It's possible. It won't work all the time and there's no sure-fire way to avoid it - but there are ways to raise the risk of becoming depressed and ways to lessen your chances.
EmpowHer describes depression as "a mental illness characterized by feelings of profound sadness and lack of interest in enjoyable activities. Depression is not the same as a blue mood. It is a persistent low mood that interferes with the ability to function and appreciate things in life. It may cause a wide range of symptoms, both physical and emotional. It can last for weeks, months, or years. People with depression rarely recover without treatment."
Depression can be rooted in a chemical imbalance of the brain but is often environmental. It's normal and natural to be depressed after the death of a loved one, a sudden health diagnosis or losing one's job or home. Medication is not always necessary for this kind of depression because it's perfectly normal. In fact, medicating the natural feelings of sadness due to a traumatic event in one's life can cause a person to be unable to work through the depression without a pill. Talk therapy, emotional support, a good diet and exercise routine.... and time.... is what can heal this kind of depression.
Medication may be necessary under other circumstances. But we must be careful to avoid trying to cure "normal".
There is no one hundred percent way to avoid depression. But there are ways to greatly lesson your risks. Here are some that we recommend:
◦Being aware of your personal risk
◦Having a psychiatric evaluation and psychotherapy if needed
◦Developing social supports
◦Learning stress management techniques
◦Exercising regularly
◦Do not abuse or overuse alcohol or drugs
◦Getting adequate sleep, rest, and recreation
Another note to ponder is how depression quickly follows retirement. How retirement is lauded! It's now time to finally rest! Relax! You've earned your right to bum around a little, right? Well, yes and no. We all slow down somewhat with age. We're not doing the same thing in our 60s (nor at the same pace) as we did in our 30s.
But studies have shown that people who retire early are more likely to die early. Work gives people meaning. A place to go, a place to be and something to do. It's fine to slow things down. You HAVE earned the right to rest! But when retiring, a person is much wiser to take on part-time work they enjoy, or throw themselves into volunteering or to start taking that hobby more seriously. Retirement means retiring from one's main career, not one's life. If one doesn't have a solid plan of activity after retirement, the initial relief of not having to get up every morning can quickly morph into feelings of doubt about one's self worth and sense of purpose.
There are also foods that are considered good for lessening the risks of depression: like one would suspect, they are fresh, unprocessed and organic. Organic meats in small amounts, fresh fruits and vegetables, fiber rich grains and plenty of water can help the body cope with the stressors that can contribute to depression. Sugars, caffeine and trans fats should be avoided or used in great moderation. Daily sunshine can also help with mood and physical exercise is important.
And go old school - a problem shared is a problem halved. Simply having someone to talk to, someone to share problems and advice with, can be instrumental in maintaining our mental health. Feelings of isolation and misunderstanding is a key factor in people who battle depression.
Of course, there will be those who, despite their best efforts, suffer from depression. Sometimes all the support in the world cannot prevent this common mental illness. The key is to start a regime to treat depression (physical, emotional/psychological and medical, when necessary) as soon as possible.
Tell Us
Have you beaten depression before it really took hold? Can you tell us how?
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One of the inherent problems in preventing depression, especially the first time you experience one, is that you may not be aware of the fact that you are depressed. It can happen slowly, and while you are aware that you aren't at your best, you may not be aware of the fact that you have lost interest in things, that you are withdrawing from people, or that your energy seems to be gone until someone else points it out.
Perhaps you spend a lot of time telling yourself, "I just need to do more" or "I just need to try harder" or other similar sentiments; you may consider getting help, but are not sure where to start. And when you are already depressed, starting something new is a real labor. It's easier to just go on about your business and hope things get better.
Does this sound like you? If so, here are a couple of places to begin:
https://www.empowher.com/media/reference/depression#definition
September 23, 2009 - 8:10amhttp://www.mayoclinic.com/health/depression/DS00175/DSECTION=symptoms
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Continuing...I pressed the wrong key. Sorry!
September 22, 2009 - 3:09amDepression is an illness, it had a terrible grinding quality, bleaching life of all colour and joy.
If you're prone to depression, monitoring your mental well-being is essential. As you as you feel yourself beginning to slide on that spiral downwards - act! Once you become truly depressed it becomes increasingly harder to help yourself and make positive moves in your life. Involvement is the key. If you become deeply immersed in some pleasurable activity, the depression gets pushed to the background and can even fade away. Review your internal 'monkey chatter'. Try to figure out the source of your low mood. Change what you can and if you can change little else, change the way you think about it. Depression is usually a consequence of what we are thinking. Change what you're thinking and the depression dissipates. If all this fails, get help - a friend, a loved one, a doctor. Get medication if that helps. I suffered from depression for years and have to work at staying happy. I have written a book 'How to be Happy in the Real World' containing all my useful coping strategies. It's short and to the point. More details at http://eloquentbooks.com/HowtobeHappy.html
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I think it's very important to understand the distinction between depression and sadness. Sadness is the normal, healthy emotion to feel as a result of a loss or disappointment. If we never feel sad we are shutting off powerful, and useful, emotions. To be sad is not nice but it is a sometimes a necessary stage to go through.
September 22, 2009 - 2:54amThis Comment