Talking About Massage Therapy

Three Ways To Help Combat Depression Naturally

Dealing with depression in an ongoing battle, but there are some little things you can do to lift your spirits as you work with your health professionals to treat the condition. Here are some things you can try to ease the symptoms of depression with. 

1. Get a massage

Massage therapy can be a great way to combat symptoms of depression, and it can also treat the cause in many cases. Massage increases blood circulation throughout the body, allowing muscles and cells to more effectively receive oxygen. You'll feel a boost of energy and peacefulness after a massage which will lighten the mood.

In addition, massage treatment can be a great way to manage chronic pain. Since chronic pain and major depressive disorder are closely linked, reducing pain through regular massage can help reduce depression from living with pain. Stress is also a trigger for depressive symptoms. Massage actively relieves muscles tension and encourages deep breathing to reduce stress. 

2. Do some yoga

According to Harvard Health Publications, when people use yoga, they will experience fewer symptoms of depression. This is largely assumed to be because yoga encourages decreases in physical stress, which in turn actively reduces mental or emotional stress as well. Pain reduction is common when you are consistent with yoga practice. If chronic pain is one cause of your depression, yoga could be an option for pain management to mitigate a depressive state. In one study, women who practiced yoga regularly saw a 50% improvement in depression scores, and they also enjoyed decreased anxiety levels and greater feelings of wellness. 

3. Try mediation

Mindfulness meditation has in some cases been shown to be just as effective as medication when it comes to helping people with depression. Mindfulness meditation requires spending time each day thinking about your own thoughts, a skill called metacognition. Meditation allows you to break the cycle of the negative downward spiral — instead of dwelling constantly on the bad things or on painful memories leading to more bad things and painful memories, people who regularly meditate develop the skills to push negative thoughts aside long enough to see that the spiral is beginning to occur. Patients who are able to recognize depressive thought patterns and mindfully think about changing those thought patterns to be more positive will be successful at long-term depression management. 

For more information on using massage and other methods to help manage depression, contact a local professional like Inner Harmony Center For The Healing Arts Inc.