Lifestyle therapies for depression
Some
complementary therapies have the same function as exercise - they are
both a treatment and a way to enhance your lifestyle. They are also
beneficial to those with manic depression and postnatal depression.
Everyone - depressed or not - benefits from some form of complete
relaxation. Do learn one of these techniques. Don't look on relaxation as
a chore to be completed - you will only add to your depression.
Meditation for relaxation
The deep relaxation and increased mental clarity that meditation brings
relieve anxiety and depression.
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Lie on your
back on the floor in a quiet, comfortable place. Put a cushion under your
neck. The palms of your hands should be outstretched and facing up.
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Close your
eyes and consciously relax your whole body, one part at a time.
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Concentrate on
your feet and toes. Let them relax. Now focus upon your legs,
concentrating on relaxing first your calves and then your knees and
thighs.
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Make sure your
spine is supple and relaxed with your shoulders as opened out as possible
and flat on the floor. let your arms go and relax your hands.
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Concentrate on
your breathing. Feel your abdominal muscles become more relaxed as your
breathing deepens and slows.
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Let your mind
float. Feel your worries floating away out of your body. Allow your
spirit to relax. Remain like this for up to 20 minutes, without going to
sleep.
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Get up slowly
and stretch out your limbs, one by one, and then your back.
Visualization for relaxation
With this
therapy, you can choose to focus on positive images and the desired
outcome to specific situations. This allows you to cope with your
problems and see your way through your depression and eventually to
fulfill your potential. What you visualize can become the reality.
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Sit in a
comfortable chair or lie on you back on the floor and close your eyes.
You may find that you can also do this on a train or bus journey.
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Imagine a
scene that spells peace and tranquility - the moors, a seascape or
mountains. What matters is that its message is quiet and relaxing.
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Allow yourself
to be drawn into your picture and to exclude everything else in your
life.
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Now visualize
a specific situation and allow your mind the freedom to find the desired
outcome, the resolution. Explore different ideas.
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When you get
up, do so slowly.
Key Facts:
Combating anxiety is a foundation for recovering from depression, panic
attacks and phobia. A hypnotherapist can teach you the principles of
hypnosis and auto-hypnosis so that you can use the techniques at home. It
is extremely helpful to be able to monitor your level of anxiety at any
time and in any situation. Taking your own pulse and using biofeedback
are ways of doing this.
