by Jennifer Blain

Created on: February 20, 2010   Last Updated: February 22, 2010

Depression is a cover-all statement of the 21st century media, a way of labelling a plethora of mental health issues from mild low feelings or anxiety, to bi-polar.  But if you have ever suffered from this debilitating illness you know the strength it has and how little importance the name we give it is.  Centuries of research into mental illness have taught us that the best way to deal with depression is through a mixture of medication and counselling.  Television, magazines and websites have taught us to recognise the symptoms, have told us where to go for help, and how to start our road to recovery.  These are valuable lifesaving resources that have helped so many see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. 

Of those who visit a doctor and are giving a diagnosis of depression, around 50% will suffer from a depressive episode only once in their life, leaving the other half of suffers to re-visit that same depression perhaps once more, or perhaps many times in their life [1].  For those who suffer recurrent depressive episodes there can be ways to fight this without the need to return to medication or therapy, and this requires an important balance of sleep, exercise, a balanced diet and a more positive outlook on what you fill up your spare time with.

Exercise

Over the recent decades numerous studies have shown that exercise plays a large part in protecting against depression.  The Mental Health Foundation published a report in 2005 showing that, not only did exercise help alleviate depression, due to the release of mood altering chemicals in the brain caused by increased physical activity, but they also suggest an important by-product of exercise being the production of goals and giving the person a sense of achievement in reaching these goals.  Exercise can also change the way we look, and improve our general health, thus allowing for an increase in self esteem.[2]

-          If your overall fitness is quite poor, and you find it hard to motivate yourself, consider joining a fitness centre.  A lot of the modern gyms have more than just exercise equipment in them, they also come with swimming pools and fitness studies. 

-          Try signing up for something different, Yoga or Pilates classes are good for reducing stress, but so is a good dance class.

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