adamdon

It certainly doesn't help when you're feeling emotionally down to also be dirty. Getting up and showered and dressed can't hurt, and often times, will do WONDERS on your mood. So try it out! Once when I was going through a bout of depression, someone made me promise them that I did 2 things every day: 1) make my bed and 2) take a shower. I only abided because of the promise, but I have to say, getting out of bed, making your bed, and then taking a shower can do wonders on your emoational well being.

Being down or blue at times is a natural part of life. 'You have to take the ups with the downs' is a common held sentiment that seems to be true. There are even some evolutionary theories on why we, as humans, needed depression as an evolutionary tactic. An example is to say that depression came about to tell humans that they needed to change something in their surroundings.

The same can be said of depression today; it is our body's way of telling us that something needs to change (environment, outlook, activities etc.) However, major depressive disorder (link) might indicate more than simply a blue period, it might be a chemical imbalance in the brain that needs intervention to realign. Which treatment(s) really helps return balance to the chemicals in your brain is different for each individual. Hopefully you can find appropriate treatments for depression right here on FoundHealth!

To read more, click on depression causes and read the section on 'commonly hypothesized adaptive evolutionary theories on depression'.

Suzy- All forms of exercise are good for helping alleviate your depression symptoms, even if you don't really feel like exercising!

I tend to believe that the best form of exercise is the one that you enjoy the most. It's true that exercise is known to raise endorphin levels which often make people feel better (depressed or not) but more than simply looking to up those endorphin levels, the activity itself should be enjoyable! So if you like to swim (as I do) then go for swimming! I find a zen-like state when underwater (since virtually all noise is blocked out) and find that the regular and repeated movements and breaths really help calm the anxiety in my body and mind. But if you prefer walking, yoga, biking, dancing or any other form of exercise, then go for that; the most important thing is to get your heart rate up and to ENJOY the experience!

FoundHealth does have an article on Depression and Exercise if you're interested (just click that link.)