{"id":11511,"date":"2020-02-18T06:00:38","date_gmt":"2020-02-18T11:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=11511"},"modified":"2020-02-08T12:03:09","modified_gmt":"2020-02-08T17:03:09","slug":"depressed-make-a-few-lifestyle-changes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2020\/02\/depressed-make-a-few-lifestyle-changes.html","title":{"rendered":"Depressed? Make a Few Lifestyle Changes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-large wp-image-11517\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/258\/2020\/02\/people-2569234_1920-550x375.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"550\" height=\"375\" \/>Major depression\u00a0is one of the most common, but treatable mental disorders in the United States. Yet, an overlooked area in fighting depression is lifestyle. If you or someone you know is depressed, consider these 5 lifestyle changes. Making a change in one or more of these areas could make you feel so much better.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Diet and the gut<\/strong>: We know that people with depression have different diets, and perhaps different gut microbiomes than people without depression. The gut is sensitive to emotions and impacted by gut bacteria which makes diet a factor to consider when trying to help your mood. Eat a diet that is largely plant-based and includes a variety of plant foods. Diversity in those plant choices is important because the more diversity we have in our microbiome (the gut), the better. Cabbage, Brussel sprouts, asparagus, tomatoes are good choices. Basically, you want a diet low in processed foods and rich in plant foods, e.g., vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and grains. These foods support a more diverse gut microbiome and may improve your mood. In contrast, diets high in the consumption of red meat, refined grains, sweets, high-fat dairy products, butter, potatoes and gravy are associated with an increased risk of depression.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Exercise <\/strong>is well-known to improve mood. But when you are depressed, it is easy to put exercise aside because you don\u2019t feel like doing it. However, when you exercise, natural endorphins are released in the brain that make you feel better. Exercise also helps you get out of your head. It distracts you from the negative thoughts that come with depression.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sleep <\/strong>problems can lead to an increased risk of depression. Lack of sleep impacts mood, cognitive functioning and motivation. Disrupted sleep, no matter the reason, can lead to emotional changes. So, work on getting a good night sleep to improve mood.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Rest your mind. <\/strong>When it is time to sleep, turn off all electronics, lights, noise and distractions like the TV. The blue light in screens overstimulates the mind and suppresses melatonin, a hormone that helps you sleep. Make sure the bedroom is darkened, maybe read a book or your Bible, get comfortable and do some deep breathing or a relaxation technique. Focus on God, pray and allow your body to relax along with your mind.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stay connected:<\/strong> Isolation is bad for depression. When we are isolated, we easily get discouraged. Everyone needs social support. Connecting to a church might be an answer. Force yourself to get involved in a local church even if you don\u2019t feel like it. It can only help. Join a group. Find people with whom to do life. Social support prevents a host of mental and physical health problems. Going it alone only leads to more depression. And remember to connect daily and regularly with God. You are never really alone. His presence is with you and in you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Major depression\u00a0is one of the most common, but treatable mental disorders in the United States. Yet, an overlooked area in fighting depression is lifestyle. If you or someone you know is depressed, consider these 5 lifestyle changes. Making a change in one or more of these areas could make you feel so much better. Diet&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":419,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[925],"tags":[304,14,4650,4647],"class_list":["post-11511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mintle-mentions","tag-depression","tag-lifestyle","tag-natural-treatments-for-depression","tag-preventing-depression"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Depressed? Make a Few Lifestyle Changes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2020\/02\/depressed-make-a-few-lifestyle-changes.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Depressed? Make a Few Lifestyle Changes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Major depression\u00a0is one of the most common, but treatable mental disorders in the United States. Yet, an overlooked area in fighting depression is lifestyle. If you or someone you know is depressed, consider these 5 lifestyle changes. Making a change in one or more of these areas could make you feel so much better. Diet&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2020\/02\/depressed-make-a-few-lifestyle-changes.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Doing Life Together\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/drlindamintle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-02-18T11:00:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-02-08T17:03:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/258\/2020\/02\/people-2569234_1920-550x375.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linda Mintle\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@drlindamintle\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Depressed? Make a Few Lifestyle Changes","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2020\/02\/depressed-make-a-few-lifestyle-changes.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Depressed? Make a Few Lifestyle Changes","og_description":"Major depression\u00a0is one of the most common, but treatable mental disorders in the United States. Yet, an overlooked area in fighting depression is lifestyle. If you or someone you know is depressed, consider these 5 lifestyle changes. Making a change in one or more of these areas could make you feel so much better. 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Dr. Linda\u2019s fun personality and expertise comes through whether she\u2019s helping her audience stress less or make peace with their thighs! Dr. Linda has her Ph.D. in Urban Health and Clinical Psychology and is a national expert on mental health. She has specialized in the treatment of eating disorders, anxiety, depression and pain management. With 30 years of clinical experience working with couples, families and individuals, she brings her common-sense approach to people who want to live in positive mental health. Dr. Linda is also a bestselling author with 21 book titles to her credit, a radio host of the Dr. Linda Mintle show, professor, national speaker, winner of the Mom\u2019s Choice Award, a national news consultant, featured writer for Beliefnet and hosts her own website. Her academic appointments keep her abreast of current research in her areas of expertise. Her media experience includes seven years as the resident expert for ABC Family\u2019s Living the Life television show and regular appearances on network television and radio. It is often said that being with Dr. Linda is like having coffee with a friend. She makes the complicated issues of relationships and mental health easy to understand and applicable to everyday living. The ease she has with people, coupled with her clinical training and experience makes her a sought-after speaker on college campuses, conferences and special events. Whether she is doing a TV skit with Tim Conway or discussing teen violence with Queen Latifa, Dr. Linda will entertain, educate and integrate faith and mental health in everyday living. Check out her latest book Hope and Healing for Anxiety, a whole-person approach to eliminate anxiety. .","sameAs":["https:\/\/drlindamintle.com\/","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/drlindamintle\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/drlindamintle\/","https:\/\/x.com\/drlindamintle"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/author\/lmintle"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/419"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11511"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11511\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11520,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11511\/revisions\/11520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}