Emerging research has totally changed the way we’re viewing depression. Up to this point, depression has been theoretically assumed to be a chemical imbalance but new findings are showing differently. These new findings show that there’s not just a top down approach but a bottom approach to depression. Bottom up meaning depression is happening in your gut. If you’ve been struggling with mental fog, anxiousness, helplessness, and poor concentration I’m sure you’re fed up with hearing about solutions that don’t work. Well this this new research is changing the depression game!
For years researchers suspected that the gut has been a breeding ground for our mood. This no longer suspected but founded and validated.
Believe me if a single pill could fix all of our mood problems I would be the first one to sign up and give it out on every corner. But research is showing otherwise. Anti-depressants, although some find relief in the beginning (due to a placebo effect), most subjects experience an escalation in depressive symptoms even leading to suicidal thoughts.
I’ve worked with many clients that have never once thought about suicide as an option until after starting an anti-depressant.
In theory anti-depressants are suppose to “fix” a serotonin imbalance but what if we’ve been looking in the completely wrong place for this imbalance? Turns out we were!
Changing serotonin levels alone has not been proven to directly decrease depressive symptoms over a longer period of time. The serotonin imbalance is a model we’ve been using because we didn’t have anything better. Now we do!
Did you know your gut is your second brain?
Weird right?!
Over 70% of your neurotransmitters are created in your gut. Not your brain. Mind blown yet? There’s actually more happening in regards to your mood in your gut than your brain. Crazy right?! Now let’s get your gut and brain on track.
Ways To Beat Depression
- Since we now have these findings, eating whatever you want isn’t an option if you want to be happy person. I’m sorry to break the hard news to you. If you gut is your second brain whatever you put in your gut has repercussions. Food is medicine for your brain. There’s no way around this. How you eat will impact your brain. Start by making small changes to your eating habits. Maybe don’t back for that second helping or skip the birthday cake. Focus on making small changes here and there instead of eating perfectly.
- The more you talk about how you feel, the better you’ll feel. Depression likes to live in the dark. Talk therapy is still one of the most effective interventions for depression. In my counseling practice in Tampa I help many people beat their depression to live full happy lives. It takes work but living in a cloud of depression doesn’t have to be your reality.
- Beat your depression by finding your tribe. I’m sure this seems like a tall order when your depression. It’s probably just to get dressed some days. But depression doesn’t like community and being around people that care about you. Depression wants to keep you isolated to feed more depressive thoughts. Pick one thing each week to commit to going to. Even if you don’t to go, remember you’re paying it forward to beat your depression.
There’s so many things you can do right now to breakthrough your depression fog.
Depression symptoms are a sign that something needs to change.
Those symptoms are like the check engine light going off. If you don’t take a good hard look under the hood you’ll run your engine into the ground.
Taking back your happiness and beating depression starts with putting one foot forward. You can do it. You don’t have to live in this fog. Even if you lived feeling this way for years, this doesn’t have to be your future. Click here you have any questions about your depression. Depression counseling Tampa has helped many people beat depression and it can help you too.
I’m always here to answer your questions!