Recovery Enthusiast/ Recovery for Women

  Do you ever feel a little blue for no apparent reason? Are you feeling down, maybe lower than you've been? Or perhaps just a general melancholy? As medication can help (that's between you and your doctor), it is never a cure-all. Here are some ways you can elevate your mood. Try to keep an open mind; many of these skills take a little practice. Implement these seven amazing steps:   Journaling. Journaling might sound more like work than self-care, but keeping a journal is important for recovering from a slump. Think of it as a companion that allows you to let your feelings out without judgment.   ●       Writing your thoughts in a journal helps you work through what you are going through emotionally. Come to terms with your current state, make adjustments, and figure out your next step.   ●       Don't hold back from writing because your feelings are everywhere. Even if you are not ...

Not all antidepressants come in a pill. A new study suggests that food can dramatically enhance your mood.   Researchers at Deakin University in Australia tested the theory on a group of participants with unhealthy diets who experienced moderate to severe depression. Half were asked to switch to a modified Mediterranean diet and nutritional counseling, while the other half continued their usual eating habits.   After 12 weeks, the Mediterranean-style diet group had significantly fewer symptoms, and 32% were in full remission. The other half, who received only social support, showed far less progress.   While these results are dramatic, you don’t have to be clinically depressed to reap the benefits of eating more produce. Another study at the University of Otago in New Zealand found that extra servings of vegetables and fruits boosted the psychological well-being of healthy young adults in just 2 weeks.   See how changing your diet could cheer you up. Run through thi...

  What depression looks like can be different for different people. Most people I talk with about it though have some similarities. When people think of depression, at least when I used to think of depression I thought of the most depressed, down, non-motivated person. A person that slept all day, ate too much and cried all the time. This can be at times the description of a depressed person. But what I didn't realize is that there are many phases and different degrees of depression. When I was diagnosed with depression it was obvious. I had been suicidal and felt hopeless. With medication and some therapy I felt a little better (I was no longer suicidal) My alcohol consumption, of course, was labeled the culprit of most if not all of my problems including my depression. Although I found this not completely to be true when I had put together 4 years of sobriety and decided to get off my depression medication. Of course, I did so on my own without my doc's consultation. Within 6...