TIPS TO TACKLE DEPRESSION

Take your multivitamin with breakfast

Taking a basic multivitamin containing folic acid and vitamin D helps your brain produce antidepressant hormones like serotonin and oxytocin, triggering a 30 percent improvement in moods in as little as two weeks. For best results, take your multi with breakfast. According to  researchers, morning is when your ability to absorb nutrients peaks -- so taking your folic acid and vitamin D in the a.m. can cut your risk of depression by as much as half.

Go for a midday walk

Almost 96 percent of our lives are spent indoors. “Yet, hands-down, the most effective way to increase your production of mood-boosting serotonin is to combine sunlight with motion,” says a researcher. “It’s such a powerful combo, it improves people’s outlook for five hours straight.” The good news: Just 20 minutes of leisurely outdoor activity -- like sweeping the porch or going for an easy walk -- can help tamp down your symptoms in as little as one week, say researchers.

Adjust the lights

There’s a direct nerve connection between your eyes and the biological clock buried in your brain. And research  shows that keeping your environment in sync with that clock -- so you’re surrounded by light during the day, and dimness in the evening -- doubles the effectiveness of any mood-boosting program. To do: Keep your home and workplace cheery and bright during the day by using high-wattage light bulbs and opening the curtains. Then, dim the lights and switch off your computer and other light-emitting electronics one hour before bedtime. Be friendlier to your brain.

Add avocados

Enjoy 1/2 an avocado daily, and you’ll cut your risk of depression (and your symptoms, if you’ve already got it) by 25 percent or more,  researchers say. The reason: These tasty gems are loaded with monounsaturated fats -- nutrients that prod your brain to make the blues-busting hormone dopamine. Some tasty options: Use guacamole as a veggie dip, add avocado slices to burgers and sandwiches, toss cubes into salads, or puree and mix into soups, stews and chilli recipes.

Hit the dance floor

In a recent  study, it only took nine weeks of dancing to cut subjects’ depression scores by 67 percent -- an improvement that’s tough to match even with antidepressant meds! “Dancing’s combination of exercise and rhythmic motions prompts your brain to produce a larger, steadier supply of mood-steadying hormones,” . For best results, dance for 30 minutes, four times weekly. Time to sign up for that salsa class?

Ask for massages

Getting a couple of 20 minute massages each week can trigger a 30 percent increase in your brain’s production of feel-good hormones called endorphins, cutting your aches and pains and other physical symptoms by 25 percent, according to University of Miami studies. Regular massages shift brain wave activity from the right side, which churns out negative emotions, to the left side, which handles positive feelings, the study authors say.

Bake a potato

Enjoy one when life’s dragging you down, and you’ll feel calmer and less easily rattled in as little as 30 minutes, say researchers . Turns out this tuber boosts brain levels of tryptophan -- a key building block of the antidepressant hormone serotonin -- as much as 54 percent. Tired of taters? Any low-fat, high-starch treat will do the trick, so try a cup of unbuttered popcorn, a few graham crackers or a bowl of your favorite cereal.

Belt out a few tunes

Women who weave music into their daily lives -- by spending 10 to 15 minutes daily singing along to their favourite songs --- recover up to 55 percent faster from the blues, plus they cut their risk of relapses in half, say researchers. Singing kick-starts your brain’s production of calming, mood-boosting alpha brain waves, the study authors say.

Nibble dark chocolate

This creamy, rich treat is packed with a high-powered antidepressant that can shore up a draggy mood, plus chase away tiredness and other physical symptoms, in as little as 20 minutes. The study-proven dose: One ounce of dark chocolate daily (eight ounces of hot cocoa can also do the trick).

Join a club

In a recent British study, 72 percent of depressed women who started spending time each week hanging out in a group (by signing up for a church function, book club, bowling league or yoga class, for example), felt significantly cheerier and healthier within one month. And, they only needed one hour of fun group-time each week to get these results.

Clean a little less

Just relaxing your standards of cleanliness can make your serotonin production creep up in as little as one week, suggest  studies. The researchers’ best guess: Lowering your standards allows you to spend more time relaxing and unwinding, and that dials down your production of cortisol, which is a stress hormone that sabotages brain function and saps your ability to produce antidepressant hormones.

Call a fun friend

Women who connect with a fun, upbeat friend for 10 minutes twice weekly are just half as likely to be hit with the blues, say  researchers. Already struggling with depression? The research suggests that chatting with a friend can ease symptoms in as little as three weeks. Combining friendship and laughter prods your brain to produce mood-steady hormones such as endorphins and dopamine. Regularly exchanging funny e-mails or Facebook postings work too.





ps- this is only for information, always consult you physician before having any particular food/ medication/exercise/other remedies.

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