Depression sucks. When it hits you are in state of non-being. Nothing matters. If friends and family ring their calls go to voicemail. At work you watch the clock fervently wishing it would move faster, no matter how interesting your project is. Your hobbies are ignored – they don’t seem interesting anymore.
This site is about how to limit those depressive episodes without antidepressants. Now I want to be clear: I absolutely believe antidepressants can be beneficial and I am so grateful that we live in a time and society where they are available. And I also want people to understand that there are alternatives.
I suffer from depression and have made the choice to go off antidepressants and use natural remedies instead. They are not as strong as antidepressants and it has been a years long journey with one experiment after another to understand what works for me personally and what does not. My goal for this website is for it to be the resource I wanted when I was looking for alternatives: a listing of all things that have been shown to be beneficial for mental health, why they worked, and which brand or product to actually use so that you can take immediate steps.
I believe that we are at a point when we recognize the pervasive challenge that is depression, and more broadly mental health. While we have discovered so much, in truth we have barely scratched the surface. What works for me is not going to be what works for everyone. Adding to the challenge, some things may work best in combination with other techniques. Below are my encompassing beliefs that underscore my purpose for this website.
- We are not meant to live with depression. We are meant to live our lives as our most vibrant, joyful selves.
- There are multiple paths through depression. If one thing doesn’t work, it is worth searching for something that will.
- As an end consumer it is helpful to have a compilation of the research done on depression and a list of therapies that have shown a measurable benefit.
I continue to explore what options are available so I have more days when I believe I can take on the world, and fewer days spent in a fog.
Most articles about alternatives to fight depression focus on meditation, diet, and exercise. Those are all key things and we’ll talk about them. But for those truly suffering they are not nearly enough. This site is here to address that gap.
Please also note that I recognize that there is a very big difference between being depressed because of a chemical imbalance in the brain, and being depressed due to a traumatic life event. My experience with the latter is limited and my heart goes out to those who have gone through that. I don’t know that the suggestions listed on this site will be as beneficial in those cases.
About Me
I’ve been fighting depression for over a decade, since my final year of college. I am extremely fortunate in that it comes and goes, meaning I eventually learned to recognize that I sometimes felt awful and other times “normal”. Eventually I realized it was worth it to seek out help and I did go on antidepressants for a short period. They certainly helped but I hated the idea of needing a pill to be happy. Granted, I still take pills to be happy. But I buy them at my local health food store versus my pharmacy counter and that makes me feel better.
I have finally recognized that this will be a lifelong journey for me. And that’s okay. I keep discovering new tools to add to my arsenal. And if need be, I can always revisit that pharmacy counter.
Disclaimer
First, please know that I am not a medical professional and the information on this website is not intended as advice. Please consult your own doctor before trying anything new, particularly if you are already taking antidepressants. And please do not go off antidepressants before working with your doctor to develop a strategy for doing so. I encourage you to make your own health care decisions based upon your own research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. Please see full disclaimer page here.
Photo Credit: Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash
