By Royane Real

Author of  “How You Can Be Smarter - Use Your Brain to Learn Faster, Remember Better and Be More Creative” 

A lot of people today suffer from depression and anxiety. 

The high rate of depression and anxiety is due to many factors.  There is a lot of unemployment and many people are losing their homes.  Those who are still working face uncertainty and a  heavy work load.  In addition to these stressors, people are also experiencing loneliness, family breakdown, poor nutrition, lack of sleep and a lack of physical exercise.

Anxiety and depression can be terribly debilitating to experience.  People who suffer from anxiety or depression often want a quick fix for these problems, so many choose to simply take a pill to make their anxiety or depression go away.

However, even though there are now pharmaceutical drugs that may help alleviate anxiety and depression, not everyone wants to take prescription medication for depression or stress.

Many people are looking for a more natural way to treat their stress, anxiety or depression.

Prescription medications for depression and anxiety can be expensive.  They can also cause many unpleasant side effects, such as excessive sleepiness, jitteriness, and addiction.  In a few rare cases, the side effects of anti-depressive or anti-anxiety drugs can be very serious.

For these reasons many people who suffer from depression or anxiety want to avoid prescription anti-depressants or medications for anxiety.  They would rather use more natural methods for dealing with these problems.

If you are looking for a more natural way to treat anxiety or depression, you may wonder if there is anything you can get in a health food store that might help.

The answer is yes, maybe, if your depression or anxiety is in the mild to moderate range of severity.  A more severe or long-term depression or anxiety should be treated by a qualified professional.

If you are already taking prescription anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medications, do not also take any natural remedies at the same time without first consulting your doctor!

In some cases, there can be dangerous interactions.  Just because something is natural does not mean it cannot be harmful to some people. 

You should remember that before antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications were invented, people mostly relied on talk therapy to try get better.  Talk therapy for stress, anxiety and depresson still work really well, if you have a good therapist, and if paying for therapy isn’t a problem for you.

Not all types of psychotherapy work well for depression.  Cognitive therapy has a record of curing depression that is just as good most antidepressants.  Cognitive therapy teaches the patient new, more realistic ways of thinking when coping with difficult situations.

When cognitive therapy is combined with antidepressants, the cure rate is even better than when each of these methods is used alone.

And remember, before therapists were invented, people talked over their problems with trusted friends, family members and spiritual advisors.

The simple technique of talking over your problems with someone else can still be very helpful for many people.  No everyone is able to go to a good therapist, but you may find it helpful to talk with someone who is very trustworthy and wise.

Another method that can help people combat depression or anxiety is easily available to most of us – exercise!

In some studies, regular physical exercise has been shown to relieve mild depression just as effectively as medications.

Other natural techniques that have been shown to be helpful for alleviating stress, anxiety and depression include meditation and prayer, as well as mind/body techniques such as various forms of yoga and tai-chi.

A relatively new technique that has been effective in relieving anxiety in some people is known as EFT.  This is a simple technique of tapping certain points on the body and it appears to be able to relieve stress in many of those who learn the procedure.

So, consider incorporating some of these ideas into your life if you are feeling a bit depressed.

Always keep in mind that if your depression or anxiety is severe, you should see a qualified professional person for help. 

To receive more helpful information from me on a regular basis, be sure to sign up for my newsletter on this website.  

This article was written by Royane Real who is the author of the book  “How You Can Be Smarter - Use Your Brain to Learn Faster, Remember Better and Be More Creative”  Download it today and learn more ways to get the maximum use of your brainpower. It’s available at  http://www.lulu.com/real 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Relieve Stress

By Dr. Arnd Stein

Your Final Breakthrough uses the latest discoveries in the sciences of sound, psychology, and superlearning to create a completely new, totally safe, and thoroughly effective “psychotechnology” that reprograms your subconscious in positive ways to achieve the goals you seek.

Bring more relaxed attitudes to everything you do.   Learn more about this program at       http://nightingale.directtrack.com/z/11467/CD1323/    

---

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites