"Healing" Depression: My Personal Experience (Tips and Tricks)

Depression is not just a "state of mind" or "stage," it cannot just be "cured" by staying positive or smiling. Depression is a mental illness and just like all mental illnesses, it is difficult to overcome, treat and/or manage. I have struggled with depression since I was thirteen, so about six years now. However, for the past two to three years, my depression has less prominent. What I mean by this is that because I am not on medication, my depression is not completely gone, but it comes in stages. I have tracked my depression and have noticed that it often comes in waves, such as during certain months or can be triggered by certain stressful situations.

Some background information: I was recommended by a psychiatrist in a hospital to go on antidepressants. My father seemed fine with that but my mother was strongly against it. In addition, my psychologist clearly was not qualified enough to correctly diagnose me, and even if she did, she never explicitly told me what issues/mental illnesses I was struggling with. This left me with a clear void and constant confusion. Without a diagnosis, I was left feeling lonely and misunderstood. I also didn't know what treatment to pursue to overcome these issues.

*Disclaimer: I know that the methods that worked for me are NOT a complete treatment and I know that they will not work for everyone. HOWEVER, these methods are what worked for me and you are welcome to give it a try if you'd like.

1. Diet

Okay, let me start off by saying that in no way, shape or form am I saying that a healthy diet and lifestyle will cure ALL your problems. It probably won't. However, I changed my eating habits drastically for a period of time and I realized that during that time, my depression almost disappeared. Of course, vegetables aren't magic, but they can significantly improve symptoms of depression. That doesn't mean that eating a stalk of celery after eating an entire week of unhealthy meals will help. In order for this to work, you need to significantly improve your diet. Trust me, it sounds insane, but it works wonders. Fun fact: a large quantity of our serotonin (about 90-95% of it) is made IN OUR GUT! I mean, that has to mean something, right? Our gut and our mind are connected, so what you put in your body can really impact the chemical function of your brain, and after all, mental illness is often chemical and not just emotional. That's why I believe that this method works, because it is chemically altering your body's make up. (For more information, check out this link: https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/09/gut-feeling or google "serotonin and the gut." There is a TON of research about this being done.) A healthy diet can mean a lot of different things depending on how you define "healthy." It can also mean different things depending on what you can eat because of religious/medical reasons. For me personally, I focused on a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and protein; whole/natural foods. I limited/eliminated sugars, refined grains, and processed foods. I also initially made the MISTAKE of completely cutting out gluten---WARNING: A GLUTEN FREE DIET IS NOT HEALTHY IF YOU ARE NOT GLUTEN-SENSITIVE OR HAVE CELIAC DISEASE. I made a mistake when I did this and my body actually reacted adversely and I BECAME gluten sensitive because my body started rejecting it. Also, I've done an insane amount of research about this and trust me when I say, a gluten-free diet can be full of sugars and unhealthy stuff that your body does NOT need. I unintentionally cut out gluten because I did not want to consume refined grains. I also do not enjoy the taste of whole wheat products. Hence, I just completely cut out wheat. I don't think this is a good idea. Grains are really good for you. Just try to avoid the processed, packaged, white breads/pastas/crackers. Opt for whole wheat, whole grain and healthier alternatives that are less processed. Try brown rice instead of white rice, whole wheat/veggie pasta instead of regular pasta, and whole grain bread instead of white bread. Another misconception is that carbohydrates are bad for you. That is WRONG. Your body needs carbs to function! Just try to obtain your carbs from vegetables, fruit, legumes and WHOLE grains instead of cookies/crackers and stuff like that. I personally focused on a diet focused around vegetables, fruit, legumes and protein, which worked really well for me.

2. Writing

I might sound biased saying writing can help with depression because, well, I'm a writer. But again, I'm speaking about my own personal experiences. I'm not a doctor. However, writing has helped me immensely. Writing one journal a day has been vital to my recovery. Whether it's venting, poetry, blogging or just writing a step by step of my day, it has really helped me heal and has also helped me track my depression cycle and figure out situations that may trigger me. I also took a course that taught me about gratitude journaling. It may sound silly but writing about what I was grateful for every night, especially at times where I felt like everything was going wrong, was extremely helpful for me. A lot of articles have been written about how journaling can help people who are dealing with difficult times (ex: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/benefits-of-journaling_b_6648884). Even if writing isn't your thing, try it out, you never know.

3. Therapy

I have a lot to say about therapy. I began seeing a psychologist when I was about fourteen because I became extremely depressed and was self harming after being bullied and losing all my friends. As I said before, my psychologist wasn't exactly... good. She was very helpful at first with the issues surrounding bullying but once I began to get into my more personal issues, such as family conflicts, she simply did not know how to handle it. She also never explicitly diagnosed me and she never referred me to a psychiatrist, which I believe she should have. She kept pushing me to attend group therapy and when I continuously declined, she said, "it's like you broke your arm and you go to the hospital and the doctor says okay you need a cast and you're like no no I'll just take a band-aid." What she said to me was so disrespectful and I stopped going to her until I was forced to return because of some issues. First of all, I probably should've changed my psychologist, I know. But regardless, she clearly did not properly diagnose me. I have social anxiety. If she had figured this out, she would have known that group therapy was absolutely not for me. She was extremely detrimental and it wasn't until I stopped seeing her and dealing with my mental health by myself and with the help of my friends that I actually improved. I'm not saying therapy isn't good. If you find a psychologist/psychiatrist that helps you then that is wonderful. I strongly believe that therapy is beneficial for many people and it even helped me. I do not discourage it AT ALL. However, (limited) studies have been done about how in SOME instances, prolonged therapy can actually be harmful. It can continue to bring up old issues and pain and can prevent someone from fully healing. In addition, sometimes people continue to go to therapy when they actually should be stopping. Continuing when it's not necessary only leads to complaining and the digging for new issues to speak about. Of course, everyone is different so figure out what works for you.

4. Support System

The biggest help to me was my support system. I made sure I had 3-4 REAL friends that I could call or text when things got bad. If I began to notice unhealthy thoughts creeping in, I told them. They were aware of it and made sure to check in with me multiple times a day. They'd spend time with me and help me through it. When my depression would come back and begin to go downhill, they would stay up late to help me through panic attacks and help me out with little things when I was too tired to do anything. They motivated me and supported me without pushing and I would not have been able to get through it without them. It doesn't matter how MANY people you have, it just matters if you have reliable people to lean on when it gets difficult to hold yourself up. It's also important to surround yourself with people who make you feel good. If someone continuously makes you upset and makes you question yourself in a negative way, it may mean that person is toxic and should be eliminated. Don't be afraid to cut people out of your life. Your health comes first.

**This is all based on personal experience. I am not a doctor or certified professional. In addition, different things work for different people. Try different methods and find what works for you. Also, feel free to comment/email me (form on home page) if you have any questions/comments. Please comment any additional methods that have helped you through difficult times so that we can all share and help each other out :)