If you already know from experience that you need medication to help give you the boost to even begin treatment, this article is not a substitute for medical advice from your doctor. Anti-depressant medications can be a necessary tool for some, but not for others. If you don’t like the idea of “fixing a problem with a pill” or maybe you worry about the long-term use of medications to maintain your mood, then you may appreciate a more natural approach.

There has been endless research conducted that supports a holistic approach to treating depression. Research has shown that in addition to depression counseling, proper nutrition, regular exercise, restful sleep, and support from positive people in your life can all put a serious dent in depression.

With that being said, in order for any treatment to work, you must commit to practicing and implementing the techniques regularly in order to see any benefit from them. One hour of CBT is no more effective than one dose of medication. Just like with medication, the techniques must be applied daily, consistently in order to fully benefit from them.

Your depression will likely tell you it’s not necessary to actually write things down, to schedule them out, to do the activities. Resist the temptation to forego the active part of therapy in the hopes that you will benefit from passively reading and considering. Therapy is not a form of osmosis. If you take an active role rather than a passive one, you will see active results.

If you want to beat depression the natural way, without the use of medications, you may want to try thinking of therapy and the work outside of sessions as a part of your “daily dose.” For instance, we may discover over the course of therapy that a combination of spending time outside being active, keeping a gratitude journal, exercising regularly, and practicing the thought challenging techniques of CBT are an excellent arsenal against your depression. In order for the natural, non-medicated method to work, it is important to work these things into your daily routine just as you would take your pill each day.

I recommend for my clients to set aside a minimum of 15 minutes a day to engage in whatever activities we discover are helpful in battling your depressive symptoms. You are more likely to follow through with the activities AND more likely to notice the benefits if you make it a point to set aside the time, put it on your schedule, and not allow other things to take priority over this small window of time. Fifteen minutes is not too much. It is not impossible to fit into your schedule and it is not selfish to take 15 minutes for yourself out of the day. So find your 15 minute window and commit to spending that time on yourself, doing whatever combination of activities you find that help to reduce or prevent your depressive symptoms. If you can manage 30 minutes or even an hour, go for it! The more time, the better the results.

We can help.

If you or someone you love is struggling with depression, please reach out. We offer depression treatment with CBT Therapists in Orlando and online throughout the state of Florida. Call today or send us your info and we’ll reach out for a free consultation to see if one of our therapists would be a good fit.