What to do with severe depression and stress. Stop Stress and Depression by Matthew McKay

Constant stress has become commonplace for many people. Life on the verge of possibilities, tension, increased anxiety smoothly flow into depression, which is difficult to get rid of. It is important to understand how this state is expressed.

Long-term stress is difficult to control, a person gets used to constant stress, which accumulates, not allowing the body to return to normal state... As a result, there are disturbances in the functioning of the vital systems of the body.

Symptoms of constant stress are expressed on the physical plane, the influence is on the emotional level, there are cognitive manifestations. More detailed symptoms can be found in the table.

Physical expression	Emotional manifestation	Cognitive traits
Increased muscle tension, stiffness in the neck and shoulder girdle	Anger and irritability	Attention disorders
Frequent headaches	Depressive state	Forgetfulness
Disorder of the gastrointestinal tract, increased appetite	Uncontrolled anxiety	Decreased thought process speed
Sleep disturbances, insomnia, inability to get enough sleep despite increased rest hours	Frequent mood swings, tearfulness, fussiness	Obsessive negative thoughts, distrust, desire to keep everything under control
Palpitations	General fatigue, apathy	Confusion of thoughts

Effects

Constant experiences and stress have negative consequences. The person has an increased craving for bad habits, desire to eat junk food, smoke and drink alcohol. Against this background, immunity decreases, diseases worsen.

Many people mistakenly believe that stress is just a slight overexertion, which will soon go away on its own. This is a delusion, it provokes a further deterioration in well-being.

Depression

Constant stress and depression are two inseparable concepts, prolonged stress invariably leads to the development of depression. They are characterized by bouts of fatigue and decreased performance. All affairs and hobbies, previously bringing joy and satisfaction, fade into the background.

A person is constantly in sadness, feels despair, self-esteem decreases. He tries to avoid communicating with friends and acquaintances, withdraws into himself. Suicidal thoughts, feelings of powerlessness and their own worthlessness appear. It is dangerous not to treat this condition, as changes can lead to irreversible consequences.

Anxiety

In many cases, anxiety is a natural phenomenon, sometimes it is beneficial, helps to prepare for a difficult event or to protect yourself. The anxiety that accompanies stress often becomes permanent. It interferes with living a full life, disorienting a person.

Constant stress and anxiety lead to development anxiety disorder, a person constantly experiences tension and anxiety, phobias appear, accompanied by an inexplicable fear of the future. The development of obsessive-compulsive disorder is possible, it is expressed in obsessive thoughts and actions beyond human control.

Other diseases

A constant state of stress leads to the development or aggravation of health problems, disruption of all organs, suppression immune system, accelerating the aging process. The impact on physical health is expressed in the fact that a person begins to get sick more often, this is reflected in his appearance.

Develop autoimmune diseases are amazed skin Eczema is a frequent companion to stress. Digestive disorders lead to obesity, which leads to disease of cardio-vascular system... It turns out a vicious circle, physical ailments provoke even greater psychological problems.

Techniques for relieving persistent stress and how to manage it

It is impossible to ignore the problem of continuous stress, the consequences can be sad. Therefore, the question of what to do if a person experiences constant stress must be resolved in time.

Massage

The best remedy anti-stress -. For quick relaxation, you can use the impact on special points. Such acupressure allows you to relieve tension, restore inner balance.

1. For 10 seconds, keeping the thumbs on the bones under the eyes will relieve fatigue.
2. The impact on the point under the nose will help to stop the fear, it is necessary to sit down and forefinger push it down. Relief will come in 20 seconds.
3. Massaging the little finger of your left hand from tip to base with two fingers will help to cope with the excitement.
4. Unpleasant sensations can be eliminated if thumb right hand rest on the top of the head.
5. It will become easier if you make light tapping movements on the cheekbones, moving from the bridge of the nose to the temporal region.
6. It is useful to massage the upper points auricles... These are the well-known anti-stress points of Sheng Meng or "Heaven's Gate".

Aromatic baths

The easiest way to relieve stress is to soak up the aromatic foam. During the day, the nervous system and the body as a whole are under constant stress, so it is important to restore mental balance in the evening. With this, like nothing better, the bath copes, especially since it is one of the most affordable and inexpensive means.

Essential oils are used for the aroma bath. The following oils work best to deal with stress:

• Lavender and Orange;
• Orange, Sage and Ylang-Ylang;
• Jasmine soothes and improves sleep;
• for neurosis and depression, Neroli oil is used;
• Rose oil normalizes the nervous system.

Along with aroma baths, you can use aroma lamps with essential oils. In this case, it is necessary to observe the dosage - no more than 6 drops of oil per area of ​​20 square meters.

