Depression is a hard thing to manage through everyday life. But being able to find those things that can help you manage it, or at least help you feel a little bit better each day, can make all the difference in the world. 

Dieting and exercising and two of the key things that have the biggest potential to help with depression. This is because it allows you to find ways to take care of yourself and stay healthy, while also focusing on something new that is outside of your depression thoughts. 

Depression and Diet

When most people think of the word “diet”, they usually think of cutting back on food entirely. Maybe they think of cutting back on calories in order to get thinner. This however, is not always the case. Sometimes, yes, this is what a diet could mean.. But more often than not, a diet is actually trying to eat better and/or less processed foods. 

Cutting out most, if not all, processed foods can have many benefits. Things like better physical health, clearer skin, lower bloating levels, mood boosting and it can actually help with depression. 

Processed foods and products can cause inflammation and irritation throughout the body. Ie: the mind. This kind of food can cause a lower level in moods as well as keep it there. During depressive episodes, people tend to reach for processed foods because it is a quick mood booster, but in the long run it fills out bodies with processed foods. 

Similar to caffeine, artificial sweeteners have the ability to spike anxiety and sadness. 

It may be smarter to adjust the diet you are working with if you are experiencing higher levels of depression, or depression in general. It may not be the singular cause of your depression, but it may not be helping either. 

Depression and Exercise

Exercise is actually a key thing that people “prescribe” for those who are depressed. When you exercise your body, endorphins are released. This allows the body to have a release in “feel-good” emotions as well as pain-relieving effects. 

Depression can cause high stress which can also cause sleep deprivation, both do not help with depression. Now, if you exercise on a regular basis, around three to four times a week for example, it can help relieve stress by helping you to focus on something else and work off that extra energy you have that stress produces. This, in turn, allows the body to be content to sleep as it gets tired and worn out in a good way. 

Crawling out of the “pit of depression” is not something that happens overnight. Oftentimes it takes months if not years to get out of. That is why it is very important to find those things in life that make you feel at least 1% better than the day before. Taking care of yourself is key to this recovery process. Simply starting with dieting and exercising, or at least one of those, can get you on the right path to recovery.