How to Wade the Great Divide Without Drugs—Part 2
“Physical activities, especially sports and exercise, boost ’happy hormones’ that relieve symptoms of depression.”
DISCLAIMER: Names of interviewees have been changed to protect their privacy. This site is not meant to be a medical or counseling platform, but a self-help resource. All content on this website is for educational and informational purposes only. This article is based on the writer’s personal opinion. It does not constitute medical advice and is not a substitute for any kind of professional advice.
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This is part two of our series. For part one, see this article: Practical Ways to Deal With Depression. It discusses the typical questions on depression:
What is depression?
What are its symptoms?
What are the different kinds of depression?
Standard ways of dealing with it
Wacky (or Unorthodox) Ways of Dealing With Depression
The last thing most depressed people want to do is commit to any endeavor that involves movement, starting anything new, or doing complicated stuff. But if it’s something that sounds crazy, silly, funny, or downright ludicrous, one can be curious enough to check them out.
Reasons for Trying Them Out
The objective of engaging in enjoyable activities is to distract oneself away from sadness and negativity by doing an activity that requires focus.
The goal of physical activities—especially sports and exercise—is to boost levels of mood regulators or “happy hormones:” endorphins, norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin. Scientists have discovered that they relieve symptoms of several mental health conditions, including depression.
Activities that require movement also stimulate the production of dopamine and serotonin, brain chemicals that regulate body functions like metabolism, memory, sleep, and emotional well-being.
Here are some suggestions:
✓ Singing or dancing freestyle—Don’t worry about technique or precision. The objective is to dislodge the worry, anxiety, nervousness, strain, and agitation from your mind and body.
If you want a guide, get a copy of Dance Dance Revolution, Konami’s music video game series. It’s available on different platforms. To the uninitiated, the game goes like this:
Players stand on a stage and mirror the dance moves displayed on screen to the rhythm of the music.
✓ Shake out the tension, jitters, and “kinks” from your body—Flail your arms into the air, swing your hips, jump up and down, shake your head, stretch your legs, belch, fart, clear your sinuses, yawn with your mouth open, and carry out other disgusting bodily functions never done in polite company.
✓ Watch videos of funny antics of animals—Many “serious and responsible” (aka uptight) people view those who love these videos as juvenile time-wasters. But these seemingly inane presentations have their purpose: they bring laughter and healing to the sad and depressed.
A variant of this is watching fish swim in an aquarium. This calms down agitated and restless people.
✓ Observe adrenalin-inducing pastimes—We don’t recommend doing these yourself if you’re depressed. But by watching others engage in these activities, you benefit from the vicarious experience of doing exciting things.
You get a shot of the adrenalin rush they get, which helps boost spirits. (A tad is enough because too much can add to stress.) It’s the same as the kind you get from a James Bond, Schwarzenegger, or martial arts movie. The difference is, you don’t get physically hurt.
Examples are surfing, paragliding, snow/skateboarding, helicopter riding, and descending into the ocean in a submarine.
✓ Knitting/crocheting/sewing—This isn’t the sole domain of “little old ladies.” Pre-pandemic, I used to see lots of masculine folks in inter-city trains, international
airports, and plane cabins working the needle-yarn combo with gusto. I asked them what they get out of the activity. The unanimous answer: “It calms me.” “It makes me forget everything else.”
✓ Solving puzzles—Whether sudoku, Rubik’s cube, jigsaws, the New York Times crossword, or playing chess or checkers, they veer your concentration away from what saddens you.
✓ Listening to calming music—Obviously different for everyone. Some are soothed by classical music, R&B, or jazz, but surprisingly, a few find heavy metal useful for releasing pent-up anger or frustration. The lovelorn should avoid romantic music, which may exacerbate their devastation.
✓ Playing musical instruments—This has the benefit of stimulating both sides of the brain. You don’t have to be Mozart. Simply strumming a guitar or banging on drums can be cathartic. Mind your neighbors, though.
✓ Screaming, shouting, or wailing— This may be upsetting to people you live with, so here are some creative ways to do this without bothering others:
Scream along to loud music.—We recommend the chorus of What’s Up? by 4 Non-Blondes (or your generation’s equivalent).
Scream into a pillow.—Just don’t suffocate yourself!
Breathe into a paper bag.—The typical recommended move for people with anxiety but also works for people who just want to “let it all out” without making a noise.
Time your screams—with the operation of a blender, vacuum cleaner, jackhammer, or other noisy devices.
If you’re lucky to live near cliffs, farms, forests, vast open spaces, or recording studios with sound booths, do your caterwauling there.
Some audio clinics offer free hearing tests. They have soundproof booths, too.
