Depression is a total body condition. It has physical symptoms, mental symptoms, and emotional symptoms. It is powerful enough to change how your think and feel, and it has an effect on nearly every decision you make.

Depression also responds very well to treatment. Therapy for depression is empirically proven to decrease symptoms and improve quality of life. For those struggling with depression, there are also some smaller changes you can make to your life that may help you make your depression more manageable.

The Little Things That Improve the Symptoms of Depression

• Better Nutrition – There are several vitamins, minerals, and dietary changes that have been linked to reducing depression. These include Fish Oil (which is high in Omega 3s), Folic Acid, Vitamin B50 Complex (a name for supplements with all the B vitamins), and Vitamin D3. Eating healthier in general may also help reduce symptoms of depression, because the better your body feels the more it can cope with stress.
• Exercise – Exercise can have a powerful effect on anxiety, especially weight bearing exercise and long distance running. These exercises can release hormones that improve mood and sleep quality. Taking care of your physical strength can also boost self-esteem, providing additional benefits to those that take the time to work out their muscles.
• Spiritual Connection – There is a lot of evidence that religion, spirituality, or some type of strong belief system can play a significant role in reducing feelings of depression. As a Kansas City psychologist, I try to integrate this idea into my practice specifically because the integration of spiritual belief of any kind (regardless of religion) can have a strong impact on mood.
• Increased Interpersonal Relationships – Studies have also shown that strong social support is capable of reducing depression symptoms. Depression can reduce your motivation to spend time with friends, but if you can push yourself to create and manage quality friendships, your depression should decrease as a result.

These are all very small lifestyle changes that, together, can have an impact on the severity of your depression symptoms. The more you are able to control the severity of your depression, the easier it is to manage in the future.

Call Kansas City Therapist Dr. Leigh Randa

Living with depression is often very difficult, and while small changes can decrease the severity of the symptoms, it helps to have someone on your side that can help you treat your depression using evidence based therapies. If you would like to chat about your experience, please feel free and call me today at 858.224.3767 or email me at DrRanda@FriendlyPsychology.com.