Proper nutrition

A modern person is often fond of fast food, fast food, is fond of diets and starving, this in itself is stress for the body, which lacks nutrients. Certain foods and drinks simply put a person into stress, as they stimulate the production of stress hormones - cortisol and adrenaline. These include:

• fatty, heavily fried foods;
• too salty, smoked food;
• foods "rich" in various chemical ingredients;
• energy drinks;
• strong coffee and tea;
• cola.

Anti-stress nutrition is to trick the feeling of hunger, which is exacerbated in. What matters is what a person eats. In the fight against constant stress, you should not rush to extremes and switch to vegetarianism. Protein during this period is required by the body more than ever, therefore, within reasonable limits, meat and fish dishes should be present in the diet.

Preference should be given to the following products:

• dairy derivatives;
• seafood;
• liver;
• vegetables, mostly fresh;
• citrus;
• oils;
• wheat bran, they can be added when cooking.

You don't need to starve. Many refuse food during the day, and in the evening they gorge themselves. It is more advisable to take lunches with you to eat at work. This is a helpful step in dealing with stress. As an anti-stress menu, you can use Japanese dishes rich in minerals and nutrients.

It is better to refuse snacks in the form of coffee and rolls, replacing them with more healthy yogurt, vegetable salads, freshly squeezed juices or fruits. On weekends, you can spend unloading vegetable and fruit days, while it is better to devote at least one day to outdoor recreation. This will help you regain your strength by next week.

It is impossible to get out of a constant state of stress without a revision of the lifestyle, which led to the appearance of the problem. Confronting adversity is easier when you take control of the situation. It is worth at least half an hour a day to allocate for yourself.

Regardless of the causes of stress, psychologists identify certain principles that allow you to overcome the crisis:

1. The principle of satisfaction assumes that in any, even the most unpleasant situation, you can achieve emotional satisfaction, even if only for a short time. But in principle it is possible.
2. The reality principle means that a person should be sensible about the world around him, realistically assessing his capabilities. In most cases, workarounds and indirect means are worthwhile to get what you want.
3. The principle of value. To achieve the goal, alternative possibilities can be used; in the process of overcoming stress, it is necessary to consider all ways to resolve the issue, perhaps some of them will be less difficult psychologically.
4. Creativity. Any crisis situation can be perceived in different ways. People who see overcoming obstacles as an opportunity for personal growth are easier to tolerate the influence of stressors.

By implementing these principles in life, a person gets a global method of getting rid of constant stress. This is hard work on oneself, but its results will help in later life more than once. Learning to be flexible, changing habits and redefining attitudes will greatly reduce the stress in life.

Medicines and drugs

In some cases, when a person is under the influence of stress for a long time, without medications not enough. For treatment, the doctor may recommend funds from different groups, the choice depends on the severity of the situation.

Medications with a mild sedative effect, tonic drugs that have a sedative effect as a concomitant effect, can be used. In exceptional cases, the doctor may prescribe potent tranquilizers, antidepressants or antipsychotics, but they can only be used under the supervision of a specialist.

Can be used herbal preparations, herbal extracts, fees, extracts medicinal plants... Popular products such as Persen and Novo-Passit are available over the counter without a prescription. But it is worth remembering that even these harmless drugs cause side effects.

To maintain the body's performance during periods of high mental activity, vitamin and mineral complexes are prescribed.

To get rid of the harmful effects of constant stress will help A complex approach, the chain of events should be carried out in a timely manner. This will preserve the physical and psycho-emotional health of a person.

Feel like the soil is slipping from under your feet? Are you no longer in control of your own life? Everything falls out of hand, the emotional state leaves much to be desired and it is completely incomprehensible how to live on? It is important to identify the source of the problem that has crippled your soul - are you depressed or stressed? The available symptoms will help establish a diagnosis and begin to restore mental health in time.

Do you live like in an aquarium or on a powder keg? Depression is different from stress in the answer to this question! Of course, one answer is not enough to accurately diagnose the cause of the mental disorder. But you can identify significant signs diseases.

The symptoms of these mental illnesses are significantly different and lead to different consequences, but both conditions require timely correction. Remember that both neglected stress and neglected depression take a person out of the game for a long time and become the reason for the rapid destruction of his life (career, family and social relations, creative realization).

