Depression Self Help

What do you do if you're depressed? Can depression self help books, personal development guru's or counseling help? What if you can't access a professional in your life? (Lord knows that at least America is underinsured and millions don't get the mental help they would so dearly benefit from.)

It’s a very tough situation to be in. Well, there are some answers to this challenge. We don't have to look to drugs, although drugs can and do work for many people. Again, however, this is expensive. Furthermore, there is a HUGE tradeoff when it comes to anti-depression drugs. Forget the cost, there are side effects such as far worse "lows" when the medication wears off, more drastic ups-and-downs (think the proverbial roller coaster), and of course there is the issue of drug-dependence. Dependence can be both physiological and psychological.

What do you think is worse: needing a drug to function at your best or thinking you must have drugs to function at all? For many people, they've developed severely disempowering beliefs and they tell themselves that they MUST have substance XYZ in order to function at all. I don't know about you, but that's just about the last thing I want to walk myself into. One of the hallmarks of this personal development blog and my mission is to instill personal responsibility in myself and you.

Who does depression effect?

I'm not going to bother with the literature on this one, but let's be real here. Do you know someone who has been depressed in the last year? Were you depressed in the last 5 years?

Maybe it didn't last long, and that's great if it didn't, but still it is no surprise that depression has peeked its ugly head into just about everyone's life at some point. For some it is a mere unfortunate event, but for others it is a heavy, heavy burden that other people have a hard time understanding. The fact is clear that depression is far more rampant than most people are aware of.

What can you do for depression?

The popular saying "Just do it" is great advice... if you're already doing it. How worthless advice is that to a smart person who feels the weight of even mild depression? It's not like when a person becomes depressed they become stupid! Chances are they know what they could do, even if it's minor. Part of the problem is, however, they aren't sure how effective what they already know could be. Another part of the problem is simply not knowing what to do. Another one of my goals for this blog is to inform and educate (notice the brief headline at the very top of each page – Inspiration, Motivation, and Information).

If your body is in such bad shape, and you feed it so poorly with junk food and candy for years you may not have a clue that your diet contributed to your depression. In fact, you might rationalize it subconsciously by knowing that your diet has been the same for YEARS. Meanwhile, during that entire time your body was simply being overrun piece by piece.

To paint a better picture, think of a bodybuilder who starts to just take it a little easier in the gym. He won't look totally different in a day, a month, or possibly even a year. But 3 years down the road he may end up looking like a weekend warrior instead of a highly trained athlete. I really like the words of a favorite Jim Rohn quote that goes something like "Failure does not happen overnight." Your poor physical and mental condition is no different.

I should point out that I've never had major depression. I know enough about it, having studied it in school, to know that it requires serious help and it's beyond the scope of this blog. However, I've felt bad before. I know this. I've never been diagnosed, but I know enough to know that my life was... well, far below what I wanted.

This was before I began my study of self improvement. I didn’t realize all the powerful tools available for anyone. I was stuck in a scientific frame of mind, and so help me god if something didn't check out on pubmed or the medical journals I would be the first one to discount it. So what did I do? For a long time I didn't do much. That’s not what you want to hear, and I wouldn't suggest you take that advice though. The good news is that you can do something, anything, and it’s pretty much painless.

Depression self help books

Priscilla Slagle, MD offers an eBook - free download pdf - called The Way Up From Down: Rid Yourself of Stress, Low Moods, and Depression with this Easy to Follow, Drug-Free Program of B-Vitamins & Amino Acids. It is a free, natural therapy for depression you could and should start with if you're doing nothing about your low moods or depression.

What drew me to this book in the first place I think was the fact that Priscilla Slagle is a legitimate medical doctor and the book was free and easy to download. It's really not one of those hard-sell bait and switch type deals that are rampant on the internet (and that I really dislike).

Does the title of the book sound too good to be true? Maybe to some it does. They probably won't bother reading it. But if you do read it you'll be doing something about your situation to make it better, and that's what is most important right now. The book doesn't push products or force you to buy more of anything to get the "real" information. It just takes a look at your situation and how you can naturally treat depression. Even if it only helped me get 2% better when I read it, I'd say that's totally worth it. I paid 0 dollars for the book, so that's about an infinite return on investment right?

What id really like to see you do today is to start reading The Way Up From Down if you’re having depression or even low moods that you want to get rid of. Moreover, beyond just starting to read it, come back here and let me know what you think of it. Use this accountability and knowledge that your feedback can help others along with yourself. If you came here looking for depression self help, you found it. It’s been delivered to you; but remember that everything in your life is up to you to do something with. I look forward to hearing from you!