Exercise: Experts recommend a half-hour of moderate exercise, such as walking or swimming five days a week. Running a marathon is not what you want to do. Exercise produces chemicals in the body that boost your mood and stimulate hormones and neurotransmitters, including endorphins.
Strong, supportive relationship: Isolation is a risk factor for depression, while community buffers people from the effects of adversity. Negative, critical relationships are harmful.
Yoga, meditation, prayer, psychotherapy: Studies have shown that these practices can be helpful, «retraining your brain circuits. «They have a positive effect on the emotional brain circuits.
Eating well and not drinking too much alcohol. People who feel stressed may drink too much; alcohol is a known mood suppressor.
Making time for herself. Schedule some downtime to pursue creative pursuits or a hobby. Today’s harried, multitasking life is stressful. If possible, schedule mini-vacations; longer breaks of at least 10 days have been shown to be more beneficial in reducing stress. Working overtime, or juggling family and work, may not be getting eight hours of restful sleep.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy. This type of therapy helps people reframe events in a more positive fashion. Negative attitudes and the tendency to worry can amplify the impact of stress.
It’s important that people suffering from depression do not blame themselves — it’s partly her genetic makeup as in this case, partly her current environment, and partly her early environment that led to the depression. Since she is depressed, please help her seek help from her right places, right people and this is the right time. She can’t beat it on her own and thank you for helping her find healing in her pathway to recovery.
Uchenna, in all of these, please find time to rest, allow people to help you if they want to, find time to have fun, schedule a time because of the burden of care which could affect your quality of life.
All the best Uchenna.