13 Holistic Tips for Depression

Live Holistically is a multi-author site.
This post was written by: Susan Blue

Whether you are mildly depressed on occasion or a person who is taking medication, here are some tips that I learned from clients. They were successful in managing and/or changing their depression cycles.

• Body Work / Massage:
• Touch is soothing. The body becomes tight from a mind that is overly active. A mind that cannot relax will over time create a body that looses its ability to relax.
• Massage can retrain the relaxation response for both the body and mind.
• Breathing while getting massaged will help balance the nervous system. Your breath is linked directly to both autonomic and volunteer nervous systems. You can effect the autonomic nervous system by using the breath. In the automatic nervous system (instinctual, fight or flight syndrome), your breath is automatic. You don’t have to think about breathing, it will happen on its own. It is directly linked to your emotions. Get nervous and the breath becomes shallow. Get mad and your breath sounds like a steam engine. You can control your breath too. Breathing deeply when you have been startled settles your whole system. This is the voluntary aspect of your nervous system (where you have control- think it and it happens).
• Rebirthing - Breath work: Through controlled breathing with a breath practitioner, our inner wisdom and health will bring us to integration of mental, emotional and spiritual healing and consequently, developmental change. To learn more: check out Wikipedia: Rebirthing-Breathwork or Holotrophic Breathwork.
• Develop internal awareness. In a relaxed state, the awareness of the body is low. Ironically in a stressed state, the awareness of the body is low. Sensing internally as you have external awareness changes patterns of limitation in thinking, movement and more. It actually makes your brain smarter.
• Somatic Therapies approaches the body as a series of systems working as a three dimension whole, with client and practitioner as a team. Soma means of the entire being. The advantage is you become educated and skilled in self care besides having more awareness and perception.
• “Somatics, Reawakening the Mind’s Control of the Body’s Movement, Flexibility, and Health”, a book by Thomas Hanna. Very readable with 8 lessons in the back of the book that will give you control of the muscles of your back, hips, legs, and more. Hanna tells us of the two reflexes that get us up and moving as babies, but when over stimulated, will give us distortions in posture that limit movement and effect health. He also educates us on the trauma reflex and its long term effects. This book will make your rethink the aging process. You will also have a better ability to talk with your health professional about what works and doesn’t work with the therapy you receive. Want a Hanna Somatic Practitioner?
• Body Mind Centering: A BMC practitioner draws on a vast body of information that includes developmental movements, dialog and hands on patterning of the body. Incomplete developmental needs can be met, transforming your current life experience.
• Somatic Experiencing developed by Dr. Peter Levine. Regulation and discharge of high levels of energy arousal associated with survival behaviors. With our modern high stress living, we are often traumatized by the amount of stresses in our lives. This can leave us feeling numb, overwhelmed, dissociated, anxious and depressed.
• Become a regular at your local Yoga Studio. There are many Asanas that are specific for depression. Yoga will not only balance your nervous system, it will balance your internal energy and create better health.
• Learn to Meditate.
• Get into a regular exercise program. Join a gym. Get together with friends for walks, hikes, bike rides, playing basket ball, tennis, badminton, golf, etc.
• Play. Yes, that’s right. Play. Play with your children. Play with your neighbor’s children. Play with your friends. Go take a clown class.
• Spend time in Nature.
• See a Certified Nutritionist. Your diet may be not giving you the energy you need to do what you do. If that is the case, of course low energy and sluggishness would be the results. Find out if you are food sensitive or have food allergies. Food sensitivities can become stronger when there is stress and often become an allergen. Some food allergies can act as neuro-toxins.