✓ Listen to white noise—This is a continuous soothing sound used to mask or block unwelcome noises that interfere with sleep. Examples include sounds of rain, wind, ocean waves, and air conditioners. A 1990 study published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood reported that white noise helps babies fall asleep faster and relieves tinnitus (ringing in the ears).
No budget for a white noise machine? Stream or download free audio files from YouTube. It isn’t just for streaming videos and music. It also archives non-music tunes like white noise; binaural beats; nature tones; instrumental lullabies; animal sounds; tunes, chants, and Tibetan singing bowls for yoga, meditation, and mindfulness.
Another source of free meditation and healing sounds is Sound Meditation, a website that features ancient instruments used in various cultures for millennia as tools for healing. Examples of these are the Santur, chimes, gongs, singing, crystal bowls, singing bowls, tuning forks, and drumming.
It also offers a “sound bath,” a form of meditation that activates our inborn intelligence and helps get rid of outdated beliefs, negative patterns, and obstacles to achieving our most authentic selves.
Sound Meditation’s mission is “to help people awaken, to remember their power and intrinsic ability to help heal themselves.”
There are free white noise websites and apps too. My Noise is a website that has 200-plus sound generators. Choose the white noise according to your need. For example, “I need to focus in a noisy environment,” or “I need to calm down.” TM Soft offers multi-platform apps that play white noise and lets you record your own.
✓ Non-standard exercises:
You don’t have to spend money to take part in yoga, t’ai chi, Zumba, aerobics, and regular exercise sessions. Neighborhood or community centers (pre-Covid) offer free or discounted classes. Video-sharing platforms like YouTube and Vimeo hold numerous free classes.
Regular yoga—From the many variants, Hatha Yoga is the most beginner-friendly.
Laughter yoga—It’s an exercise program for health and well-being that combines laughter with breathing techniques. Join Dr. Madan Kataria, the founder of Laughter Yoga clubs worldwide, for free online laughter sessions three times a week at the Online International Laughter Club.
Mindfulness and meditation—exercise for the brain and the soul. Many apps and classes are available online for free. The Mindfulness Exercises site offers free online mindfulness courses.
T’ai chi—It’s a mind-body practice that combines a form of Chinese martial art with calisthenics. Evidence suggests this low-impact exercise using very slow, controlled movements can prevent and treat many health problems.
Zumba—Colombian dancer and choreographer Alberto Pérez created this form of aerobics inspired by and performed to Latin American dance music.
Aqua aerobics—This type of aerobics is done while submerged in water. There are free classes in some community centers. Some sports centers offer subsidized sessions. Check with your municipality.
If you’re averse to exercise, just do some stretching, neck/waist/hip rotations, running in place, jumping jacks, or jumping rope.
Owners of video game consoles should tap their sports-related games instead of violent ones. Wii Sports is an excellent example of technology used to get the benefits of physical exercise indoors. It is Nintendo’s sports simulation video for its Wii video game console. The collection includes golf, bowling, boxing, baseball, and tennis.
Players use the Wii Remote to imitate the actions one does in real-life sports. There are 2021 equivalents, but this is the easiest to use. No need to learn complicated controls. Just wield the remote control like you would a baseball bat or tennis racket.
✓ Virtual reality therapy (VRT)—Headsets and apps provide stressed-out people scenarios of their choice to temporarily whisk them away from their troubles. VR therapy is backed by 25-plus years of scientific studies. It is used to treat conditions like phobias, chronic pain, and panic, anxiety, eating, obsessive-compulsive, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders.
Psious is an example of a virtual reality platform for psychology and mental health. Using its website and app, therapists use techniques (like relaxation, systematic desensitization, psychoeducation, graduated exposure, distraction, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) to treat their patients in the safety of consultation rooms.
✓ Unwind at the spa—A spa is a perfect escape for those without financial constraints. But the frugal can still avail of similar experiences on a budget. Soak troubles away in bathtubs, don homemade face masks, or use the jacuzzi at your neighborhood rec center.
If you don’t have access to any of those, simply soak your feet in a basin filled with warm water and Epsom salts (available from pharmacies and health stores).
✓ Hobbies—Apart from those mentioned above, journaling, reading, karaoke, crafts, scrapbooking, drawing/painting, board games, and going to the theatre/museum/movies/concerts/opera are great stress-busters. Activities can double as social events or connecting with family.
Gardening and fishing provide the same solace and positivity from crocheting and knitting—plus vitamin D and fresh air.
✓ Retail therapy—Shopping is a pleasant distraction mechanism if done in moderation. Avoid this if you have a tendency toward impulse-buying or gambling.
✓ Informal talk therapy—Choose support groups and online forums if you want to be anonymous. Those who prefer face-to-face interaction should choose positive people who went through similar experiences because they can relate. Unless you have experienced the same event yourself, you cannot totally sympathize with the sufferer—especially true for people who have lost loved ones.
