Body
How does maintaining my “Body” help my Depression?
Your Body is linked to your Mind. By this, we mean that if your Body is in poor condition (due to eating unhealthily or from lack of exercise) then your Mind will suffer from that but if you maintain your Body by keeping it in good condition then your Mind will be positively impacted- Healthy Body = Healthy Mind.
How do I “Maintain my Body” whilst having Depression?
There are 3 ways to Maintain your Body whilst having depression and these are: Diet, Exercise and Rest. Each of these ways are covered until the tabs above.
How will “Diet” help me with my Depression?
The most important part of Maintaining your Body is Diet. Diet is what food you put into your Body and what you put in affects what comes out as eating bad foods (what to avoid) will lead to weight gain, low energy levels and even more Depression. Below, you can find a list of things to consider about your Diet with Depression:
What to Avoid - Food
What to Avoid in your Diet is Bad Food. Sugary foods such as chocolate and ice cream are bad for you as they will make you feel drowsy and cause weight gain. High Calorie Fatty foods such as chips, burgers and pizzas are bad for you as the fat in them will cause rapid weight gain.
What to Avoid - Drinks
What to Avoid in your Diet is Bad Drinks. Energy Drinks are a sugary drink that give you a burst of energy but this burst is short lived leading to a sugar crash where drowsiness sets in, they are basically sugar in a can. Caffeine can be bad for you in high doses as too much caffeine can prevent you from sleeping at night and can lead to becoming wired meaning you are overstimulated and jumpy. The worst of all is Alcohol, as can cause you to lose control of yourself leading to anger or even worse- Addiction (where you can’t stop).
Fruit & Vegetables
The best things to eat are Fruit & Vegetables. You should aim to eat 5 pieces a day. Fruit & Veg contain vitamins which are nutrients that help the Body get more energy, burn fat and have many other positives impacts. Fruit can be eaten as a snack instead of chocolate or biscuits. You can even drink Fruit in the form of Fruit juice as it still has vitamins in it. Vegetables can be eaten with any meal as a side which means they should be in every meal. If you struggle with preparing veg then you can buy pre-cut ones such as onions or mushrooms.
Water
Water is good for you as it cleans out your Body and helps you to flush out waste making you feel better. The advantage of water is it is free as you can get it from a tap. You need to drink 2 litres of water everyday which can be daunting but you can buy water bottles with measurements on them in different sizes. Smaller size bottles are more portable, ideal for walking around with but you can get bottles that are 2 litres in size meaning you would only need to refill it once a day which is easy to remember to do.
Smaller Portions
It’s not just about what you eat but HOW MUCH you eat as well. Eating a large amount of food can lead to weight gain so you need to make sure you keep this under control. You can do this by eating Small Portions of food which can be as simple as using smaller plates instead of regular sized dinner plates whilst covering half your plate with veg. One last thing to try is having smaller foods such as having a 400g loaf of bread instead of the normal 800g OR half a portion of the food such as half a pack of microwave rice sealing the other half for later. It’s that simple.
Calorie Counting
Calorie Counting is a great way to track how much you eat. Usually is is recommended men eat 2000 calories a day and women eat 1700 calories a day but we have found that eat less than intended (about 200-300 less) is doable and will help contribute to weight loss along exercise. You can get calorie information from food packing which you can then write down or you can use Calorie Counting apps to record them as these will work it all out for you. We recommend an App called Lose It! You can find download links for it down below.
What kinds of “Exercise” can help me with Depression?
There are different kinds of Exercise you can do, these can range from simple everyday Exercise to Exercises that require extra steps such as owning something or needing to pay. Below is a list of exercises you can do to help you during depression:
Walking/Running
The simplest form of exercise is Walking. A 30 minute walk per day can help you clear your head and can help your metabolism (the body’s process of breaking down food). You can walk anywhere but it helps to walk were there is nature as the sound of birds chirping for example can be relaxing or can get you pumped to walk). If you want to take this up a notch, then try Running. Running pushes you even harder than walking, can be done anywhere and increases stamina.
