Treatment of Depression Without Medication or Therapy

We write our honest reviews but this page may contain affiliate links, with some of the partners mentioned, to support this website. Read more here

Table of Contents

Chronic depression is a feeling of sadness, loss of energy. It steals people. For many people, taking antidepressants, are an effective way to deal with depression, but this is not true for everyone. It is important to try different ways to cope with depression without medication.

When it comes to treating depression, individuals have a variety of treatment options depending on what will best suit their personal needs. Oftentimes, medication is the first choice treatment that comes to mind. While traditional medications are common and beneficial from depression treatment for many people.

There is a wide range of methods available, some require lifestyle changes, others require activities or new thought processes. To find a way to treat depression, you may need to try several different methods. It’s not necessary that what works for one person can also work for another.

Research shows that psychotherapy is as effective as prescribe medications in improving depressive symptoms, and the benefits tend to persist after treatment ends. Therapy addresses the root cause of depression such as anxiety, negative thinking, and relationship difficulties.    

This article will talk about what individuals with mental health conditions should consider when deciding to take treatment of depression, whether another approach might work as well.

Read more about online therapy reviews.

 

treatment of depression medication

Healthy Eating:

Everyone has heard the importance of healthy eating, you may not be aware of the many side effects that your diet can have on your emotional and mental state. It should be remembered that all of our body’s functions, including our energy level, the healing process, and much more, are derived from what we eat. You might also want to try your hand at online nutrition counseling, it helps a lot.

For example, excess sugar, salt in our diet disrupt our body’s ability to produce and process energy. Deficiencies in iron, magnesium, and other vitamins also cause fatigue. To try this way to get the treatment without depression medications, you have to apply changes to your diet and see how or if your mood improves.

  • The use of vitamins supplements with iron, magnesium, folic acid, B vitamins, and other minerals may be deficient.
  • Replace certain foods that contain fat, sugar, or salt with high in vitamins and minerals, such as leafy vegetables and fruits.
  • Replace meat with high foods like salmon, tuna, or halibut.
  • Replace noodles, rice, and starches with root vegetables.
  • Avoid fried foods as much as possible.
  • Use caution if you drink alcohol.

Regular Sleep Schedule:

Healthy eating and getting enough sleep is another essential aspect of your mental health. Not having enough sleep impacts the brain’s function more than any other part of the body. Thus this is also where depression stems from, the connection between a lack of sleep and depression is clear.

While we sleep, our brains form new pathways and allow us to process ideas, feelings, and emotions. Getting enough sleep allows us to focus on work throughout the day, think analytically, creatively, and manage our emotions. Without getting enough sleep all these activities and many others begin to fail.

For many people with depression, getting enough sleep is a challenge. These practices can help him to have a better sleep.

  • Set the time for your sleep and go to bed even if you are not tired.
  • Wake-up time should be the same every day.
  • You should sleep at least 8 hours a day.
  • Avoid using your mobile phone at least one hour before bed.
  • Avoid exercising and eating at least one hour before bed.
  • Block excess noise with headphones if you can.
  • Block excess light with curtains
  • If you cannot get to sleep, try breathing exercises.

Challenge Negative Thoughts:

Spiraling and suicidal thoughts are a common occurrence with depression. It begins with a single negative thought and can quickly turn into a string of negative feelings.  Interrupting this cycle and getting into the root of negative feelings can often relieve symptoms and stop them from getting out of control.

Keep in mind that, you cannot always control what happens around you, but you can control your feelings and thoughts.  In this way, you can treat depression without prescription medications by challenging some of the causes and side effects of depression.

Spiraling thoughts needs some practice to challenge them. Try this process when you have a negative feeling.

  • Ask yourself where this feeling comes from. Did something happen around you?
  • Consider the event by itself. What happened? Look at the facts.
  • As you follow assumptions, ask if these are valid. Where are these thoughts coming from?
  • Try to dismiss unfounded assumptions and focus on reality.

Mindfulness:

Mindfulness means “being fully present”. Mindfulness has recently become a popular subject, but this is, for many, a good way to cope with depression without antidepressant medications. Practicing mindfulness regularly can give you more power over your feelings, and help you combat depression.

Mindfulness means tapping into your senses, including taste, sounds, touch, breathing, sensation, and more. This can be used to tackle anxiety, stress, anger, and compulsive behavior, as well as other depression symptoms. This process is intended to experience without judgment and healthily direct your focus. Here are some mindfulness exercises that you may apply to treat depression without other drugs.

  • Feeling Sad, or Stressed: Make a brief check-in with your body throughout the day. Focus on your breathing, muscles, heartbeat, and bones one by one.  By focusing on your physical sensations, you can get relief from distressing feelings.  This will allow your heart rate to slow down and stay calm.
  • Feeling overwhelmed by negative thoughts: find a quiet place and remove yourself from the current situation. Start by focusing on your breathing and heart to clear your mind.  When a thought appears, acknowledge it, but don’t focus on it; think of dropping it. This may help you to stop racing thoughts.
  • Relaxation: When you have time for yourself, mindful meditation, walking, or yoga can help you relax and distance yourself from depression. Each activity involves focused breathing and conscious awareness of your body’s sensations and surroundings. Working through sessions or videos can help you learn these activities until they become natural.