Stress Symptoms - Problem Response

Stress always arises according to the principle of "stimulus-response" and is an adaptation mechanism of the psyche. In small quantities, it is necessary to maintain vitality, as well as to form an adequate response to the danger posed by environment... When stress becomes a permanent attribute of human life, the body gets used to the state of tension and loses the ability to relax and renew internal reserves. Chronic stress becomes a serious problem as it provokes profound personality deformations and forms the foundation for a nervous breakdown. Consider the explicit

Increased anxiety

Each situation is felt sharply, exaggerated. Pessimistic forecasts for the outcome of any case prevail. There are manifestations of mild neurosis - constant calls to relatives with questions such as: "Is everything all right?", "Is the iron turned off?" In advanced cases, there are panic attacks different intensities.

Physical and mental stress

There is an unpleasant feeling of constant tension, like a stretched bowstring inside that is about to burst. The muscles of the body are tense most of the time, they appear pain After sleep. A typical phrase of a person experiencing chronic stress: "I wake up broken, as if a truck drove over me or I was beaten all night."

Sleep disturbances

Depending on the characteristics of a particular individual, there may be either attacks of insomnia, or excessive enthusiasm for "bed rest" without a feeling of rest. Possibly nightmarish or psychologically uncomfortable dreams

Persistent fatigue syndrome

Fatigue becomes a constant companion in life. The greatest difficulties arise for knowledge workers (concentration of attention decreases, the quantity and quality creative ideas) and those whose work is impossible without permanent contact with other people (salespeople, journalists, sales representatives, secretaries).

Self-diagnosis of stress

In order to correctly diagnose the problem, it is necessary to understand that the psyche reacts equally to both external and internal stress:

1. External stress includes objective events that can provoke psychological exhaustion - exams, job changes, problems in personal relationships, relocation, social conflicts, illness of relatives.
2. TO internal stress a person's assessment of his life is related - an internal conflict based on: “I want / need, I can / cannot”, age crisis, spiritual throwing.

It makes sense to carry out "restoration work" after identifying the source of the problem. If the reason is outside (conflicts at work), it is enough to take a short break in order to recover and make the right decision (change of work, correct conflict resolution strategy).

Seeing signs of stress, but not sure what to see a psychologist? Conduct a self-test using questionnaires:

1. (Well-being. Activity. Mood).

The data obtained during the self-test will help to better understand the causes of a severe illness. Then you can start moving towards mental health recovery.

Depression symptoms - dehydration of the soul

Depression differs from stress by the duration of the course and the aggravation of the experience of one's state. If all people allow themselves to experience stress, calmly sharing their emotions and thoughts with others, then "depression" (especially in men) is considered a "shameful illness" equated to venereal diseases.

Depression often develops as a result of neglected stress (acute or). Less commonly, melancholy is triggered by serious physical illness that disrupts the brain and the production of hormones that regulate emotions.

Anything can be a triggering factor for a depressive disorder. It is important to remember that the loss of control over life is always associated with a cognitive impasse - a person is trapped in negative thoughts and emotions. The more the patient tries to solve the problem, the more he gets bogged down in it. Being depressed is like being caught in quicksand, as any attempt to get out on your own leads to more bogging down.

Spontaneous healing of deep depression is observed in only one case - the emergence of deep, healing love. However, in this scenario, the "second half" often acts as an energy donor and fills the exhausted source of the patient's soul with life.

Self-diagnosis of depression

The fundamental signs of depression cannot be confused with anything; consider them carefully.

Anhedonia

A complete loss or a sharp decline in the ability to receive joy. Life is discolored or seen in dirty gray, black tones. None, even the most significant and positive (from the point of view of healthy people), does not cause pleasant experiences. Any communication and activity becomes a burden, since a person does not receive pleasure from them.

Cognitive impairment

There are many problems with mental activity. On early stages analytical and creative abilities are not disturbed, although they acquire a pronounced negative connotation.

Signs that anticipate deep depression:

• impenetrable pessimism;
• a state of constant despondency ("life has no meaning", "nothing good awaits me in the future");
• sharply negative judgments on any occasion (often without a real basis).

Catastrophic decline in self-esteem

The attitude of a depressed patient to his person in best case filled with harsh self-criticism. With an advanced illness, a person gradually begins to experience more and more self-disgust, reaching hatred and the appearance of suicidal thoughts.

Suicidal mood

The world would be a better place if I wasn’t in it ”,“ It would be easier for my family without me ”,“ I am not worthy of happiness ”,“ I am a nonentity, incapable of anything, ”- such programs can bring a person to real suicide and can only be eliminated with the help of an experienced psychotherapist, psychologist or psychiatrist.

Decrease or complete lack of interest in favorite activities

Some symptoms of depression can be observed (separately) among other mental disorders, but a complete and sudden loss of interest in your favorite activities / hobbies is characteristic of melancholy!

