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Recently I read that 1 out of every 5 people are subject to some form of depression. That means that now one could get away from depression, directly or indirectly. If you’re not there, someone else you know is. I’m normally a positive person and the word depression is not a normal part of my vocabulary. Sometimes it does happen that one of my clients do suffer from depression and ask me about it. That’s why I decided to write this article.

Now how does depression fit into a health and wellness newsletter?

There are a couple of reasons why I believe that it does fit here:
• Wellness is about a balanced lifestyle, which is a healthy body, a healthy mind and healthy emotions.
• Our emotions have a direct effect on our bodies.
• A lot of people (especially the medical field) see depression as a disease.
• As a wellness coach, I get a lot of enquiry about depression.

Some other misconceptions people have about depression are that they believe it is not curable. Once you’re a depression sufferer, you have to cope with it for life. And it’s not only the people who are depressed that believe it.

I’m using the words ‘believe’ and ‘feels like’ at lot in this article, because I’m sure that most of these ideas are based on personal experience and not on external evidence. Research showed (according to Wikipedia) that 20% of all people suffer from some kind of depression. Of those 20%, only a third seeks out formal help. Of those who seek help, 90% get over the depression.

So in this article I want to show that there is solutions, and where to find it. I also want to help people to avoid the confusion, while finding solutions.

As a trained counsellor, as well as a wellness coach, I’ll tackle the issue of depression from the emotional and biological sides. In my opinion, while working with only these two factors, we could find effective solutions.

Let’s start at biology.

An Afrikaans saying says that a healthy mind lives in a healthy body. For our emotions to function properly, we need to have relative to great health. That includes all the normal stuff such as great digestion and absorption, circulation, elimination, etc.

In this case it’s very true. Research showed that depression is linked to some key ingredients in the nervous system. The lack of ‘happy hormones’ is one of the major reasons for depression. These ingredients are biological stuff, made by the body for the proper functioning of the nervous system. The best part of it is that the building blocks for these ingredients come mainly from food.

What we look for in food to increase is protein (two amino acid called tryptophan and tyrosine), omega 3 fats, folic acid, B6 and12, and Vitamin D. With enough of these nutrients, your body will produce the happy hormones (and more) we need for a balanced emotional live.

Here is a list of foods that is rich in these nutrients:
Soy products, lean red meat, chicken, free range eggs, turkey, fish, peanuts, almonds, avocados, bananas, milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, sunflower seed, coffee, cacao.
You could also choose food supplements that provide these nutrients. The range I personally use and recommend is Herbalife.

When you want to beat depression, or if you want to help someone with depression, start with something that is relatively easy to follow. That is to improve your/ their overall health. With excellent health, the emotional side of depression get handled much easier.

Now it’s necessary to deal with the emotional side of depression. Ways to overcome this is in my opinion not through medication, but through counselling.

Here are some quick pointers as to what you should be looking for in the overcoming of depression:
1. Find a counsellor that you feel comfortable with.
2. Find an informal support group (not only a single person) of friends. These people should be ex-depression sufferers and people that never experienced depression in their lives.

On top of this, live a full active life. Never give time for self-pity, keep busy with meaningful things, such as a fulfilling hobby or doing a sport. Give your best in your marriage, family life, social life, spiritual life and career.

I know it’s not that easy as I make it sound, but it is possible. Especially with depression, motivation levels are at its lowest. That’s where a support group comes in really handy, to keep going when you want to quit, believing in you when you’ve lost faith.

If someone is looking for solutions on a lot of different levels, the chances of success improves with each added effort.

Next time you enjoy a braai, think of it as a mood-lifting experience. Not only do you enjoy you friends' company, but you also provide your body with the building blocks (the amino acids in the meat) of 'happy hormones'. Bonus.


If you want to feel great, right from the basic biology to complex emotions, sign up for the personalized wellness coaching at www.health2u.co.za.