepressants do have negative impact on your body. Vitamin C has been found to lower the cortisol levels as well. Cortisol is a major stress hormone produced by adrenal glands. You could find great info about Ashwagandha in the video in the end. Take proper sleep. Sleep deprivation actually makes depression worst. One important tip. Never use your bed to lie down and think. The reason is your mind associates bed with thinking. You must only go to bed when you are really sleepy. If you meditate and do pranayama, it will be easy for you to fall asleep. If possible, start consuming egg yolks. Consuming 3–4 egg yolks daily is perfectly safe for a healthy person. Egg yolks contain vitamin B6 which help the biosynthesis of melatonin (for deeper sleep). Take enough sunlight. Sunlight has the power to dispel negativity. Also, your body synthesises vitamin D using sunlight. Vitamin D is important for the production of hormones that keep you mentally healthy. You must adopt the attitude of gratitude if you are going through depression. It shifts your energy towards positivity. I know it would be difficult in beginning but you have to start. One secret: Mind and breath are connected. If your mind is very agitated, your breath rate will be fast. Now, if you consciously observe your breath you will calm down your mind because this very act slows your breath rate down. It works both ways. If possible, take cold showers. It literally works like a gem! try it and see its powerful anti-depression effect. I feel very calm and less reactive on the days I take cold shower. I have tried it multiple times. It works. I have read that lot of people start masturbating very frequently as it gives them temporary relief. This is the worst coping mechanism anyone in depression can cultivate. Rather, abstaining from masturbation has been seen to have improved the symptoms of depression. You can read more about this phenomenon online. If you survive depression, then it is going to make you stronger. You will find there are lot of things which do not affect you anymore. If you follow these tips religiously, your mind will gradually lose its grip over you. Patience is the key here. Realise the truth that YOU ARE NOT YOUR MIND. When it happens, you can resolve those mental issues that cause you to think negative. Matter of the fact is, you cannot fight your own thoughts, see this fact as early as possible-consider it a law. As you see this fact, you can free yourself of the mental torture that you are giving to yourself. Don’t try to fight your thoughts, you will fail miserably. Try reading “The untethered soul” by Michael Singer. This book elaborates the fact that I just told above. Most of the things that I have suggested here are to be done physically. When you do something physically, your subconscious mind starts noticing it. It knows that you are doing something which is contrary to the thoughts you are generating in mind. This slowly changes your perception about yourself (self-image) and you eventually come out of it without even knowing. I don’t know whether you have heard about Hatha yoga or not. It is an ancient practice aimed to make changes in your physicality. But it actually works upon your mind. It shows if you change your body, you change your mind as well- no exception. If you have query, please let me know. We can discuss. Thanks.

Postpartum mental health is important, consultation is required.