Depression is more than just feeling down and blue, and it’s not something that you can psyche out even though its considered a mental disorder by most experts. Today, more than 20 million people in the United States alone suffer from this condition, and while it affects ones quality of life, it can nevertheless be overcome. If you are suffering from depression, some of the few symptoms that you will experience would include feelings of sadness and indifference, loss of appetite, difficulty of sleeping, unusual fatigue, muscle weakness, and worse, thoughts of suicide. The last symptom in the list should give you an idea that depression is not something that you should take for granted. Whether you or a loved one is suffering with it, you should act at once and deal with the problem immediately.

There are several reasons why a person gets depressed. In order to solve the problem, you have to get to the root of it and determine what may be causing you to feel depressed. This is the first step in curing depression, because if you keep on denying the fact that you are indeed suffering from such condition, it will only make matters worse. Determine the things that you think might have caused you to feel the way you are feeling and deal with it. By all means, let people whom you love know if you are depressed so. Just as the old proverb goes, “No man is an island.” Letting your feelings out would be a helpful idea than to keep your problems to yourself.

One of the things that most depressed people do is lock themselves in their rooms and try to isolate themselves from the outside world for days or weeks. Instead of doing this when you’re feeling depressed, go outside and find something to do that will help shift your focus from your problem to other things. Sometimes, it only takes a few fun activities to get rid of the negative emotions that are trying to pull you down. Or, why not try to go the gym and have a good workout? According to studies, exercising is one the best ways to boost the mood. The credit is given to endorphins, chemicals produced in the body during exercise that makes you feel good. In fact, these chemicals are often referred to as “feel good” chemicals because of their ability to improve the mood for long periods of time.

Sometimes, inadequate sleep can also result to depression and even bipolar disorder according to medical studies. There have been proofs that depressive illnesses or mood disorders are caused by poor sleeping habits. This is the reason why people who get only 4 hours of sleep end up grumpy aand irritated throughout the day. Therefore, try to get as much sleep as you can at night so that you’ll wake up feeling much better the following day. In the afternoon, try to get a 20-minute power nap as well. One of the things that sleep does to our body is to boost the healing process of damaged cells and tissues. You can’t also deny the fact that sleep is one way to forget the things that are worrying you or causing your anxiety.

Your diet also plays a very important role in fighting depression. As much as possible, stay away from sugar-rich foods as sugar has the ability to cause hormonal fluctuation and give you mood swings. Instead, go for foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. These kinds of foods are considered anti-depressant. They also offer good nutrition for the brain. Sources of omega-3 include fish oil, cauliflower, broccoli, tuna, salmon, sardines, and mackerel. Not only do these foods help cure depression, they also help strengthen your cardiovascular system by lowering your blood cholesterol.

Finally, fight depression by shifting your focus to the positive things in life instead of the negative. People who are depressed have a tendency to fix their eyes on the things that can destroy rather than build them such as their problems with money, family, and health. On the other hand, seeing things in a positive way is a huge step out of depression so start focusing on your blessings rather than your failures. Do this especially during the times when you feel not like doing it and you will be amazed how it will shift your mood in an instant.