Art, Music or Dance Therapy:

Expression through dance, art, or music has been an effective way to treat depression. There are many ways to practice music, dance, and art therapy, and you don’t have to be talented to do it. You can create your work, lyrics, and dance routines with others. Exploring it further will help you treat depression without antidepressant medicines.

  • Art Therapy: Art therapy treats depression in 3 different ways: expression, relaxation, and focus. Making your art allows you to express feelings you don’t talk about, instead of bottling them up. This therapy helps to redirect focus away from negative thoughts. Producing your work can elicit a calm state called a “flow state” which shows to have a positive impact on your physical and mental health.
  • Music Therapy: Music therapy can help you express difficult thoughts, and redirect your focus, even if you are just listening and not making music yourself. A slow music rhythm can help slow your heartbeat and relieve tension if you are feeling sluggish.
  • Dance Therapy: Dance therapy can help you redirect your focus away from negative thoughts and help you express yourself. This therapy can help you develop a positive body image, improve your health through regular exercise.

Writing & Journaling:

The string of negative thoughts can quickly make a bad depressive episode worse. Once these feelings set in, it can be difficult to get over them. Writing and journaling work similarly to challenge negative thoughts by interrupting the process and allowing you to process each thought individually. You can try the following to see if this way to treat depression without depression medicines is effective for you.

  • Journaling: At a scheduled time, write about your recent events and how you are feeling.
  • Poetry: Try writing a poem, such as a couplet, or free verse poem, or write about a particular subject.
  • Story: Start writing a fictional story. This may relate to real events in your life.
  • Screenplay:  Try to write a script for a play, or rewrite a play how you would like to see it.

What to write is not as important as how you write it. Be careful when you write not to reaffirm negative thoughts. Take a moment to recognize thoughts individually, for what they are. Use positive affirmations if you are struggling with negativity, and place these affirmations somewhere you will see them.

Ecotherapy

  1. This phenomenon is not fully understood, being around plants and natural landscapes has been shown to have a useful impact on physical and mental health for humans. Plants in the office can stimulate creative thinking, natural landscapes can reduce high blood pressure. For many people, Ecotherapy is one of the most enjoyable ways to treat depression. You can try the following ways to do this;

  2. Natural Landscape: Taking a walk around a garden helps you get away from areas normally associated with stress, sadness.  The clean air, reduced noise, and bright colors can impact stress, anxiety, and depression
  3. Growing Plants: Nurturing and watching a plant grow can give you a sense of accomplishment. Try growing a potted plant on your window sill or start with planting a garden. Make sure to schedule your time regularly to care for your plants.

Talk Therapy:

Talk therapy is one of the most effective ways to treat depression without depression medicine. Making an appointment with a psychotherapist and taking part in active talk sessions might help you to get out of depression. These may be one-on-one or in support groups with your therapist or also with the help of other medications.

In Talk therapy, your therapist can guide you through the best method. As it differs for different types of depression.  All of the following are benefits of talk therapy.

  • Expression: Feeling unable to express emotions can quickly make depression worse. Talk therapy allows you to safely express how you’re feeling.
  • Understanding Depression: Taking about events in your life as well as how you feel and can help you understand where your depression comes from and how it gets worse. This can help treat yourself outside of therapy.
  • Understanding thoughts and emotions: when depression sets in, many people feel low energy and find it difficult to express how they think. The therapist can help you do this.
  • Developing coping mechanisms: your therapist can guide you through exercises to cope with depression so you can use them on your own when you need to.

Wrapping up:

There are several ways to get out of depression and you can choose more than one treatment to get relief from severe depression. Depression tends to linger when patients make up a reason they can’t do things. By doing several activities every day especially when you don’t feel like it is vital to the treatment of clinical depression.  These positive thinking skills may take time and practice, but if you don’t take the time to be well now, the periods of “unwellness” may be forced upon you later.

Finally, keep in mind that there are ways to treat depression without medication. When you are open to therapy, you can find an approach to mental illness that works best for you.

Treatment Of Depression FAQs

The main drug used to treat depression is an SSRI, which stands for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. Examples other antidepressants include fluoxetine, paroxetine (Paxil), and fluvoxamine.

The top five antidepressants commonly prescribed for depression treatment include citalopram, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, and sertraline.

The most important treatment for depression is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a psychological treatment for mild depression that focuses on changing negative thought patterns and behaviors to improve mood and well-being. CBT is widely recognized as an effective approach for managing major depression.

John S. - Editor in Chief
Latest posts by John S. - Editor in Chief (see all)

Share this post

Related Articles