Simple Additions to Walking or Running
When walking or running, there are some simple things you can do to take them up a notch such as using stairs instead of lifts or escalators. Walking up hills or through sand dunes are a simple ways to make your walking more impactful. You can do these at anytime even when shopping or working. Another simple thing to do is take the long way around places instead of shortcuts in order to extend your walk.
Workout Programs
Thanks to the digital age, Workout Programs can be found everywhere: on TV, the internet, YouTube, Apps and even Smart Speakers. These programs can be done at your leisure in your own home, ranging from 45 minute workouts to as little as 5 minute workouts. They can be simple aerobics or they can help you work on specific body parts such as your Core (Chest and Stomach). There are so many options out there and so many ways to exercise.
Cycling
If you have a bike, then going Cycling is another great form of exercise. They are better than e-bikes or e-scooters as your Body has to physically move the bike and you don’t need to recharge it. You can use a bike to travel to places such as work meaning you can fit exercise before or after work. If you are considering getting a bike, get a folding bike as these can be stored easily and can be taken anywhere, even in your car.
Swimming
There should be a local swimming pool in you area. You need to pay to use them but you can do this without getting a membership which is handy if you are not sure if it is the right thing for you. Swimming is relaxing, you can do it at your own pace and is a low impact exercise meaning it is ideal for those with mobility issues- we have even seen a man with only one leg swim in our local pool. If you are daring and want to save money, you could go down to the beach and swim in the sea.
How will “Rest” help me deal with my depression?
Everyone needs to have a “Rest”. If we don’t take the time to “Rest” then we could end up burning ourselves out meaning we will be tired which leads to anger, frustration and depression. We are not robots, we are humans and humans need “Rest”, its natural. Down below, are some strategies to help you “Rest”:
Sleep Right
In order to sleep right you need to set a specific time at night to go to bed and a specific time to wake up. This will build a routine and routines are what autistic people can thrive with. You need to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night to get proper rest. Other things you should do to sleep right are avoid drinking caffeine or blue light exposure (phones, computers, tablets) before bed as these will keep you awake. Lastly, make sure to set alarms for bed time and waking up so you don’t oversleep, if you do oversleep set another alarm for a short time after the original alarm.
Power Naps
Power Naps are helpful if you need rest but are short on time to do so. A Power Nap involves sleeping for 20-30 minutes and can be be great for your Mental Health which Depression is apart of. The idea of a Power Nap is to rest yourself but not fall into a deep sleep as waking up from a deep sleep can leave feeling tired and groggy which defeats the object of a Power Nap.
Make Time for Yourself
Remember, Rest isn’t just about sleeping, it is also about Making Time for Yourself. Making Time for Yourself can be as simple as stepping out of a room, having a walk or having a day away from commitments. Having a day away from commitments can be a lazy day, a shopping day, even a day spent with family or friends. If you work, your employer must offer you a certain amount of holiday days a year by law. Make use of these holiday days as that is what they are there for, everyone needs a Rest.
Digital Detox
A Digital Detox means taking time away from Digital Technology as it can consume a lot of our time doing nothing productive. A Digital Detox can remind us that we are humans not machines and that technology is a tool not a replacement to our lives. A Digital Detox can start with us using no tech an hour before bedtime, putting your phone on the other side of the room or in another room. Try turning your phone off or on silent for a while and try to talk to people instead of going for your phone. Instead of using tech try reading a book (physical one), going for a walk or using alternatives like notepads or diaries.
One Day at a Time
When you are in Depression it can be hard to think straight about how to go forward in life. When you are feeling like this, you need to focus on dealing with your life One Day at a Time. Focus on getting through each day, working on that day’s issues as this will rest your overwhelmed mind allowing you to slowly get your life back on track. Take all the time you need, don’t let other people rush you, you will get through your Depression far easier this way as you will be able to take back control of your life.
Eat Less, Move More, Rest Right
You don’t need to have the physique of Arnold Schwarzenegger to have great Physical Health; by Eating Less, Moving More and Resting Right you can be more Physically Healthy and thus more Mentally Healthy which can help beat back Depression.