How can I deal with depression without medicine or therapy?

[Citylights234]

I need a healthy outlet.

Updates

+1 y

Thank you to everyone who helped I really appreciate it.

[Rawrzz]

Treat your body and mind right, and you probably won't be depressed. Your brain is still developing, so there's a certain degree of growing pains that every teenager goes through.

Your time should be spent attempting to fulfill your needs. Learn to recognize your brain's signals which tell you what need you require.

upload.wikimedia.org/.../...hierarchy_of_needs.png

Emotions are the brain's way of telling you that something is wrong or right. If you haven't eaten in 12 hours, you might start getting depressed. If you haven't exercised for two weeks, you might start getting depressed. If you never socialize, you might start getting depressed.

Also learn to recognize that some things are beyond your power. Don't focus on things that you cannot control. The only thing you can do is accept them as they are. The power to change the things you can and accept that you can't change others.

Stay away from medication. All Big Pharma cares about is your money. There is no pill that can solve all your problems. That takes effort and planning and willpower.

However. Therapy is most effective. You just have to find the right therapist. It takes some shopping around, but if you continue to look, you'll find one that works for you. Of course, it's all meaningless if you don't want to heal.

And, perhaps most importantly: when we focus on the past, we get depressed. When we focus on the future, we get anxious. The best thing to do is to learn from the past, live in the present, and plan for the future.

This, along with eating healthily, exercising on a regular basis, socializing on a regular basis, and getting enough sleep--particularly as a teenager, as you're still developing: sleep is very important.

Keep your brain active and work it out like you would your body. It's wiring itself right now, so how you use it will determine your strengths later on. Read books, do sudoku or other puzzles, practice critical thinking.

Create a list of your goals. Short-term goals, mid-term goals, long-term goals. This will be very effective in maintaining direction in your life, along with serving as an external motivator.

It's a human need to socialize, babies will actually die if they're not touched: that's how important it is; people go insane in isolation: see the Reece monkey isolation experiment for further details.

[Avenuewriter]

Exercise, go for walks outside, try to keep your mind occupied with some sort of task. Take up some sort of hobby you can lose yourself in. Basically try not to put yourself into positions where your mind and start to wander into that dark territory.

I still highly recommend you seek out therapy and medication, though. They can help when all those other things can't.

[Lindajackie]

Whenever I'm feeling anxious I write. I keep a journal and write whatever I'm feeling, whatever im doing. It helps so much to have a journal. Instead of keeping all of those emotions bottled up. Let them go. Release all your sadness into the paper and feel yourself letting your sadness sink into the paper. It's amazing (:

[Yellowbone]

Take up a new hobby. Set lots of goals for yourself for your life. Plan a lot of future activities (this one helps me the most).

[26ukdude]

The right foods and vitamins, exercise, lots of sleep, being in the sun and dont overwork or conversely dont sit ther and do nothing all day everday.

Also, dont self diagnose, actual depression is serious and sometimes people do need meds and can't get themselves out of it. Feeling a bit shit for a week or two is not depression

[Anonymous]

Exercise.
Stay busy with something you like.
Spend time with close friends or close family members with whom you can open completely. Don't keep everything inside.
Learn to fake smile. Smile at yourself. I thought it's total nonsense but trust me it kinda helps. It will not do any big magic but it will help you to keep lighter mood.
Again, talk with someone you trust.

[Crumbles]

For me personally running on a daily basis, eating healthy and getting good sleep all help me deal with depression. It doesn't stop it but it defiantly helps.

[Viperkiss]

Exercise. A recent study showed that exercise is just as effective as Zoloft at treating depression. And the only side effects are a hot bod and looking good!

[truthhammer]

cardio, diet full of carbohydrates and proteins and veggies, sleep well, and do things that destress you and surround yurself with iplifting people.

long term you need to depend on goals for happiness instead of people. _eistnerin

[Decentguy]

go to gym, workout everyday and sleep as much as you can. or if you like doing something like listening to songs or watch any comedy shows then do this too.

[Dragan]

Do something, even if by force. Read, have sex, walk, climb a mountain...

[reptocarl]

Exercise

[abc--123]

Take up a hobby