Depression is hitting Texas hard, affecting both teens and older residents. Loneliness is gripping the Lone Star State — but a few practices can help you ward off the blues.
Get Some Sun
The lockdowns may have kept you safe, but they’ve also kept you away from the sun. Staying at home prompted symptoms similar to the effects of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or the winter blues in most Texans. Sun exposure prompts your body to produce more serotonin, a neurotransmitter that lightens your mood, clears your thoughts, and gives your body a boost of energy. