How to treat depression yourself? What should you pay attention to?

Depression is a common mental illness, which is mainly manifested by low mood, decreased interest, pessimism, slow thinking, lack of initiative, self-blame, poor eating and sleeping, worrying about various diseases, feeling uncomfortable in many parts of the body, and in severe cases, suicidal thoughts and behaviors. So how can depression be treated by oneself?

1. Physical therapy

Exercise can give people a sense of relaxation and self-determination, which is helpful to overcome the loneliness common to patients with depression. However, exercise must have a certain intensity, duration and frequency to achieve the desired effect. Take aerobics as an example, including running, skipping rope, fitness dance, etc., at least 3 times a week, each time lasting 15 to 20 minutes. Walking can also achieve the same effect as running. Experts recommend that patients walk 1,500 meters every day and try to finish it within 15 minutes. Gradually increase the distance until you can walk 4,500 meters in 45 minutes. When starting to exercise, you must obtain the consent of a doctor.

2. Nutritional therapy

Many doctors believe that the vitamins and amino acids contained in food have an important impact on people's mental health. Some experts believe that if a person with paranoia lacks a single nutrient, it can also cause depression, so he recommends that people eat more foods rich in vitamin B, such as whole grains, fish, etc. He also lets patients take a certain dose of complex vitamin B. He believes that these are vitamins that people are prone to lack.

3. Psychotherapy

Depressed patients often look at the world and themselves through tinted glasses. In order to change this erroneous view, Gary Emer of the Los Angeles Mental Health Center proposed the "Three A Method", namely, understand, answer, and act. Because the English letters of the three words all start with A, they are called.

Understand: First, you must admit that you are depressed; second, you must pay attention to your emotional changes, whether there are any abnormalities in your words and deeds, as well as the differences in your feelings and thoughts and your physical reactions.

Answer: You should learn to recognize and record every time you make a mistake. Write down your wrong idea first, and then write down a more realistic answer. The purpose is to test your idea in practice. After writing, ask yourself: "Is this true?" Then ask yourself: "How do you see it from another perspective?"

Action: If you feel unnoticed, try a new approach; if you are not doing your job well, take a course to improve your skills or look for a new job. Also plan more activities to regularize your life.

4. Social Therapy

Studies have shown that people who are good at making friends are much happier mentally than those who prefer to be alone. A mental health research laboratory in the United States recently launched a campaign with the slogan "Friends are good medicine". They believe that social support can even make people live longer.