8 Depressing Habits
Did you know that the quality of certain lifestyles and habits, such as diet, exercise, contact with nature, breathing, and gaze direction, can cause depression over time?
Many factors cause depression , but by changing just a few everyday habits, you can notice a change in your state of being after a short time. We invite you to familiarize yourself with these harmful habits that you may engage in unconsciously every day.
8 depressive habits
Lack of nutrients
It may sound strange, but it is true that depression is related to the nervous system, which in turn is dependent on the food you eat. The balanced nervous system needs the following nutrients daily to avoid depression and other nerve imbalances:
- Magnesium, e.g. walnuts, leafy vegetables and avocados
- Tryptophan, which is obtained, for example, from cocoa beans
- Omega-3 fatty acids, from flaxseed
- Vitamin B12, found in sardines, eggs and dairy products
- Folic acid, from fruits and leafy vegetables
Harmful foods
On the other hand, there are foods that act like toxins and remove vitamins and minerals from the body. They create addictions, change the body’s natural balance, and eventually cause a bad mood. These dishes include:
- Meat, ingested in large quantities
- Saturated fats
- Aspartame (artificial sweetener)
- Preservatives and artificial flavors
- White sugar and sweets
- Alcohol
Lack of exercise
Exercise is essential for life and it also helps the body produce endorphins, or happiness hormones. Many believe that exercise is needed to maintain a healthy weight, but people have always moved, in the past only to survive, nowadays mainly for aesthetic reasons. In any case, movement is important and once you start, you will notice that you feel better.
Looking down
This may come as a surprise, but eye movements also affect moods. Looking down is associated with negative feelings, which is why it’s worth looking up and focusing your gaze on the details above. This is an extremely simple exercise and it costs nothing to try.
Avoidance of internal conflicts
According to therapists, in most cases of depression, it is important to find the cause of the problem. Usually there is some kind of contradiction, and the problem arises when the contradiction is ignored and time is expected to cover it underneath. A person may do something they don’t actually want to do, or gather repressed grief or anger inside. To treat these emotional problems, we recommend homeopathy or Bach flower therapy, as these drugs do not cause side effects and can be used at any age.
Don’t forget nature
Mental problems are becoming more common, even among young people. This may be due in part to too little contact with nature. Green is a natural balancer and sunbathing is especially necessary to improve poor well-being, and in fact we all need it. If you live in the city, you should look for nature at least on the weekends.
Superficial breathing
Today, people tend to breathe just barely enough to survive. However, every cell in the body needs oxygen, and if they don’t get it, they strain and the body becomes stressed. It is important to learn to breathe properly. To this end, various therapeutic forms of exercise can be tried, such as yoga, or the Chita or Feldenkrais method.
Lack of human contact
People prone to depression tend to isolate themselves and avoid contact with other people, even those who are important to themselves. To get rid of this tendency, it pays to work, even if it seems awkward at first. A good cure is massage, for example.
An even better idea is to use mood-boosting essential oils in this context, which are e.g. oregano, lavender, chamomile, bergamot, geranium, jasmine, lemon, sandalwood, mandarin, melissa, orange, neroli, petitgrain, pomegranate, sage, lemon balm and ylang ylang. Smell the oils and choose the one you like based on your instinct. Mix the essential oil with the moisturizer.