✓ Behavioral therapies (psychological talk therapy)—These include cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychotherapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, and music/art therapies. Consult your doctor for a referral. We will discuss each of these in-depth in future posts.
✓ Aromatherapy—This natural remedy for depression uses plant essential oils and aromatic compounds for healing. People with depression can either inhale the vapors or massage these oils into the skin.
Aromatherapy works by activating the nose’s scent receptors, which communicate with the amygdala and the hippocampus (parts of the brain that store emotions and memories and influence physical and psychological health). An example is an extract from lavender, a popular sleep aid. Scientists believe it works on the amygdala in the same way as sedatives do.
✓ Pets—They are a source of joy to most people, even the grouchiest. If your building doesn’t allow pets, visit the dog park, zoo, pet shop, or friends with pets.
Pet cafés allow people who can’t have pets to socialize with animals over a meal. Studies have shown that interaction with pets lowers stress levels and promotes faster recovery from surgery, injury, and illness. That’s why many medical establishments have animal “happiness ambassadors.”
✓ Neurolinguistic Programming—This is a method of changing thought and behavior to get the desired outcome. It is used in personal development and workplace performance but has been proven effective in treating psychological disorders, such as phobias, anxiety disorders, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
✓ Emotional Freedom Technique—EFT (aka body tapping or psychological acupressure) is an alternative therapy for physical pain and emotional distress. Gary Craig, its developer, believes that energy disruption is the cause of pain and negative feelings.
Tapping the body with fingertips solves this by restoring balance to the energy system and relieving pain. Therapists use EFT tapping like acupuncturists use needles to treat anxiety, PTSD, and depression.
✓ Life coaching—Specialty coaches teach skills like bereavement/stress/anger management, guided imagery, and conflict resolution.
✓ Bodywork—a branch of complementary medicine that includes acupuncture, acupressure, massage, physical therapy, and chiropractic. Acupressure—similar to acupuncture, but without needles—is used to treat pain, nausea, insomnia, anxiety, and stress.
✓ Ujjayi breathing—Similar to paper bag breathing, Ujjayi (the most common form of breath control in yoga) uses deep breaths to stave off panic attacks. You breathe through the nose and tighten the throat to make a ‘snoring’ sound.
Ujjayi soothes the mind, improves focus, gets rid of distractions, and relieves tension. It is an excellent tool for people suffering from thyroid conditions, chemotherapy side effects, anxiety, and depression.
✓ Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction—MBSR is a science-based, flexible approach to the traditional Buddhist principles of mindfulness meditation and yoga for reducing stress. MBSR techniques include walking meditations, focus-to-awareness activities, body scans, and breathing exercises.
Jon Kabat-Zinn developed it in the 1970s initially to treat hospital patients facing life challenges and those with physical diseases (asthma, fibromyalgia, heart disease, gastrointestinal upset) or mental health issues (depression, grief, panic attacks, PTSD). Later, he developed MBSR secular, opening it up to people from all belief systems.
“Calm” is an award-winning meditation, sleep, and relaxation app based on MBSR. Many similar apps are free (Calm offers only a seven-day free trial), but we mentioned it because its interface is attractive and user-friendly.
It starts with a wizard that asks you particulars of what you need, resulting in a meditation plan tailored to your circumstances. Also, it doesn’t focus on spiritual techniques, so it suits people turned off by religious approaches.
✓ Neurofeedback— NFB is a non-invasive therapeutic intervention that uses a computer program that measures brainwave activity to give doctors the status of patients’ brains. After a diagnosis, the same program uses visuals or sound to improve brain function without surgical procedures or medications.
Neurofeedback proponent Dr. Daniel Amen advocates that, in some instances, the cause of psychological conditions (like addiction, behavioral disorders, and depression) may be physiological (rather than psychological), like a brain injury.
These cases require unorthodox diagnoses and treatment methods, such as brain scans that monitor blood flow and activity in the brain. Scans like those performed by Dr. Amen form the backdrop of neurofeedback.
✓ Somatic (body) experiencing (SE)—This mind-body technique addresses both psychological and physical symptoms of mental health conditions, including anxiety, trauma, grief, and depression. It is based on the premise that traumatic experiences can impair the nervous system, which can prevent patients from completely processing the trauma.
Dr. Peter Levine, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) stress consultant and SE creator, says the goal is to make patients notice bodily sensations from issues like depression and use this awareness to manage painful or upsetting emotions and thoughts.
✓ Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)—This noninvasive brain stimulation technique changes the brain’s perception of certain things like addictive substances. For example, TMS can be used to make cigarettes taste awful so that nicotine addicts will be turned off by them.
According to Web MD, TMS offers hope for stubborn depression. It has helped around 50-60% of those whose depression was not helped by antidepressants and psychotherapy. One-third of them have seen their symptoms disappear completely after TMS treatment. Though these results are not permanent, they last for a little more than a year.
