Depression can be managed using various antidepressants, cognitive behavioral therapy, and natural herbs or remedies.However, there are several ways to alleviate depression without medications, including:1. Exercise: Engaging in at least 30 minutes of physical activity such as walking, cycling, dancing, or swimming can release endorphins, which are natural mood enhancers that help reduce stress and depression.2. Meditation: Practicing meditation for 10-15 minutes daily can foster openness and acceptance, uplifting your mood and decreasing depression.3. Relaxation Techniques: Incorporating daily yoga for 30 minutes, enjoying beautiful scenery, or taking warm baths can help reduce symptoms of depression.4. Music Therapy: Listening to music daily while showering, gardening, or cooking can boost your mood, increase relaxation, and lower stress, contributing to reduced depression.5. Herbal Remedies: Using herbs and supplements with antidepressant properties, such as St. John's wort, ginseng, or 5-HTP (5 hydroxytryptophan), may alleviate depressive symptoms.6. Healthy Lifestyle: Maintaining a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables, ensuring 7-8 hours of sleep each night, and avoiding alcohol and drugs can help diminish the symptoms of depression.Source :-1. Natural Relief for Depression. (2024, April 19). Natural Relief for Depression. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/natural-relief-for-depression2. Li, M., Wang, L., Jiang, M., Wu, D., Tian, T., & Huang, W. (2020). Relaxation techniques for depressive disorders in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice,24(3), 219-226.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32425133/

According to a survey conducted in 2022, 38% of working moms experienced complete mental and emotional breakdowns, and 55% of working moms faced recurring emotional and mental breakdowns or workplace burnout.Are you a working mom? Then you must relate to this: waking up at 5 AM, getting yourself ready, preparing meals for your children, sending them off to school, then heading to the office for an 8-hour workday. Coming back home, you dive straight into household chores without a break, and before you know it, it's nighttime.Once again, you didn't get to play with your child or spend quality time with them, and you fall asleep thinking about it because the same routine awaits you tomorrow.Every day, while trying to meet the diverse demands of your family, children, husband, and office, you often forget to take care of yourself. After managing so much, when no one appreciates you, or someone says you’re not raising your child properly, or that you can’t do your job well because of family and childcare responsibilities, this stress turns into burnout.This is also known as emotional, mental, and physical breakdown. So, what can you do to balance your job and take care of your child without stress? It's simple, just follow these 5 rules:1.Plan a strict routine where you set separate times for household chores and office work. This creates a boundary: no housework during office time and no office work during home time.2. Rule is to find time for yourself. Plan the next day’s tasks the night before, order groceries online, or decline unnecessary social events. Use this time to take care of yourself.3. Rule is to let go of guilt for not providing perfect parenting due to work or not giving enough time to your family. Don’t compare yourself to others or measure your worth by someone else's expectations. Instead, accept that you are a great mother.4. Rule is to learn to say “NO.” Many people find it hard to say no because they worry about being disliked. However, if you know that doing a particular task or going out with a friend is less important than your personal life, it’s okay to say no. There’s no problem in that. 5. Rule is to share your workload with your partner, your husband. They can help you significantly, reducing your stress.Source:- 1. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10826-017-0892-4 2. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312566114_DETERMINANTS_OF_WORK-LIFE_BALANCE_FOR_WORKING_MOTHERS

Whenever you have an exam, you feel nervous, but along with that, you also start feeling a strange pain in your stomach, and sometimes even get diarrhea. Happens, right?Now think, why do you start feeling angry when you're very hungry?This is because the brain and gut are related to each other. So it's worth thinking, if we eat good and healthy food, our brain will be healthy too.Let's learn about 5 Superfoods that are great for your mental health:Avocados: Avocados are rich in vitamins B3, B5, B9, vitamin C, and vitamin E. These vitamins play a crucial role in keeping brain nerves healthy and protected, producing neurotransmitters, and maintaining blood flow in the brain. Eggs: Eggs contain vitamins B1, 2, 3, 6, and 12, which help the brain function normally.Additionally, eggs contain choline and leutin, which increase your memory power. Walnuts: Walnuts are packed with antioxidants that protect the brain from damage, enhance memory and learning, and prevent dementia, the disease of losing memory.Salmon: Salmon is a fish rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, which protect the brain from damage, and its antioxidants protect your brain from age-related mental problems. Blueberry: Blueberries have a higher concentration of antioxidants than any other fruit. These antioxidants improve your brain's memory and keep the brain young.source.. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343534587_The_effect_of_food_on_mental_health

