Antidepressants are used to balance chemicals in your brain that are usually responsible for depression. While they may help relieve the symptoms of depression, they have multiple side effects.
That’s right, guys. Antidepressants cause dehydration, weight gain, sexual dysfunction, and sleep disturbance. Instead of helping you with your existing issues, it can make matters worse. Thus, many people are now moving towards alternative medicine.
Well, it’s a sensible course of action. The following are a few natural alternatives to antidepressants:
Aerobics
First and foremost, exercise is very important for people who have depression. Speaking of that, the best option is aerobics. It involves stretching and strength training exercises. Although the goal behind aerobics is physical fitness, it has many psychological benefits.
Regular aerobics can relieve stress, eliminate fatigue, and boost your cognitive function. Not to mention, it can help reduce weight. A healthy weight can naturally boost your confidence which is affected by depression otherwise.
Medicinal Herbs
Various medicinal herbs make a great alternative to antidepressants as they come with natural healing properties. Some of them include ashwagandha, passionflower, saffron, and wonder bar chocolate shrooms. These medicinal herbs work well for the treatment of mood symptoms that depression brings to the table.
Besides that, insomnia is one of the prominent symptoms of major depressive disorder. For that, you can use valerian root or kava. There is a herb for everything. You just have to look for the right ones.
Meditation and Yoga
At number 3, we have meditation and yoga. They both work more or less in a similar manner. Both involve mindfulness, which is effective for stress relief. When performing mindfulness-based meditation or yoga, what you do is focus on one object or thought.
Such an activity stops you from overthinking, which is the root cause of depression. When you stay in the present moment, you feel better. Thus, a few minutes of meditation or yoga every day can significantly help minimize the symptoms of depression.
Tai Chi
Ranking fourth is tai chi. Tai chi is a series of gentle stretches and exercises. Each pose leads you to the next one without any pause, ensuring that your body stays in a state of rolling motion.
Some people call tai chi ‘meditation in motion.’ The reason is, it promotes your physical and mental health through gentle stretches and movements while connecting your body and mind, similar to what meditation does. The only difference is that it doesn’t involve moving.
Acupuncture
Last but not least, acupuncture is also an effective alternative to antidepressants. It’s a component of traditional Chinese medicine in which thin needles are inserted at different points on your body.
As a result, it reduces cortisol in your body, which is a stress hormone. Besides that, it also stimulates the production of your body’s natural feel-good hormones, which uplift your mood and boost your energy.
If you care about your mental and physical well-being, I suggest you must look into the aforementioned alternative medicine forms and ditch antidepressants. I wish you good luck!
