9 alternatives to antidepressants.

There are several alternatives to antidepressants that have been found to be equally effective or far more effective than antidepressants or even the best rehab treatment, in certain situations.

I have curated a list of 9 proven antidepressant alternatives you can use for treating cases of depression whether mild or severe. These alternatives are safe for use but it is highly recommended you seek the advice of your medical doctor before proceeding with any.

• Regular exercises: Exercising is a proven means of regulating your mood to avoid depression. These activities help relieve stress, inducing endorphins, dopamine, and many other hormones which cause one to anticipate pleasure, feel motivated, maintain hope and stay happy. You can do these exercises at home or register at a gym.
• Join a self-help group: To avoid suffering a relapse in your journey to beat depression, join others who are on the same journey as you, hearing their stories and their accomplishments would keep you motivated and hopeful that you can also break free from the claws of depression.
• Meditation: Meditation is a great way to increase your mindfulness and your concentration. By being more mindful, you will be careful with what goes on in your head. This helps you to replace negative thoughts that make your mission appear too bleak to achieve with optimism.
• Electroconvulsive Therapy: Electric shock treatment is a proven means of treating severe depression. It is usually completed over 6 to 12 sessions within 3 to 6 weeks. It helps to disconnect areas of the brain associated with depressive thoughts. They may be combined with another treatment as the results are temporary in nature.
• Develop healthy sleeping habits: Too little or too much sleep can cause depression. So work with a professional on how to develop a smart and balanced sleeping habit that will help boost your mood and avoid depression.
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: These are talking therapies where you receive counseling from a professional on how you can identify events that trigger depression, avoid such triggers and overcome negativities in your thinking. They are perceived as an effective standalone treatment for treating depression.
• Find a healthy support system: Depression makes you feel lonely and keeps you detached from society. A good way you can overcome this is to get involved with positive people like your friends, family members, and so on who will encourage you and support you through your recovery from depression.
• Register for counseling: Counselling is another type of talk therapy that can help you fight depression. Counseling involves talking to a professional about your problems and he or she will assist you with practical guides on how you can overcome them without actually telling you what to do.
• Eat healthy foods: What you eat has an influence on how you feel. It is important you avoid sugary and processed foods while battling depression. A healthy diet of adequate vitamins, minerals, and proteins will help you to stabilize your mood. You can talk to a professional dietician to help you formulate a feeding plan.
• Herbs: These are natural supplements for fighting depression. Natural herbs like saffron and St John’s wort have a track record of helping people cure depression symptoms. It is however advisable that these herbs are not used together with antidepressants.
• Avoid drinking alcohol: Many people resort to alcohol as a quick fix to lift their spirits but in the long term, alcohol contributes to depression. It also interferes with sleep which may even cause depression to be more severe.
• Keep a journal: Findings show that writing your thoughts in a journal can help you clear your mind of negative thoughts which may spiral to depression.10 habits of highly successful sober college students.