This is an excerpt from a book I recently completed called Get We Get Better: 48 Treatment Options for Chronic Depression. Following the mental health journey of depression survivor Ruth, it offers numerous practical, evidence-based strategies for improving your physical, behavioral, vocational, relational, cognitive and emotional health. For updates and availability info, subscribe for free to the right. I post two or three articles per month, mostly on the topic of depression.
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Treatment option 8: Using nature and light therapy
Many people with and without depression report that their moods are affected by the presence or absence of natural light. And when you get that natural light outside, you might also receive the benefits of fresh air, open skies and exercise–no small extras.
Spending time out-of-doors, especially in natural environments, mentally separates us from our usual tasks and routines, helping to clear our heads. Even a short walk or quiet moment free of our four walls can interrupt an anxious or despondent moment by bringing our mental focus away from the emotional centers of our brain (the limbic system) and into the sensory centers instead.
In the book Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression–and the Unexpected Solutions, Johann Hari describes the various ways modern life creates disconnections that can lead to mood disorders. One of the most significant of these, he says, is our disconnection from nature. At least in part, spending more time outdoors might reduce depression by offering perspective: wide open spaces make us feel smaller, which helps our problems feel smaller, too. It’s a mental shift that happens almost without our noticing.
Light therapy can also be accomplished indoors with man-made lights designed for this purpose, including tanning beds at licensed professional tanning salons; however, your results may vary.
If desired, add “spending time in nature” and/or “using light therapy” to your depression treatment plan. Then set specific related goals and write them on your ongoing to-do list.
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Get uplifted. At least a little bit. Get The Power of Acceptance: One Year of Mindfulness and Meditation at your preferred book retailer today.
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Babies come. But babies don't go. Get Fights You’ll Have After Having a Baby: A Self-Help Story on Amazon now.
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