✓ Forced crying—Hidefumi Yoshida is Japan’s “Tears Teacher.” For the past eight years, he has helped over 50,000 people learn how to alleviate stress by crying. His clients work in stressful jobs like sales, manufacturing, academia, and medicine. Some of them are men, who have been conditioned by society that it’s a sign of weakness to cry, so they never do.
Yoshida said there are three types of tears:
Reactionary—occurs when dust gets into the eyes or when you cut onions
Basal secretion—from dry eyes
Emotional—as a reaction to an event (recorded or live) one witnesses or experiences
One and two do not relieve stress, but the last one does.
Yoshida tells his clients that to attain happiness, one should start by accepting their emotions as they are. He runs seminars called Rui Katsu, meaning “tear-seeking,” where people purposefully cry for two to three minutes to detox their hearts and reduce stress.
His project was initiated in response to people dying from overwork—a serious problem in Japan. Yoshida’s colleague at a care center for the elderly, who was his age (40s), died from over-exhaustion.
During the time of his colleague’s demise, Yoshida watched the movie, Titanic. He cried a lot afterward but felt emotionally lighter. He thought that if he had invited his coworker to see the film, he would still be alive. That was Yoshida's turning point. He discovered the power crying has in easing stress.
So he created a course with a doctor so that others can be certified to run similar programs. Around 250 people have since been certified and are now holding programs all over Japan. Since the advent of Rui Katsu, jobs such as “emotional crying medical experts” have emerged.
Yoshida says, “To cry is to be human. We are most alive when we cry. It's not negative but amazing and beautiful. Try crying. You might find a new side to yourself.” He recommends it not just for combatting stress but also to treat depression.
We learned about Yoshida from a video from Asian Boss titled, “This Japanese Man Makes People Cry For A Living.”
✓ “The Secret”—If you haven’t read the book or watched the movie, you can still catch it in video format on YouTube or listen to the audiobook. It teaches us the concepts of ‘affirmation’ and ‘visualization.’
These are statements and images—posted in areas where we can see them every day—that encourage us to achieve our goals. Author Rhonda Byrne believes that if we regularly see our objectives in tangible form, there’s a greater possibility that we can achieve them.
Ingrid applies these concepts in her daily life. Every morning, she reads a message written to herself on a Post-it note stuck on her bathroom mirror: “I will be happy today, no matter what.” Her ever-cheerful disposition belies the fact that she survived a hysterectomy, breast cancer, a difficult marriage, a rebellious stepdaughter, and the death of both parents.
Final Thoughts
As we said in part one of this series, there’s no magical pill or perfect solution to cure depression. But Western (allopathic), Eastern, and alternative (aka complementary) medicine offer numerous therapies and methodologies that help treat its symptoms.
Some private insurance companies and state/provincial health branches cover select forms of complementary medicine, like acupuncture and chiropractic. Ask your primary care physician which alternative medical practices are covered by which institution.
It’s best to consult your doctor, religious/community leader, or support group to pinpoint the most appropriate therapy (or a combination) for your circumstance. In the meantime, we hope at least one suggestion from the above home remedies can alleviate your suffering.
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Expat Scribe, the writer of this article, is also the author of the psychological techno-thriller, “The Invisible Cyber Bully: What it’s like to be watched 24/7.”
The novel tackles the surreptitious bullying and illegal surveillance, DNA-extraction, psychological torture of, and experimentation on ordinary citizens by law enforcers, scientific laboratories, various “hidden” associations, and global authorities. Some chapters discuss the garden-variety bully from schools and neighborhoods. The book also features a primer on how to fight cyber bullying.
Sources:
Healthline: How Somatic Experiencing Can Help You Process Trauma
American Psychological Association: What is Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy?
Harvard Health Publishing: Transcranial magnetic stimulation—hope for stubborn depression
Medical News Today: Dopamine and serotonin: Brain chemicals explained
Scientific American: Virtual Reality Might Be the Next Big Thing for Mental Health
Everyday Health: Aromatherapy, A Natural Remedy for Depression
Forem, Jack. “Healing with Pressure Point Therapy: Simple, Effective Techniques for Massaging Away More Than 100 Common Ailments”. 1999.
Spencer et al. “White noise and sleep induction”. Archives of Disease in Childhood. 1990.
Photo Credits:
Bird and lily—KT
Singing and dancing—Big Dodzy
Elephant and terrier—Nico Wall
Skateboarding—Public Domain Pictures
Surfing—Jeremy Bishop
Boys with guitar—Robert Collins
Yoga—NatureFriend
Virtual reality headset—Cottonbro
Father and son gardening—CDC
Pug with beanie—Charles Deluvio
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