how to reduce depression

important tips to reduce depression 

• Where did that extra roll come from? Maybe from all the late-night ice cream you've been inhaling? Or from the frozen dinners you've been eating because you don't feel like shopping or cooking? Although comfort food can raise levels of the mood boosting brain chemical serotonin, over time emotional eating can lead to weight gain and feelings of guilt and shame, plus it does nothing to treat the underlying causes of depression. (Read more about how losing major weight  can also lead to depression.) A new study in the journal Obesity confirms that high levels of stress and depression make it tough to drop pounds and stick to effective weight-loss strategies. On the flip side, some people may lose weight, as depression zaps appetite

Depression and pain share some of the same biological pathways and neurotransmitters. About 75% of people with depression suffer recurring or chronic pain, research shows. In a Canadian study published in the journal Pain, people with depression were four times more likelto have intense or disabling neck and low back pain than those who were not depressed. "When you're in a negative state, you're apt to tune into your body more carefully, and therefore feel any discomforts more acutely," explains. You might also notice other signs of depression like stomachaches and headaches, or just experience greater sensitivity to pain in general. A

reduce depresstion to do yoga its best medicine

2008 study in the Archives of General Psychiatry found that when people with depression anticipate pain, their brain activity indicates more emotion and less coping, so they're less able to handle the hurt.   

• Feeling blah? Neutral? Numb? "Most of us have motivations that get us out of bed in the morning, whether it's work, exercise, socializing, or making breakfast," says Rego. "But for people who are depressed, those pulls dry up." And things that once brought tears or smiles now barely register. This kind of zombie behavior is a hallmark sign of depression, and it can make you seem cold, distant or aloof, pushing away the people who would otherwise give you love and support.