Introduction
This post is about depression, what it is, and how to recover from it . Specifically, it’s about learning that feeling depressed is just a feeling. It’s unpleasant but safe to feel. To recover from depression, you must first stop waiting to feel motivated to do things. Waiting to feel motivated feeds and prolongs your depression. It doesn’t work. Instead of waiting to feel motivated you must feel depressed and do constructive things anyway. This post also lists constructive things to do that will help you. The lists include many natural remedies that can relieve your depression, lift your spirit, and lighten your body.
What Depression Is: It’s Just a Feeling
Understand and take to heart what depression is: Depression is just a feeling. It’s the feeling of being “de—pressed”; that is, “pressed down.” When you feel “pressed down,” your human spirit expresses deep sadness, and your body feels profoundly heavy.
However, feeling deep sadness and profoundly heavy are just feelings. They’re unpleasant to feel and it’s safe to feel them. Not only is it safe to feel sad and heavy, it’s necessary for your recovery from depression.
Understand this as well: Avoiding feeling sad and heavy only prolongs your depression. Accepting your deep sadness and profound heaviness speeds up your recovery from depression. That said, there’s more to your recovery than feeling your sadness and heaviness. You must also stop waiting to feel motivated to do things.
Stop Waiting to Feel Motivated
To recover from depression, you must stop waiting to feel motivated. Unfortunately, those who feel depressed often wait to feel motivated before they do anything. It doesn’t work. Waiting to feel motivated only feeds and prolongs depression. Life is too short to wait to feel motivated.
Also, you must not only stop waiting to feel motivated, you must also fully accept the reality that you are depressed and feel unmotivated. Furthermore, you also need to do what improves the quality of your life and relationships. Start doing that now! You can do it because feeling sad, heavy, and unmotivated are just feelings. They’re unpleasant but safe to feel. You do well to accept those unpleasant feelings and stop waiting for them to go away before you move forward with your life. So, how do you do that?
Feel Depressed and Do Constructive Things Anyway
To move forward with your life and recover from your depression, you must feel your sadness, heaviness, and lack of motivation, and do constructive things anyway. What does that actually look like in practice? What does that mean?
It means that you do constructive things that need to be done, even though you don’t feel motivated to do them. You don’t have to feel motivated to do constructive things. Go ahead and feel unmotivated and do constructive things anyway. Yes, that’s doable.
You can feel sad, heavy, and unmotivated and still do constructive things. Doing constructive things actually alleviates your sadness, heaviness, and lethargy. It helps lift your spirit and lightens your body. It not only improves your mood and quality of life, it also improves the quality of your relationships with others.
What Are Some Constructive Things to Do?
Some examples of constructive things include, but aren’t limited to the following—
- Get out of bed sooner.
- Make your bed every morning.
- Take a shower.
- Groom yourself—shave, put on makeup, fix your hair, put on deodorant, etc.
- Look at yourself in the mirror, smile, and say out loud, “I love you. And I’m doing constructive things today that improve the quality of my life.”
- Choose at least 3 constructive things to do today before bedtime.
- Put on clothes you like.
- Have breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
- Go to work.
- Take walks outside and intentionally attend to the beauty of nature: birds, flowers, trees, the wind on your face, figures in the clouds, etc.
- Check your bank account.
- Pay bills.
- Go grocery shopping.
- Talk with family, friends, co-workers, etc.
- Limit social media.
- Listen to uplifting music.
- Watch uplifting TV shows and videos.
- Go to bed earlier.
Try Natural Remedies
Constructive things include natural remedies, such as herbs, nutritional supplements, essential oils, and gemstones. They can help lift your feelings of sadness and heaviness.
Besides, natural remedies are alternatives to and complementary with pharmaceuticals. They do reduce depression. Some are as effective as pharmaceuticals without producing negative side effects.
NOTE: Before using these alternatives, check with your primary healthcare provider, especially if you’re taking medicines prescribed by your provider.
Herbs/Nutrition Supplements
(Source: The Natural Pharmacy (3rd Edition) Edited by Alan R. Gaby, M.D., and the Healthnotes Medical Team)
St. John’s Wart extracts are among the leading medicines used in Germany by medical doctors for the treatment of depression. (400mg, twice daily for mild to moderate depression. LI 160, 1800mg daily with 150 mg of imipramine for severe depression.)
Ginkgo Biloba, 240 mg per day.
Pumpkin Seeds, they contain L-tryptophan and can help remedy depression.
Also, Saffron, Ashwagandha, and Passionflower tea.
Essential Oils
(Source: Essential Oils Pocket Reference by Essential Science Publishers)
Research on essential oils supports the health benefits of their use. Here’s a list of nine essential single oils that might help with your depression. NOTE: I only recommend organic and therapeutic-grade oils. I also recommend smelling each oil and starting with the one that smells best to you. For depression, consider the following essential oils.
Frankincense, Lemon, Sandalwood, Geranium, Lavender, Angelica, Orange, Grapefruit, Ylang Ylang
Gemstones
(Source: https://www.healingcrystalsco.com/blogs/blog/13-best-crystals-for-depression
Gemstones have scientifically verified frequencies that might help relieve depression and improve your motivation. You can carry them in your pocket and hold them when you need their support. You can also wear them as jewelry. They’re most effective when they’re touching your skin. Here is a list of seven gemstones worth considering:
Carnelian, Rose Quartz, Sunstone, Smokey Quartz, Labradorite, Tiger’s Eye, Pyrite (Fool’s Gold)
NOTE: Click on the link above to learn more about the stones and which ones might best support you.
Summary and Call to Action
Now that you know what to do about depression, feel what you feel and do constructive things that need to be done.
Also, I’m here to help you make your way forward. Let me help. You’ll feel better even sooner. CLICK HERE and Book a FREE Online Initial 30-Minute Consult with me. Why wait any longer? Start feeling better TODAY!