If you tick these 3 boxes your road to recovery has begun.

Over 322 million people worldwide experience depression and it’s growing, so what’s going wrong? It’s stated that more than twice the number of women suffer from depression than men. But is that a true statistic?  

Could it be that men find it harder to admit it, or go public, and say “I am depressed.” Men often see the label of mental health issues as a sign of weakness and are expected not to make a fuss and get on with life. 

But this could be the main reason why more men commit suicide than women? Not getting the help they need before it’s too late. But luckily there seems to be a growing awareness of the problems that are associated with mental health such as depression. Prominent media stars and even the attention of royalty is now bringing us to a realization that many suffer in silence for years, resulting in a growing epidemic of suffering.

Did you know that worldwide it is estimated that depression is responsible for the deaths of 800,000 people through suicide every year? So what’s the cause? How can we change these awful statistics of lifestyles that cause depression? 

Depression is the result of complex interactions of social, psychological and biological factors, but why is it growing? I have found working in my practice for over 30 years that there seems to be correlations and patterns of lifestyles and belief systems that seem to lead to depression.

Diet

Can what you eat cause depression or should I say what we don’t eat? The answer that I have found is an astonishing ‘YES’. Medical research states, if you do not have a balanced diet or your body, is starved of certain building blocks in the form of vitamins and minerals, especially it seems with B vitamins you are potentially in trouble. Lack of B6 and B2, for instance, can cause depression, irritability and fatigue. Vitamin D deficiency can also cause depression.

This deficiency has been blamed on our modern lifestyles. It is believed that vitamin D is needed in the body to absorb calcium, but because people are working far longer hours they are not exposing themselves to sunlight which normally tops up your vitamin D.
Deficiency of iron and selenium is also on this list, and so it goes on. So the first priority, if you are suffering from depression, is to get your diet right and tick the Diet Box!

Have a blood test, get your levels of vitamins and minerals checked. Often a simple hair test sample can be useful to find out if you have any deficiencies.

Exercise

Many studies have shown that its quite clear exercise definitely eases symptoms of depression. It has also been found to keep depression and anxiety at bay and to keep it from coming back after you have recovered.

So how does it work? 

Exercise has been shown to have physiological and physical benefits that improve mood and reduces anxiety releasing feel-good endorphins in the brain. Also, it is good to have social interaction for example, when you join a gym, partake in a sport, go running, walking, taking time out to talk to others along the way. 

30 minutes or more of exercise for 3 to 5 days a week can significantly change and improve depression or anxiety symptoms. So don’t delay, get started as soon as possible.

Think Right Be Right

Studies have shown that when a person smiles or laughs it increases the serotonin hormone in the brain. This is the sunshine chemical that makes you feel great. But here lies the problem, what if you don’t feel like smiling or laughing? I get it, let’s change this, have you ever asked yourself what causes unhappiness and where does it come from?

It actually comes from that old chestnut, FEAR. You will find yourself thinking and saying things such as;

“I don’t think I look good”

“I don’t think I’m successful”

“I’m not earning enough money”

“I feel I’ve failed in life”

The list continues. These thoughts lead to despair which is actually a feeling of not being in control as if life is dictating and you haven’t got a choice, the result is becoming fearful. One of the results is a lack of self-worth and a strong feeling of failure in life. 

The self-critic then appears, leading to, if you are not careful, depression. 

So this final box needs to be ticked you need to Think Right to Be Right, rather then lowering your mind to keep worrying and thinking in a negative way. So what do we do? 

It’s quite simple we have to become the watcher of our mind, every moment of every day. How many times have you found yourself straying down the negative road of thought before you pull yourself up and say, “stop thinking like that”. 

If you become the watcher you start to discipline your mind. The watcher automatically can stop you from travelling down that negative road. The result can be truly astounding.

You see positive thoughts change not only the chemicals in your brain, but it also makes you feel more optimistic and more in control to change things that you don’t like in your life. You just have to change the habit of how you think. The watcher will do this, trust me it works. How many of you who suffer from depression may say “I have tried what you are proposing, but my will power is weak.” 

I get it, even when we try and change addictions like smoking, drugs or alcohol we often need an aid of some sort I agree. That’s why to strengthen your mind leading to stronger will power I have created a simple meditation course, this is like a gym for the mind.

If you want a stronger muscle in your arm you exercise it using a heavyweight which creates a greater strength.

This meditation technique will do the same, rather than strengthen your muscle you begin to strengthen your mind. The watcher can now do its job, the result is contentment, peace and happiness. At last, you start to realize you have always deserved to be at peace and be happy. This is the state of mind you’ve always deserved. 

Boxes ticked, well done. Its time now to step out of the darkness and switch on the light, it seems that when one or more of these boxes are not ticked this creates a problem. When I have worked with individual people and we have ticked all 3 of the boxes, its as if we have all the parts of the jigsaw puzzle in place and suffering at last stops.

Believe me when I tell you, it’s now time for a change.