“A musician who has ceased to express his soul through music. An artist who has given up drawing. A scientist who has ceased to enthusiastically debate the subjects of his scientific research ”- someone thinks that they have lost the Muse. In 90% of such cases, people experience depression and often do not realize their condition, believing that they are simply bogged down in everyday life and in a bad mood.

Self-Test for Depression

You can check if you have depression using a self-test. The simplest tests can reveal the real presence and degree of neglect of the disorder:

1. Zanga Scale (Self-reported Depression) - /
2. Beck Scale (Major Depression Inventory) - /

Both techniques are quite simple and give a clear answer to the question: "Do I have depression?"

1. Weak depression - we treat it yourself! With mild depression, you can try to change the quality of your life, be filled with new impressions, increase physical activity develop positive thinking.
2. Depression of moderate severity - a psychologist to help! With depression of moderate severity, it is worth contacting a psychologist and correcting your condition under his guidance (personal counseling, group work). Such a state can no longer be corrected by one's own efforts - there is simply not enough "clarity of thinking" and a reserve of mental strength.
3. Severe depression - medical support needed! If the tests reveal severe depressive state, then you need to consult a psychiatrist and prescribe medication support for the period of psychotherapy.

However, you should first consult an experienced psychotherapist, as patients with depression tend to exaggerate the severity of their condition.

Video: « Clinical picture and diagnosis of depression "

Common consequences of long-term mental discord are. The human psyche needs to be handled correctly - periods of vigorous activity should be followed by proper rest. Long periods of mental exhaustion or sudden bitter trials inevitably lead to internal disharmony, extinction of vitality.

The melody of the soul was cut off - what to do?

Imagine that your body is the body of an instrument and your soul is a stretched string. With a long or inept play (wrong daily routine, mental overload, lack of discharge and satisfaction from activity), the sound deteriorates and it becomes necessary to tighten the strings. If the instrument is recently out of tune, then you need a simple treatment - tuning with a tuning fork or tuner (rest and positive emotions). In the case when the guitar did not know rest for months, moreover, it was operated in unfavorable conditions (disturbed sleep patterns, endless deadlines, conflicts), it will not be so easy to cure a person. A long period of rest will be required, and in especially critical cases, also correctly selected medications.

Should stress be treated?

This example describes a typical attitude towards stress - superficial and a little careless. “Let’s rest in the next world” - have you often heard this phrase or used it? No one can forbid you to exploit your psyche 100%, only the quality of life will get worse every day.

Emotional-volitional disorders, sleep disorders, exacerbation of chronic diseases, blocking of creative energy are far from full list symptoms of psychogenic stress. If you do not stop in time and think about the future, then the most likely result will be a nervous breakdown, after which long and expensive treatment will be required under the supervision of a competent psychotherapist.

Figuratively, the process of the formation of a nervous breakdown can be described as an attempt to independently force a worn out guitar string to produce a clean sound, or, as it is commonly called, "pull yourself together." As a result, the string simply breaks and the person forgets the melody of his soul for a long time!

Depression is serious!

A depressed person is best represented by a guitar devoid of strings. All attempts to bring oneself to life on their own do not bring the desired result. The patient desperately hits the neck, trying to extract at least some sound (to experience emotion, to revive old desires), but the strings are gone for a long time! And serious treatment is required to return the psyche to normal.

Do not confuse periods bad mood with depression. During an unfortunate life stage, you may feel depressed, depressed, and even pessimistic about the world. However, at the first appearance of the sun over the road of your life, all sadness instantly dissipates. In a state of depression, no success in professional activity, neither happy events in the family, nor creative achievements can evoke a feeling of joy. It seems as if the soul is silent forever and will never be able to sing again? Only a competent specialist will be able to prescribe competent treatment because it is necessary to use supportive drugs.

Save yourself: how to recover from stress and depression

Stress and depression treatment should be trusted by professionals, but you can't run to a psychologist after every emotional shock! Every adult is responsible for his own mental condition and must be able to regulate the settings of his own body.

How ? Just! But only if he has not passed into a chronic form. Don't you know the term “nervous breakdown” yet? Is the deterioration in quality of life not causing panic attacks? Then you are able to restore mental health on your own.

Self-treatment of stress and mild depression

The causes of stress and depression are lingering failures in the mechanism and blocking of the mechanism of natural recovery of used mental resources. You can cope with stress and mild depression using the methods of popular psychology. There are many effective methods of influencing the emotional state - from mechanical impact on the body (walks, physical training, massages, yoga) to all kinds of relaxation techniques and switching attention.

