Mental health disorders, such as depression, anxiety and excessive anxiety, to mood disorders are now increasingly being affected by people in various parts of the world, especially the younger generation who are now experiencing more psychological stress, accessing too many smartphones and not having enough sleep. enough.
Mental health itself is an inner state that feels peaceful, serene, and calm. A healthy mental condition allows you to use your potential to the fullest, be able to establish good relationships with other people, and enjoy life.
Meanwhile, a disturbed mental state puts you in a bad mood. In addition, you may experience weakness in thinking, have difficulty controlling your emotions, and may trigger bad behavior.
One of the mental health disorders that impacts mood and persistent feelings of sadness is depression. Often mistaken for ordinary sadness, depression usually lasts longer, lasting days, weeks, and even months.
Not only has an impact on emotions, depression can also affect physical condition and way of thinking. As a result, it is difficult for people with depression to carry out normal daily activities. In some cases, people with depression can also be triggered to self-harm to the point of trying to commit suicide.
Depression triggers come from several factors. One of the most common causative factors is hormonal changes. Disturbances in the balance of hormones in the body due to pregnancy, thyroid disorders, menopause, and other biological changes can make you experience depression. Family heredity factors can also be a cause of depression. Those who have family members who suffer from depression are considered more susceptible to experiencing depression as well. Other factors that might cause depression are traumatic experiences in the past, such as sexual harassment, loss of loved ones, violence, and so on.
Depression can be experienced by anyone from various backgrounds. Depression makes it difficult for you to live your daily life. For that, you need to know how to distance yourself and those closest to you from depression. Below is a simple way to prevent bouts of depression.
Exercise regularly
Endorphins are also known as the happy hormone. One way to expedite the production of endorphins in the body is to exercise. Not only endorphins, exercise also stimulates the production of serotonin and dopamine which are useful for reducing pain in the muscles.
Due to the production of these three types of hormones, your body can feel fresher and your mood will be better. A fresh body and a good mood and mind will make you more prepared to face all the things that will happen in your daily life, including things that are at risk of triggering stress. The ability to deal with pressure and stress will keep you from depression.
Eat nutritious food
Several types of food can help prevent depression. Tomatoes, mushrooms and broccoli are some of them. Not only healthy, this food ingredient is also easy to find in the market.
Besides being rich in vitamin C, tomatoes also contain lots of folic acid and alpha-lipoic acid . These two types of acids are useful to help prevent depression. Researchers found that people with depression often experience a deficiency of folic acid.
Another food that is high in folic acid is broccoli. By regularly consuming broccoli, your mind can be more relaxed and not panic easily. Folic acid also makes you not easily exposed to excessive stress in the midst of various activities and pressures in everyday life.
Besides tomatoes, mushrooms also help prevent depression. Mushrooms have insulin which regulates blood sugar. A stable blood sugar level can make your mood better.
Get enough sleep
Lack of sleep makes your emotions difficult to control. When you're sleep deprived, a part of your brain called the amygdala becomes more sensitive to stimuli that cause negative emotions. The amygdala is responsible for controlling emotions and anxiety. The more often you are sleep deprived, the more often you are attacked by negative emotions. As a result, you become more susceptible to depression.
Meditation routine
Accumulating the burden of thoughts can make you stricken with depression. For that, you need to make your mind more relaxed. One way to make the mind calmer is meditation. Through regular meditation every day, you will get to know yourself better and know the burdens that are bothering your mind. With meditation, you can also enter a relaxed stage so that your mind becomes clean again.
Tell other people
One way to make your mind more relieved is to tell your problems to those closest to you. As well as feeling more relieved, you can get support, advice, and motivation. Therefore, don't keep the burden of your thoughts to yourself. With a more relieved mind, you can avoid depression more and more.
Those are some ways to maintain your mental health to avoid depression. Don't wait for depression to interfere with your quality of life. Take prevention early and don't forget to pay attention to the mental health of those closest to you. #LiveExcellently