{"id":41263,"date":"2019-11-29T06:00:51","date_gmt":"2019-11-29T14:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/selfhacked.com\/?p=41263"},"modified":"2021-11-03T02:05:57","modified_gmt":"2021-11-03T09:05:57","slug":"natural-treatments-depression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/selfhacked.com\/blog\/natural-treatments-depression\/","title":{"rendered":"16 Natural Mood Enhancers (Lifestyle Changes & More)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Depression is one of the most common mood disorders out there. Many people who struggle with depression seek to complement conventional treatments with natural mood enhancers. Others may not have a diagnosis of depression but simply want to regain a sense of emotional control and get out of a rough patch. In this post, we\u2019ll review various lifestyle changes and other natural strategies that may help boost mood, and what the science currently says about them. Read on to learn which ones work.<\/p>\n

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Disclaimer: This post is not a recommendation or endorsement for any particular type of mental health treatment. The only way to be sure you get effective treatment is to discuss your options with your personal doctor \u2014 and none of the complementary approaches described below should ever be used to replace what your doctor has prescribed or recommended. We have written this post for informational purposes only, and its goal is simply to inform our readers about the science behind some complementary treatment strategies, and what we know about how they might work.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a>Can You Boost Your Mood Naturally?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Overview<\/span><\/h3>\n

In addition to consulting with trained mental health professionals to get specific forms of therapy, there is some evidence suggesting that a number of lifestyle and other behavioral adjustments may be helpful in keeping mood issues at bay, and may even boost mood in otherwise-healthy users.<\/p>\n

In this post, we\u2019ll review some of the many \u201cnon-pharmaceutical\u201d approaches to mental health treatment \u2014 such as psychotherapy \u2014 as well as discuss what the science currently says about a number of psychological factors that may also have effects on a person\u2019s mood.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll also review a number of supplements and other compounds with at least some suggestive evidence of having effects on mood, although these findings are still early and are generally not yet strong enough to draw solid conclusions from.<\/p>\n

Precautions<\/span><\/h3>\n

However, these lifestyle-based approaches should not be used to replace conventional treatment<\/strong> \u2014 especially for people who have been officially diagnosed with a specific psychiatric condition! These are complementary<\/em> approaches only, meaning that while they may help support and enhance the effectiveness of conventional treatments, they are probably not sufficient just on their own.<\/p>\n

When to See a Doctor<\/span><\/h3>\n

As always, be sure to discuss any significant lifestyle, dietary, or other changes with your doctor first before embarking on any of the \u201ccomplementary\u201d strategies discussed throughout this post!<\/strong> In other words, you can consider trying the strategies listed below if you and your doctor determine that they could be appropriate for you.<\/p>\n\n\n

With that in mind, in the rest of this post we\u2019ll discuss some of the many non-drug-based treatments for depression and other mood disorders, and what science currently says about them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although most of these only have weak or insufficient evidence<\/strong> to support them, many of them have early studies that suggest that they could have some potential when used to complement other, more conventional forms of treatment. Nonetheless, all of these preliminary findings will still have to be extensively followed up on by future research to confirm their efficacy, safety, and underlying mechanisms.<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n

Lifestyle Changes & Other Natural Factors that May Boost Mood<\/span><\/h2>\n

<\/a>1) Mindfulness Meditation<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The goal of mindfulness meditation<\/a> is to become a \u201cwitness\u201d rather than a \u201cjudge\u201d of events that happen to you.<\/p>\n

Mindfulness meditation has been reported to alleviated depression, with benefits lasting up to 6 months [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n

It has also been reported to reduce symptoms associated with acute major depressive episodes [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n

According to one randomized control trial (RCT) of 99 depression patients, those who practiced mindfulness meditation for at least 3 days per week were reported to be half as likely to relapse into depression as those who did not [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n

Mindfulness meditation has also been reported to improve attention and emotional self-control, both of which are important for healthy mood<\/a> [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n

Mindfulness reportedly decreased activity in the amygdala, a part of the brain associated with negative emotions and depression symptoms [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n

People who meditate regularly have been reported to have increased levels of GABA<\/a>, and reduced levels of cortisol<\/a> and norepinephrine<\/a> [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n

According to a study of 16 healthy people, mindfulness meditation for 27 minutes\/day for 8 weeks increased gray matter in the hippocampus \u2014 a brain area is often smaller in people in depression, and which is believed to play some role in the development of depression symptoms [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n

Mindfulness meditation may help people become more conscious “witnesses” of their mental state. Some clinical evidence supports it as an add-on strategy for depression.<\/div><\/div>\n

<\/a>2) Yoga<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Several large-scale meta-analyses of yoga<\/a> studies (RCTs) suggest that it may have a number of potential benefits for alleviating depression and other mood issues, compared to standard antidepressant treatments [R<\/a>, R<\/a>].<\/p>\n

For example, yoga has been reported to:<\/p>\n