It will not be possible to completely eliminate the symptoms in a short time, but you can develop adequate way interaction with the outside world and oneself. Effective therapeutic effect on the mental state, includes physical, mental and emotional aspects.

Eliminating the symptoms of physical exhaustion

The most effective way to influence the mental state is through the physical shell. Modern medicine recognizes that more than 60% of diseases are formed on the basis of psychosomatics. Do you want to heal your soul? Start with the body!

1. Conclusion of mental stress through physical activity. Daily walks in the fresh air are recommended, as well as active training 2-3 times a week for 1-1.5 hours (any kind of sport).
2. Strengthening the nervous system. may be different, but always loosen nervous system... You can help the body cope with overload with the help of the lungs sedatives- valerian, herbal teas.
3. Elimination of mechanical blocks. You can reduce mental stress through relaxation of the muscle frame. Relaxing massages, warm baths with sea ​​salt relaxing activities (dancing, yoga, swimming)

Coping with destructive thoughts: positive psychology

On the development of stress and depression special influence provides an assessment of the personality of the event that is happening to her. Often the real influence of the surrounding world is extremely small, but the situation that has arisen is so acutely perceived by a person that it can provoke a nervous breakdown, and then plunge into the abyss of depression.

Example: a girl is going on a first date and, out of excitement, spills coffee on a new dress - in a normal situation she would have laughed at her awkwardness and calmly changed her wardrobe, but in conditions of increased importance, this factor caused powerful stress.

1. Visualization. Very effective various techniques mental control over their own state. Visualization can be aimed at symptoms (reduction of anxiety, mental stress, release of emotions in a safe state) or at the cognitive aspects of the formation of stress (a conscious change in one's own reactions to stimuli).
2. Group psychological trainings... Art therapy, psychodrama, transactional analysis, systemic constellations - modern psychology provides many effective tools for changing one's own reactions to external environment... Their common motto can be expressed by the phrase "Live wisely - react philosophically." A person is offered to independently decide how to react to reality and transform destructive emotions into positive products (example: through personal creativity).

What to do with emotional exhaustion

Emotions help a person to navigate in life and develop. After a traumatic stressful situation, a person becomes emotionally unbalanced, severe symptoms of emotional burnout appear. Depending on gender and age, there is: tearfulness, sharp outbursts of anger, aggression, fear or anxiety, the ability to rejoice decreases or completely disappears, depression and apathy seize the personality.

Emotional life becomes scarce in the intensity of the experience - every event (even potentially good) is perceived as negative, since it requires significant energy costs.

Treat symptoms creatively:

1. Take advantage of autogenic training.
2. Relieve symptoms with visualization or light meditation.
3. Start keeping a "diary of experiences" - pour emotions on paper, not letting them build up inside.
4. Throw out the emotional baggage in creativity (great help: acting, art and handicrafts, free dance styles, extreme sports).
5. Check the influence of animals on mental symptoms (there is evidence that caring for pets halves the likelihood of acute stress formation)

If depression is at the root of an emotional imbalance, any self-healing methods should be used with caution. A depressed person can be compared to a discharged battery on mobile phone — internal resources enough only for the minimum number of actions (remember the "theory of spoons").

If, after a month of self-medication, the state of mind does not improve, it is better to immediately consult a psychotherapist or psychiatrist. Doctors will prescribe reinforcing medications to keep you from falling into discouragement.

Rescuers of human souls - psychologists and psychiatrists

Only specialists can make diagnoses of “chronic stress”, “nervous breakdown” and “clinical depression”. A layman can easily confuse the symptoms of stress or depression with the first manifestations of some kind of physical illness or other mental disorder (for example, neurosis). Moreover, you cannot buy the first available medicines at the pharmacy - with a 99% probability you will harm yourself even more!

Stress drugs

In case of chronic stress or after a nervous breakdown, the doctor prescribes supportive therapy - medications that are supposed to calm down and give energy resources to the weakened body.

1. Supportive drugs. A group of drugs that have a general strengthening effect: a complex of vitamins (necessarily including the "B" group), preparations based on medicinal plants (valerian, eleutherococcus, lemongrass, pink rhodiola) or animal origin (often prescribed "apilak")
2. Anxiety-relieving drugs. Sedatives help the body slow down (decrease production) and improve sleep quality. Depending on the patient's condition, the doctor may prescribe sleeping pills, sedatives, or mild antidepressants. Often, doctors try to avoid antidepressants when treating stress and prescribe them only to someone who is at the threshold of depression.

