A Simple Daily Strategy

Most people who are experiencing depression do not have a very long attention span. So if you are in that category and still reading this, we congratulate you!!  And hope you have found at least some good food for thought, along with a variety of practical ideas that might be helpful for you or someone you care for. Or at least worth sharing and hopefully discussing with your health care provider(s). 

We understand, however, that all of the above might be a bit overwhelming. If that is the case, If the strategies above seem too… complicated for you, or too much to do. Here is one of the simplest strategies for boosting mood, Easy to learn and easy to do. Yet one of the most effective for alleviating even treatment resistant depression.

you can do this! A Simple daily Strategy 

Here are 7 simple steps to take:

1. Write down 5 things you are grateful for each day. (If you are reading this, one might be that you have eyes that can see – you know some people don’t. If someone is reading this to you, well at least you have one ear that can hear. Some don’t.)
2. Eat an egg, avocado or banana for breakfast or lunch, and take a Coenzyme or activated B-complex after your first 3 bites of food.
   
3. Keep a journal in which you note one positive event that happened that day.
4. Meditate for at least 2 minutes each day to quiet your mind – imagine something peaceful or dwell on God’s goodness, someone you love, or a particular blessing in your life.
5. Exercise – do something physical that causes you to breath a bit harder for at least 15 min ea day.  Supplement that by breathing deeper for 2 min at least 3x a day.
6. Do a random act of kindness: Write, text, call or email someone each day who has helped you or that you are greatful for or care for. Make a list of these individuals. Thank one of them or tell them or someone else something that you like or appreciate about them each day.
7. Reframe: Think of a challenge, problem, frustration or disappointment and reframe that (i.e. try to see that from a different perspective, then note down some good that did or could come from that, or some lesson learned. Ponder how bad things can sometimes bring good things, or prevent worse things.

If you have never done meditation before, or you need some assistance in bringing your busy or distressed mind under better control, one of the simplest ways to do this is to learn Mindfulness. And one of the best tools to do so, is through the LIFT website. Simply click here to learn more.

More To Come

In the near future this section will contain even more great ideas and illustrations of what you can do to boost your mood, mind and quality of life, for yourself or a loved one.  One of these programs now available that utilizes this synergistic approach to alleviating depression, that we will be reviewing, is Dr. Neal Nedley’s Depression and Anxiety Recovery Program. This program boasts a 76% recovery rate, for those who take the time to work through that. 

Additionally, we would encourage you to keep in mind that, as with dementia prevention, there are many other strategies that may be very helpful as well, related to diet, physical activity, mental activity, stress management, and how to get a good night’s sleep etc. Therefore, we would strongly encourage you to read all 7 Steps to better brain health under the Brain Health Essentials Tab.  Or to save time, take the $10 Personal Assessment to identify which sections might be most relevant and helpful for you to review; as well as the other recommendations that will follow here shortly, in addition to checking out Dr. Nedley’s site.

Hopefully something here helps! Feel free to contact us a [email protected]  if you have any questions or extraordinarily helpful insights or websites that you would like to share. 

American Brain Council