11 Fun Ways To Solve Depression Without Risky Meds
Slasher films, Keto foods, and other unconventional therapies for depression that you probably didn’t even know existed, curated by TrySecondOpinion.com
Depression is a serious problem, period. The world witnesses almost a million suicides each year due to untreated depression, and according to estimates by the World Health Organization, about 3.8% of the entire world’s population is affected by it, including 5% among all adults and 5.7% among senior citizens.
While the general idea of ‘how to define depression’ largely still remains a social paradox for successive generations, it gets even harder to solve when approached with rigidity. Traditionally, the treatment of depression that has been diagnosed as clinical, is supported by various forms of medication, from the dreaded days of Prozac, to the more ‘sophisticated’ variants such as Cepralex, Haliperidol, and other chemical stimulants / inhibitors which work by limiting brain functions that are responsible for the body to understand how it’s feeling. And while these medications are not supposed to be sold without valid medical prescriptions, the rampant abuse of such drugs can be attributed mainly to the blind-sided approach that most people follow when attempting to fight something that they don’t completely understand.
The trouble is, if this type of medication is practiced unsupervised. then a patient of depression is susceptible to various side effects and potentially fatal withdrawal symptoms. It is a matter of severe irony, that one of the most common withdrawal symptoms of most anti-depressants is (drumroll please) suicidal behavior!
Non-medicinal therapy is available today, but the scaterred and disorganized nature of such services makes it very difficult for the right candidate to find the right counselor in the right location at the right time. Here, it becomes very important for patients & caregivers to be aware of non-invasive and non-medicinal approaches that can significantly improve mental health.
Disclaimer : Patients diagnosed with clinical depression, or with suicidal tendencies should always seek professional support.
To make things easier for someone who’s having a really bad day, week, month, year (or life?), we’ve compiled a list of some of the best available modes of alternative therapy that can keep those gloomy shadows at bay. These activities do not require any medicines, have no withdrawal symptoms, and when viewed in a general social context, are completely harmless.
Storytelling — Become a Griot or a Bard
Storytelling is one of the oldest methods of communication known to mankind, which gained ground in Europe and West Africa as a healthy mental exercise. Storytellers are allowed the otherworldly luxury of relating to their own characters, which can be an intensely enjoyable process. And when a good listener consumes our story, they fight our battles alongside us. Working on interviews, writing autobiographies or journals, attempting short stories, poetry, lyrics (or rap?) are some of the best available modern-day methods that can help us get into a better mood and develop a sharper memory.
Binge-Watching Slasher Films & Horror Films
Remember Scream? The Shining? Or the early 21st century cult hit, Train to Busan? For fans of the more recent Lionsgate legion of movies like Saw and Hostel, the inherent cinematic depiction of death & gore in any spine-chilling thriller with a respectable “body-count” is enough to inspire goosebumps. But there’s a lot more happening under the surface when you binge-watch an hour or more of gruesome deaths. Many reports have suggested that unsettling movies are a great genre choice to watch with family and friends as it helps build a bonding experience for everyone, since everybody is tuning into the same emotions. It also provides relief with a clear and crucial element of control, triggers an adrenaline rush and consequently elevates mood. Not just that, watching horror movies also shifts the viewer’s worries away from the self and towards the (usually running & screaming) characters on screen, effectively ending an anxiety episode by the time such a movie ends.
The Kon Mari Method (Clean Up & Make Your Bed!)
In this therapy, Marie Kunduo’s method is related to tidying up the environment in which we live, i.e. de-cluttering. This helps keep the brain free from all the external mess that’s usually reflected in one’s inner struggle, manifesting as depression. Therefore, a relaxed mind can sleep comfortably at night only when the surrounding is clean and tidy, and the bed is made.
Rainbow Of Noise-Colors (and White Noise)
A lot of people may have heard of white noise therapy, but unknown to most, there’s an entire rainbow of noise-colors — comprising pink, brown, and black noises that have different kinds of impact individually, unlike the full spectrum coverage of white noise. While the pink and the brown noises help focus on lower frequencies, black noise is characterized by the sound of complete silence, which is just the opposite of white noise.