Caution: Medicines for Depression

Medication therapy can keep a depressed person from completely falling into the abyss of despondency and despair. Antidepressants are aimed at creating a stable emotional background, devoid of peak experiences. A person on the physical level is not allowed to experience sharply negative emotions or feelings of hopelessness. However, even vivid joyful experiences become inaccessible.

Therefore, in the treatment of depression, any drugs are prescribed only in combination with psychotherapy. When the patient's psychological problems are successfully resolved, there is a gradual withdrawal from antidepressants - many drugs are addictive and must be taken in strict accordance with medical recommendations... Usually, taking antidepressants does not exceed 4-6 months, during which it is important to undergo psychotherapeutic treatment.

Video: psychotherapist Mikhail Golubev "Depression - learned helplessness"

If with the onset of autumn you have become more irritable, your sleep is still disturbed, negative thoughts are more and more often visited and you want to cry, most likely you are experiencing autumn depression. This phenomenon is quite common. It is believed that about 40% of the population is faced with a similar problem, and most of the people are women. How to beat depression and stress effective methods what are there for? What folk remedies will help to overcome feelings of melancholy and irritation, normalize sleep and feel joy again?

Causes of the autumn blues

Why do many people experience negative feelings with the onset of autumn?

1. Lack of sunlight. In addition to the fact that cloudy weather brings melancholy, changing hormonal levels also affect the mental state of people. The hormone melanin is produced to a lesser extent in the fall, and this substance is capable of relieving stress to some extent.
2. Women, whose hormonal background often undergoes changes, suffer more from the autumn blues. They are especially affected by the shortening of the day.
3. Since autumn is the last stage of the year, at this time people begin to think about their unfulfilled plans, and this leads to a decrease in their self-esteem and causes a feeling of worthlessness.
4. One of the reasons for the autumn depression can be deteriorating health. As you know, spring and autumn are the time when chronic diseases, as well as the period of onset of the incidence of colds.

How can lifestyle changes help combat stress and depression?

To feel like a full-fledged and vigorous person again, to feel the joy of life, you need to act in an integrated manner. First, it's worth changing your lifestyle. What do we have to do?

According to doctors, you can overcome the autumn blues by playing sports. Psychiatrists say that the level of serotonin, the hormone of happiness, rises if a person exercises regularly. If you do not have the opportunity to visit fitness clubs, then replace them with walks in the fresh air. Only they should be active, you need to move, and not just sit on a bench. Remember to take 10,000 steps a day outdoors.

To make up for the lack of sunlight, visit a tanning bed at least once a week. Ultraviolet radiation in small doses, it "awakens" melanin, which will help relieve stress. Pleasant and positive communication is equally important. Invite your friends to visit, go to tea with them, laugh, share the news. Go to the cinema or theater, visit an interesting exhibition, you need new impressions and emotions.

Nutrition plays a huge role in the fight against depression. In the fall, lean on fruits and vegetables, stock up on vitamins. Pamper yourself with fermented milk products, they will improve the work of the intestines. Eat fiber-rich foods to cleanse your body of toxins and waste products. Good physical health is the key to a great mood.

Surround yourself with bright objects, change your wardrobe to a rainbow one to make up for the lack sunny days... Be sure to add something beautiful to the interior, maybe a painting or a bright pillow. Eat dark chocolate, it contains phenylethylamine, which promotes the production of serotonin in the body.

How to overcome depression on your own with folk remedies?

Folk remedies can also have a positive effect on your psychological condition... There are many herbs and essential oils that have the ability to relieve stress, soothe, normalize sleep and enhance the overall tone of the body.

* First of all, you need to take care of strengthening the immune system, since frequent colds will further aggravate your condition. Add a spoonful of echinacea tincture (20 drops) to your tea every day.

* Be sure to include foods that help manage stress in your diet. These include broccoli, almonds, garlic, banana, sea kale.

* St. John's wort is an excellent remedy for stress and depression. Doctors equate its effect with drugs that are prescribed to patients for the treatment of lingering depressive disorders. It relieves irritation and soothes. Brew a teaspoon of the herb with boiling water and enjoy the aromatic drink.

* Tincture of hawthorn will help to normalize sleep, eliminate anxiety and attacks of panic and fear. Take the lowest dose of hawthorn drip before bed.

And here's how to overcome autumn depression on your own:

* If you find it difficult to force yourself to do something, you have absolutely no strength, then you need Eleutherococcus. It will increase efficiency, improve the ability to concentrate and memorize information. Take 20-30 drops before breakfast, half an hour before meals.

* Be sure to indulge yourself in relaxing baths with the addition of herbs - mint, hawthorn, lemon balm and lemongrass. Mix all of the listed ingredients one teaspoon at a time, pour a liter of boiling water. Then strain and add to the bath. Relax and breathe in the pleasant scent of these herbs.