Loneliness affects one’s mental health to a great extent. World Health Organization states that 1 in 4 older adults experience loneliness and between 5 to 15 per cent of adolescents experience loneliness which affects their mental health.Mental health; a state of mental well-being has its very own importance in each individual’s life.However, mental illnesses have become a leading cause of disability worldwide. And this COVID-19 pandemic has added a burden across the population.What is loneliness doing?Loneliness is one of the major public mental health issues. Evidence shows that loneliness is associated with depression as well as certain other mental health problems. Across all ages and regions; anyone- anywhere can feel lonely.There can be severe impacts of loneliness on health and lifespan. World Health Organization says that people who feel loneliness for longer durations:More likely suffer with anxiety, depression, suicide and dementiaHave increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.Face a higher risk of early death.Loneliness just not only harms the individuals but they have a severe negative impact on the society.Why are people so lonely?Some people find it difficult to adjust to certain changes in life. Some factors responsible are:Work from home jobsChildren settling in different cities due to their studies/ jobsFrequent change of school among kidsWhat can we do?Some ways that can help reduce loneliness:Bring older and younger generations together, where they can share dining and enjoy some recreational activities.Gather for parties, movies, games etcForm and participate in clubsMaintaining healthy relationships among peopleEngaging older adults in the community and other social groups.Sharing a carpoolFor a better mental health of the society, it is important that we bring together people from all the age groups and all regions to combat loneliness.Source:-1. https://www.who.int/groups/commission-on-social-connection#:~:text=Anyone%2C anywhere%2C can be lonely,of our communities and society.2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9636084/3. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/05/ce-corner-isolation

Many famous celebrities like Deepika Padukone, Shah Rukh Khan, Karan Johar, or Honey Singh have experienced depression. But it was surprising when star kids like Suhana Khan, Shaheen Bhatt, and Ira Khan also faced depression at quite a young age.So can children also experience depression?Actually, it's quite normal for children to sometimes be quiet, get angry over small things, yell, become irritated, and then after a while, your child starts playing again.But sometimes children start staying quiet more often, or this irritability becomes more noticeable. And when these symptoms persist for more than a week, your child may not be okay and could be experiencing depression.According to research, about 3% of children and 8% of teenagers experience depression.There can be many reasons for depression in children, such as: Family history or genetic history, meaning if someone in the family, especially parents, has a history of depression, stressful events like the death of a loved one, parents' divorce, or a physical injury or illness, or being bullied by other children at school. All these things can be reasons for your child to develop depression.Now the question arises, how to know if your child has depression:If a child has depression, these symptoms will be visible:Your child may seem sadder or more irritated than before, meaning their mood is changing.They lose interest in activities they used to enjoy.Energy levels decrease significantly, or they feel very tired.Your child starts talking negatively, like "I'm not good," "I don't have any friends," or "I'm not good at studying."Your child starts eating much less or much more than usual.Your child is sleeping too much or not sleeping enough.source; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8465814/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3788699/

Hallucinations are sensory perceptions that aren’t real. They involve experiencing sounds, seeing things, smells, tastes, or touch sensations that seem real but exist only in the mind, which means they do not exist in real or has never happened.What are the different types of hallucinations?Hallucinations can be of different types which we will discuss:Auditory hallucinations: In auditory hallucination, a person hears such sounds that nobody else can hear. For example: talking to somebody who is not even present, or hearing someone calling their name, footsteps, whistle, and much more which is just in the head of that person.Visual hallucinations: Visual hallucinations means a person can see another person who is not there, lights, some objects or animal which is not really there, which means any normal person can’t see them.Tactile hallucinations: Tactile hallucination means a person can feel some kind of touch sensations, or something moving on the body, like some insect or bugs crawling on the skin or even sometimes in the internal organs as well.Olfactory hallucinations: Olfactory hallucinations means hallucinations of smell. It means a person can smell something like rotten, burnt, or some fragrance which is not there for real, or no one else can smell it.Gustatory hallucinations: Gustatory hallucinations means experiencing unusual tastes. It means a person can experience unpleasant taste in their food. The most common is metallic taste.Kinesthetic hallucinations: Kinesthetic hallucinations means a person feels like their body is moving, flying or floating, while in real there is no movement in their body.source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2702442/

Emotional hangover refers to the lingering effects of an event that impact both your mind and body, making you feel exhausted or irritable ,like having an argument with a loved one, the stress of a new job, or the death of someone. The effects of an emotional hangover are quite similar to stress and depression.This hangover is just like the hangover after drinking alcohol.”To recognize an emotional hangover, watch out for these signs:Feeling tired during the day even after a good night's sleep.Experiencing body aches or pain.Headaches or dizziness.Nausea.Difficulty concentrating on tasks.Irritability.Feeling sad.Crying.Avoiding conversations or feeling anxious.If you're dealing with an emotional hangover, try these 5 things:Eat light meals and stay hydrated.Exercise or engage in creative activities like painting or playing the guitar.If needed, get some extra rest to feel better.Spend time outdoors in a natural setting.Do what makes you happy and talk to loved ones about your problems. It will make you feel better and help you overcome the emotional hangover.source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161226211238.htm https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S030646032300014X