Depression/Stress

[Fae Oonagh]

Depression And Stress Home Remedies
We all go through periods of depression and stress. Maybe it's because of the weather-you know, a change of season. Or for women, it could be "that time of month." Of course, pressures at the office don't help, nor do tense relationships or problems at home. Then there are additives in foods and side effects from medications that can cause chemical imbalances that may lead to depression and stress.

Common Causes of Depression
Inheritance
Changes in brain structures or brain function
Pessimistic attitude
Stress (home, work or school)
Major diseases ( cancer , heart attack etc.)
Hormonal disorders
Relationship problems
Financial problems
Menstrual cycle changes
Menopause
Bereavement
CAUTION: For cases of deep depression, extreme stress and/or chronic fatigue, we suggest you seek professional assistance to help pinpoint the cause and recommend treatment.

Whatever the reason, valid or not, when you're going through a bad time and you reach the point where you say to yourself, "I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired!" -then you're on the road to recovery.

Basic Solutions

If you are really ready to help yourself, you might start by cutting down on your sugar intake. Excessive sugar can help cause depression, nervous anxiety and spurts of energy followed by extreme fatigue.

Caffeine products (such as coffee, non-herbal tea, cola, chocolate and some medications), cigarettes and alcoholic beverages may also contribute to nervous anxiety, depression and highs and lows of energy. Take them out of your life. They're taking the life out of you.

Natural home remedies
Lying down, in a dark room, maybe getting a 1/2 hour of sleep,will always make you feel better.
Add a handful of fresh Rose petals to a cup of boiling water. Add sugar and drink as and when a feeling of depression sets in.
Boil some seeds of cardamom in water with tea. It will give a very pleasing aroma to the tea.
Dietary Remedies
Have a pizza with lots of oregano. If you don't have the oregano, forget the pizza. In fact, forget the pizza and just have the oregano. Oregano may ease that depressed, heavyhearted feeling.
If you have a juicer, whip up half a glass of watercress and half a glass of spinach. Throw in some carrots to make the juice sweeter. Then, bottoms up and spirits up.
Eat two ripe bananas a day to chase the blues away. Bananas contain the chemicals serotonin and norepinephrine, which are believed to help prevent depression.
Other Mood Lifters

While running a warm bath, prepare a cup of chamomile tea. Add the used tea bag to the bath, along with a new one. If you use loose chamomile, wrap the herb in cheesecloth before putting it in the tub to avoid messy cleanup. Once the bath is ready, take a pen and paper along with your cup of tea and relax in the tub. Make a list of a dozen wishes as you sip your tea. Be careful.. the things you wish for may come true.
To lighten a heavy heart, drink saffron tea and/or thyme tea that has been sweetened with honey. (Incidentally, "thyme" was originally called "wild time" because it was thought to be an aphrodisiac.).
Sniffing citrus essential oils every hour you're awake may help you get out of a funk. You can buy lemon or orange oil at a health food store. Do not take the essential oils internally. If you have a citrus fruit in your kitchen, you can use a cardboard cutter to carefully make slits the peel and squeeze it so that the volatile seeps out. Then take a whiff hourly.
Cheer yourself up by wearing rose colors-pinks and scarlets. The orange family of colors are also picker-uppers.
Making love can help people overcome feelings of depression-unless, of course, they have no one to make love to and thats they're depressed.
If you're mildly depressed, simply change your physiology and your emotions will follow suit. In other words, do the physical things you do when you're happy-and you'll feel happy. Smile! Laugh! Jump up and down! Sing! Dance! Get dressed up!
If you're not willing to go along with this suggestion, then you're not willing to let go of your depression. There's nothing wrong with staying in a funk for a brief period. . .as long as. you understand that it is your choice.

Dietary Stress Relievers

Juices seem to be calming to the nerves. Throughout the day, sip apple, pineapple, prune, grape or cherry juice. Make Sure the juice has no added sugar or preservatives and drink it at room temperature, not chilled
Chop a large onion into very small tidbits and add a tablespoon of honey. Eat half the mixture with lunch and the other half with dinner. Onions contain prostaglandin, which is reported to have a stress-relieving effect.
A Berry Good Idea

If strawberries are in season, eat a few as a dessert after each meal (without the cream and sugar). You may feel a difference (you won't be as edgy), and you may see a difference (they'll make your teeth whiter).
Acupressure away the pressure of the day by getting a firm grip on your ankle. Using your thumb and third finger, place one just below the inside of the anklebone, and the other finger on the indentation directly below your outer anklebone. Keep steady pressure on the spot as you count down from 100 to one, slowly (taking between one and two minutes in all).
Peppermint tea has a wonderful way of relaxing the system and relieving moodiness. Drink it warm and strong.
Seeing Green...and Blue

If you are on edge, high-strung and, generally speaking, a nervous wreck, surround yourself with calming colors. Green has a harmonizing effect, since it's the color of nature. Earth colors should make you feel better. Wear quiet blues and gentle grays. Color helps more than we realize.
Sage tea can help relieve the jitters. Steep a sage tea bag or 1 teaspoon of sage in 1 cup of warm water for five minutes. Strain and drink three cups a day.
Bonus: Sage tea also helps sharpen one's memory and brain power.

There's a reason why Epsom salt, an ancient natural healer, is still popular-it works! Pour 2 cups of Epsom salt into a warm-water bath. Set aside a half-hour for pure relaxation in the tub-no interruptions-just 30 minutes of stress-free fantasizing.
Phtheasy for You to Say

According to European folklore, celery helps you forget your troubles from a broken heart and soothes your nerves at the same time. It's probably the phthalide in celery, which is known to have sedative properties.
Nervous Tics

From time to time I get a tic around my eye. I feel like I'm winking at everyone. The tic-off switch that works like magic for me is vitamin B6-200 mg.
CAUTION: Do not take more than 300 mg of B6 a day. Higher doses can be toxic.

A nervous tic may also be your body's way of telling you that you need more calcium or magnesium-or both. A good supplement can help you get the 1,500 mg of calcium and 750 mg of magnesium you need daily.