* In the evenings, light the aroma lamp with a few drops essential oil bergamot, mint, jasmine and sandalwood.

So, let's summarize. To overcome the autumn depression, you need to be more active, walk, play sports, eat a lot of vegetables and fruits, chocolate, and improve immunity. Be sure to communicate with friends, attend cultural events, have more rest, arrange pleasant procedures for yourself - herbal baths and aromatherapy. It makes sense to drink herbal teas that have stress relieving properties. If you apply these tips, soon there will be no trace of the autumn blues.

When it comes to depression, we often talk about stress. When it comes to stress, people often think of depression. These states go hand in hand, replacing each other or provoking one another. How to cope with stress, or, will be described in this article, where the speech will mainly be on the conditions inherent in healthy people.

From time to time, each person falls into a depressive or stressful state. It does not talk about psychological disorders, pathologies or disorders. Every healthy person has corresponding emotional reactions that are manifested in response to this or that event.

What is remarkable is that stress can trigger depression, just as depression can cause stress. It should be understood that these conditions are normal and healthy if they are short-lived.

• The loss of something of value can naturally cause depression. It's okay to grieve over your loss if the bitterness lasts no more than 2 weeks.
• Physical activity, emotional changes, lack of sleep can provoke a stressful state. This condition is quite normal if a person calms down immediately as soon as the state of affairs changes (problems go away, good rest appears, emotional difficulties cease to arise, etc.).

These conditions become abnormal and dangerous if their duration exceeds 2 weeks and the mood does not return to normal when stressful situations pass..

What are depression and stress?

Depression and stress should be distinguished as they are two different conditions. What is depression and stress will help you separate these concepts and clearly track them:

• Stress is an outburst of emotions that arise as a reaction to an event. This is usually an emotional response that lasts exactly as long as the person is exposed to a stressful stimulus.
• Depression is a condition that can result from an outbreak of negative emotions. The situation that triggered the depression has long since passed. A person with emotions and memories plunges into the past, which provokes a corresponding internal state in him.

Stress is emotion, tension. And depression is a state, a mood. The difference is quite tangible.

Mindfulness allows many people to notice that stress and depression occur in people in different periods life, by various reasons... If one person can be seriously offended by the dismissal from work, then another individual may regard this event as insignificant. Here we should single out the category of people who are most prone to depressive or stressful conditions:

1. Dreamy. Today, trends are becoming fashionable when a person is forced to dream of a bright future. A positive outlook on your own life helps you maintain a positive attitude. On the other hand, dreams break up against an unpleasant reality, which shows that a person does not have anything bright in the coming future. When a person dreams of something that he will never achieve or for which he does not put effort, then he may sink into depression.
2. Unpreparedness to face difficulties. This is to some extent combined with daydreaming. When a person takes actions on the way to his goal, he rarely thinks that his decisions and actions may be wrong. Difficulties often indicate that a person commits wrong actions that will not help him achieve what he wants. If the individual is not ready to admit his mistakes and change his actions, then he plunges into a stressful state.
3. Expectations. Sometimes a person does not act, but simply waits. It is not he, but other people, fate, life should give him joy, happiness, prosperity. As a result, a person is faced with the fact that he has nothing. Resentment towards the world around us provokes stress, and dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs - depression.

Stress and Depression Symptoms

If we talk about two different conditions that arise or provoke each other, then it should be noted their differences in the symptoms in which they appear. Depression can be easily distinguished from stress by its inherent symptoms.

Depression - its symptoms:

• Depressed, depressed mood.
• Loss of interest in work, yourself, people, life in general.
• Sleep disorders that manifest themselves in early awakening or lingering sleep.
• Anxiety.
• Increased fatigue.
• Lack of appetite and, as a result, weight loss.
• Prostration.
• Irritability.
• Binge eating.
• Loss of mindfulness and ability to make decisions.
• Attacks of sobbing.
• Feelings of your own worthlessness and guilt.
• Helplessness.
• Hopelessness.
• Decreased libido.
• Suicidal thoughts.

Depression is often a consequence of the stress that a person faces almost every day. Having to solve some problem is always stressful. Depression occurs after stress if it lasts for a long time. Stressful feelings are quite normal when they arise at the moment of a specific situation and help to mobilize your strength.

Stress can be characterized by the following symptoms:

• Mobilization of forces.
• Protection of the body itself.
• Increased activity, willingness to take action.
• Accumulation of energy.
• Excitement and tension.

