Have you ever heard people refer to some illnesses as “White people problem”? Treating some ailments as trivial because we do not understand it, is one of the biggest mistakes we can make. Not only is depression real, it claims lives without any warnings. It is time we started acknowledging these silent killers before they catch up with the next victim.

Yudala, the largest online and offline retail chain examines a few of these mental health disorders and tips to cope.

Mental health issues are often glossed over or rarely given the right attention in this part of the world. Cases abound of people who abruptly ended their lives, leaving behind grieving loved ones who struggle to make meaning of the tragedy.

The stress of daily living in some of our over-crowded cities may be a causative factor for some of these ailments such as social anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder and personality disorders, among others. Traumatic situations such as the death of a loved one or job losses could also pre-dispose an individual to such issues.

Being depressed can make you feel helpless. You’re not. Along with therapy and sometimes medication, there’s a lot you can do on your own to fight back. Changing your behavior — your physical activity, lifestyle, and even your way of thinking — are all natural depression treatments.

These tips from Web MD can help you feel better — starting right now.

1. Get in a routine. If you’re depressed, you need a routine, says Ian Cook, a psychiatrist and director of the Depression Research and Clinic Program at UCLA. Depression can strip away the structure from your life. One day melts into the next. Setting a gentle daily schedule can help you get back on track.

2. Set goals. When you’re depressed, you may feel like you can’t accomplish anything. That makes you feel worse about yourself. To push back, set daily goals for yourself. As you start to feel better, you can add more challenging daily goals.

3. Exercise. It temporarily boosts feel-good chemicals called endorphins. It may also have long-term benefits for people with depression. Regular exercise seems to encourage the brain to rewire itself in positive ways, Cook says. How much exercise do you need? You don’t need to run marathons to get a benefit. Just walking a few times a week can help.

4. Eat healthy. There is no magic diet that fixes depression. It’s a good idea to watch what you eat, though. If depression tends to make you over-eat, getting in control of your eating will help you feel better. Although nothing is definitive, there’s evidence that foods with omega-3 fatty acids (such as salmon and tuna) and folic acid (such as spinach and avocado) could help ease depression.

5. Get enough sleep. Depression can make it hard to get enough shut-eye, and too little sleep can make depression worse. What can you do? Start by making some changes to your lifestyle. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Try not to nap. Take all the distractions out of your bedroom — no computer and no TV. In time, you may find your sleep improves.

6. Take on responsibilities. When you’re depressed, you may want to pull back from life and give up your responsibilities at home and at work. Don’t. Staying involved and having daily responsibilities can help you maintain a lifestyle that can help counter depression. They ground you and give you a sense of accomplishment. If you’re not up to full-time school or work, that’s fine. Think about part-time. If that seems like too much, consider volunteer work.

7. Challenge negative thoughts. In your fight against depression, a lot of the work is mental — changing how you think. When you’re depressed, you leap to the worst possible conclusions. The next time you’re feeling terrible about yourself, use logic as a natural depression treatment. You might feel like no one likes you, but is there real evidence for that? You might feel like the most worthless person on the planet, but is that really likely? It takes practice, but in time you can beat back those negative thoughts before they get out of control.

If you are depressed or thinking of taking your life or if you know someone who does, please reach out for help at the Nigeria Suicide Prevention Initiative – Hotline +234 806 210 6493.

Update news