However, white noise too has its own unmatched benefits. It reduces anxiety through humming, which isolates all other sounds, shutting the doors to the rest of the world (this is a prerequisite for meditation, for inducing sleep and
to reduce stress). It’s a masking system, since it keeps volume levels consistent, covering up the impact of sudden sounds.
Disclaimer : It is important to note that white noise isn’t a complete solution and cannot be substituted for medication or therapy as it can be impactful for many people.
Mozart’s Recipe (Powerful & Resonant Sheet Music)
“The success of a particular policy prescription is always a gamble” — this held true until 1993 when the Mozart effect was reported by the researcher Rauscher et al, who found that listening to the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart contributed to a signficant increase in alpha waves, while Beethoven’s symphonies had no such effect.
This is primarily attributed to the range of the power of Hertz, increasing the secretion of the hormone Serotonin (which is responsible for sex drive, memory retention, learning, and neuro-modulation).
Gut Bacteria Cultivation (Did Someone Say Yogurt?)
There has to be some skepticism regarding the relation between moods and critters in our duct, but if we look closely, it has been found in many optimistic studies that gut bacteria is one of the many therapies which helps one come out of the malediction of depression. Think gut bacteria, think probiotics and yogurt (yum!).
The Power Of ‘Blue’ Spaces
Seasickness & depression don’t seem to be buddies. The aesthetic remuneration of blue spaces is immense, including a tug–of–war with mental disorders and distress. The gift of frequent visits to inland blue and coastal blue spaces is discrepant. It is one of the best possible anti-anxiety therapies with which one must affiliate to experience better mental health conditions.
Stoicism
‘Some things are within our control and some things are beyond our control”. In stoicism, the primary goal is to achieve eudaimonia, a state of living in accordance with nature that facilitates satisfaction and happiness. Living with one’s reasoned choices and fulfilling the role that we have taken birth for, whatever that may be, and focusing on only what we can control, not being deceived or affected by the things which we don’t have any control over (such as someone else’s perceived emotions and reactions to what we do) is the foundation of a stoic existence. And as the definition suggests, it’s an incredible way of life.
The Canaries & The Monk
The nonchalance-emanating canaries have a positive association with mental health. The promising health benefits of these birds are celebrated throughout the world’s leading monasteries, and hence, it’s advisable by many therapists in modern times to have these melodious creatures in our homes as much as possible.
Keto Diet (Wait, What?)
We’ve all heard about the debate surrounding the purported health benefits of a ketogenic diet, but what’s way more interesting is the impact that it has on mental health. A ketogenic diet manages our blood sugar levels efficiently, playing a key role in managing depression and anxiety. It also produces Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter that effectively manages stress, anxiety, and mood. Keto is known to improve mitochondrial function — Our mitochondria generate energy inside the brain, which helps combat the implications of low energy levels, a major cause of depression. A Keto diet plan also improves anti-oxidant status, and helps reverse some of the damage caused by free radicals, lessening depression and anxiety.
Gossip (Yes, you heard that right. Or wrong? Who cares?)
One would argue that while a chinese whisper dilutes the essence of truth, it probably works wonders as a pastime that can keep an entire army occupied!
“Fires and swords are slow engines of destruction, compared to the tongue of a Gossip” — when Richard Stelle said this out loud, he probably didn’t get into the other, usually ignored aspect of being a Paul Pry, which means that gossiping helps in increasing the levels of hormones that are responsible for euphoria, love, trust, generosity and harmonious social behavior.
There you go! Binge-watch a good teenage horror drama or Gossip Girl on Netflix, take that long-awaited vacation at sea, start a set of really weird but funny rumors about your friends & siblings, lick the mozarella off a ketogenic pizza, or attempt to be the next Mike Shinoda — if you’ve made up your mind to fight depression without meds, an exciting new world awaits you.
