1) Get help from a medical professional (balance brain chemistry)
Step 1- Balance Brain Chemistry
This is the most important step to get better, because if you have a medical condition that affects your brain like I had, or if you have a chemical brain imbalance, your depression will never get better until you get help and take care of this.
In fact, this is what made my depression ten times worse and had me suicidal for pretty much every day for 3 and a half years. It turns out I had a blood sugar condition (hypoglycemia) that made my moods drop very low when I wasn’t eating right and my blood sugar got low. On top of that, I had adrenal fatigue, which is where you can’t get out of bed or have energy because your adrenal hormones are depleted from overwork.
When my doctor put me on a diet plan and a new sleep schedule, my blood sugar started to become more balanced, my adrenal glands healed– and my moods got ten times better. In fact, and I became strong enough to fight this on the mental health front (as I’ll explain in step 2). The happiness I felt just from healing my body and getting better in regards to physical health greatly lifted my depressed/suicidal moods and I began to become happy– genuinely happy– again.
Step 1- See a medical professional. This is a doctor who can take a blood test and tell you if you have any medical conditions (hypoglycemia, adrenal fatigue, etc.) that either has the same symptoms of depression, or makes your depression worse.
Also, in regards to balancing brain chemistry, if the doctor thinks you need it, he or she will either prescribe you an antidepressant, or refer you to a psychiatrist.
-A doctor can treat or rule out any medical conditions that make depression worse
-A doctor can help you balance your brain chemistry by prescribing an antidepressant
Why is talking to a doctor so important? Your body’s healthy directly affects your brain’s health.
So, seeing a doctor will benefit you in two ways: 1) he or she can see if you have a physical medical condition that could be making your depression worse and work with you to heal that, and 2) he or she can also look at your medical situation and prescribe you medication to help balance your brain, such as an antidepressant, or directly refer you to a psychiatrist who can, if they think that will help you balance your brain chemistry as well.
So I can’t stress the importance of seeing a medical professional enough.
For example, I had seen a psychologist for years and had worked on my mental health, but I was still depressed because my body was sick too. In fact, this is what caused my moods to drop so low and what mostly contributed to my fight with suicidal thoughts. When this medical condition started to get better, so did my moods, my energy, and my ability to focus in school. And as a result of my moods not dropping so low due to a blood sugar imbalance and me not needing to sleep 10-14 hours a day due to adrenal fatigue, my brain started to become more balanced and overall happier.
I never want anyone to experience what I went through medically, so please, if you think you should seek help, take the first step and make an appointment with a professional!
This site has detailed information on how to get diagnosed and treated for each condition, as well as other tips on how to live your best life.
Click here to learn the facts:
Hypoglycemia– the blood sugar condition that causes extremely low moods, lack of motivation, and difficulty concentrating.
Adrenal Fatigue– why it’s hard to get out of bed in the morning- the hormonal imbalance that is robbing you of energy and motivation.
Mental Health– the importance of quality treatment and how to seek help.