Cure for depression without medicine?

I have been coping with nightmare for the last week or so.

Depression hit me from time to time, I have heard Saint John's wort yogi tea is good for depression and been drinking lots.

I also took herb sleeping pill which isn't too strong.

Is there any recommendation that works well for you without relying on too much medicine? I don't want to be addicted, just to want my feeling better.

Change your frame of mind.

Accept depression as a normal part of life, and work* through it.

*

Mow the lawn, start a garden, paint, clean, fix, change oil, help family/friends etc. etc.

It depends if the depression has a chemical basis or not. Also St John’s Wort is not harmless read up on side effects. Just because it says herbal doesn’t mean that it’s harmless . Also if you’re female it can mess with your birth control.

Hey whenever i start feeling anxious or depressed I go for a hike, go to a class at the gym - do any form of exercise to get my heart racing and every time without fail I feel SO much better. I never used to be a big exerciser but once I realised what it does for my mood I’ve become a lot more consistent and my mood has been incredibly better. So if you haven’t tried it already I would say get out there and get your heart rate going. You’ve got this!!

Depression pills aren't that addictive as some people make them sound. They give you the boost you need sometimes in order to actually get out of bed and start breaking that vicious circle depression get's you in.

In any case, you can start therapy. That will do wonders! You want to "kill" the monster before it gets worse, and it can.

Re-reading your post, are you just looking for a way to sleep better? Warm baths? Exercise that will make you tired? Avoid naps. Start taking walks, go out with your friends,that's exhausting too. What is bothering you lately? Unfinished business?

I strongly recommend therapy though.

You don't really get "addicted" to anti-depressants, but some of them are particularly difficult to come off of. Therefore you can end up taking them for a longer period than you might actually need or want to.

I've had depression on and off throughout my adult life. Unfortunately, I'm resistant to anti-depressants.

Some of it seems cliche, but my base to getting my depression under control:

- A healthy diet that cuts out sugar. I find sugar messes with my moods. I find omega 3 fatty acids help a lot, either by eating salmon/sardines/mackerel or fish oil supplements.

- Good sleep. I actually think sleep has the most effect on my depression.

- Light exercise ie going for a walk, preferably in nature. When I feel depressed, going to the gym is way beyond my motivation level so I just go for a short walk and tell myself I can stop once I get to the end of the street if I wish. Most of the time, I end up going for a 1 hour long walk.

- Keeping my mind active by reading, listening to lectures and podcasts. Becoming intellectually stagnant leads me to ruminating on negative thoughts.

- Ensuring that I'm not isolating myself from friends and family.

And yeah, some sort of therapy helps a lot too. That's where anti-depressants can help - sometimes you can be too depressed for therapy to be productive.

I had something happen to me that put me in what I considered a depression and it was hard to get out of. I would distract myself every time I thought about what happened to me. It took a lot of hard work to lift myself out the huge funk I was in but I did it. ApocalypseDrea above had some very good ideas.

Thank you for everyone for valuable advice.

I'm interested in therapy but therapy has not developed here so to speak in my country.

People here on this site has been listening to my woes for the last week or so, and it has been helping me so much.

Maybe I should look into online therapy.

I've been eating sweets too much, the stress has been making me crave for sweets though.

I'll start with cutting sugar.

All that's mentioned above - exercise, diet, doing something positive to stimulate your mind. You can also jolt yourself so to speak by doing something completely new and different. Basically break your daily routine, go on a road trip over the weekend and change your environment, have a completely new experience. Think of it in terms of stimulating your mind out of depression.

I also eat junk food when I'm down. I feel so much more balanced and stable when I cut out sugar from my diet. Caffeine also affects my mood negatively. It's difficult to cut sugar from your diet, but after a day or two of feeling really irritable, your body and mind adjusts and feels so much better.

The other thing is making sure you are out in the sun for half an hour or so every day to keep your Vitamin D levels up. If there isn't a lot of sunlight, take some vitamin D supplements.

Messing around randomly with unproven herbs can do more harm than good. If you want a non-medication approach, there are lifestyle changes such as better overall diet, getting fit/physical activity, better sleep patterns and good use of leisure time such as seeing friends, taking classes, volunteering, etc. as well as talk therapy.

Depression hit me from time to time, I have heard Saint John's wort yogi tea is good for depression and been drinking lots.I also took herb sleeping pill which isn't too strong.

Healthy diet. Exercise. Socialising . Doing things you enjoy.

There is also a great book called 'The Upward Spiral' by Alex Korb about the neuroscience of depression and how you can change your thoughts in a positive way (it's really easy to read and understand as Well!)

If it persists for a few more weeks then you need to go and speak to your GP. Anti depressants and some sort of Talk Therapy might be something you need to consider if it carries on. Depression isn't something to ignore.

Thank you.

I'll be careful with the herb..

I bought fish oil supplements today and I'll take 90 days to see if it will work for me.

I've always wanted do hiking in nature maybe it's the time for me to do that.

Thank you for recommending a book, I saw "upward spiral" has got a lot of reviews in the amazon. I'll check!

Sadly you are doing more harm than good by not getting a proper physical exam and workup. Also taking more and more garbage supplements. Why won't you address your symptoms with real solutions? It sounds like you spend your life behind a screen and in front of tv.

I bought fish oil supplements today and I'll take 90 days to see if it will work for me.

I am trying to walk 8k a day everyday though..

Sadly you are doing more harm than good by not getting a proper physical exam and workup. Also taking more and more garbage supplements. Why won't you address your symptoms with real solutions? It sounds like you spend your life behind a screen and in front of tv.

You’re right. I may have been spending my life behind the screen.

Thank you for your words. It hurt me a little first as it sounded like i’m pathetic. But I really want to change myself better. Thank you again.

Hello canj,

I really feel sorry for you that you have been through too much. Like you said you have taking herbal pill to kill the depression but it can be treated in natural ways also. Hypnotherapy is one the natural ways to cure depression. There are self-hypnosis mp3's and hypnotherapist that can help you treat your depression.