If we talk about the transition of stress into depression, then it should be pointed out that this phenomenon arises when a person does not solve his problem and does not use the strength, energy that has accumulated in him. If a person is passive at the moment of stress, then his problem is not solved, which makes it constantly disturb him. The duration of the stressful state provokes depression.

If absolutely all people are exposed to stress, then only certain categories are subject to a depressive state as a result of stress - people who do not act, do not decide, are passive. Their characteristic traits are:

1. Helplessness.
2. Lack of initiative.
3. Irresponsibility (the desire to shift it onto someone else's shoulders).
4. Indecision.
5. Fearfulness.

In a depressed state, these sensations are exacerbated, which often causes psychosomatic diseases, the treatment of which requires a medication approach.

How to deal with depression and stress?

So that a person can avoid negative conditions, he is offered various techniques that help to overcome depression and stress. They can be used both in the elimination of both conditions, and in specific cases. First, let's learn how to eliminate stress that occurs in all people:

• Keep your cool and calm. Remember that your reactions to situations are natural. You should not give in to emotions, it is better to turn your strength to solving the problem.
• Keep your breathing calm. Calmness in the body contributes to keeping the mind calm. Breathe deeply, freely and slowly, concentrating a little on your own movements.
• Help yourself to calm down. Various stroking and massage movements... So, you can rub your earlobe, make yourself light massage hand, shoulder blade, neck or other area of ​​the body. The touch should be pleasant.
• Use a hot shower to relax.
• It is necessary to resolve the situation or accept it. If it is possible to fix the problem, then you should focus your efforts on this. If the situation is insoluble, then you need to accept it, come to terms with the presence. Why worry about what has already happened and not change?
• Watch your own thoughts. You should curb yourself every time negative or pessimistic thoughts arise. They definitely won't help you relax.
• Change your attitude towards the situation. This method helps to look at the situation from the other side, help yourself get rid of negative emotions, see options for solving the problem, etc.

Music therapy is often used to treat depression. This method is also suitable for dealing with stress. Listen to your favorite music that sets you up in a positive, "fighting" or relaxing mood. There should not be any pessimism, sadness and sadness in it. You need a positive attitude.

Try to communicate with positive people, watch good programs and films, read encouraging literature. You have already been put into a stressful or depressive state. To fix this, you need "artillery" that works in a positive direction and affects you positively.

Treatment for depression and stress

If we talk about specialized medical treatment for depression and stress, then it should be understood that only a doctor can prescribe medications and the dose of drugs. Use medicines it is not recommended on its own, especially if they are potent drugs.

If treatment is required healthy person who has temporarily been seized by the emotions of stress or depression, then various recommendations will help here:

• Let the experience flow through you. You shouldn't run away from your emotions and ignore them. It is better to allow yourself to worry and grieve for several days in order to live the raging emotions. Then you can start leaving them in the past.
• Take vitamins C, E, B and macronutrients, especially magnesium and calcium.
• Take sedative medications: Persen, Novo-Passit, Valerian and motherwort tinctures, Nervoflux, Passiflora extract.
• Take medications in case of apathy, melancholy, lethargy: Imipramine, Paroxetine, Clomipramine, Fluoxetine.
• Treat subpsychotic symptoms with Desipramine and Pyrazidol.
• Eliminate anxiety, unaccountable restlessness, gloomy irritability with the drugs Lyudiomil and Azafen.
• Eliminate suicidal thoughts with Amitriptyline.

It is better if a doctor takes care of the intake and dosage of medications. He will take into account all the symptoms of the conditions and prescribe the necessary medications. On an independent basis, it is better to resort to:

1. Yoga.
2. Meditation.
3. Soothing baths with sea salt, ginger, baking soda, rosemary extract.
4. Herbal medicine, when medicinal herbs are used as decoctions: angelica, chamomile, comfrey, thyme, valerian roots, hawthorn flowers, motherwort, St.

Outcome

Stress is a natural state of the body when a person is engaged in solving some problems and problems. Depression is already becoming the first bell that indicates a deviation from the norm. A person is not yet considered sick if he has depression, but in the absence of remedial measures, the situation can worsen. The result can be unpleasant - the development of clinical depression, which is treated with medication and therapy together with a psychiatrist.

Stress is a normal reaction of the human body to unpleasant situations happening around. It is quite natural to experience negative emotions. You should not be afraid of them or run away. However, it is not advisable to let your stressful state last. long time and go into depression. This already speaks of negligence in relation to oneself.

Each person should take care of their state of mind. No amount of success is worth turning into a sick person as you achieve it. It will be impossible to enjoy the blessings of humanity if the ability to enjoy life and be interested in something is lost.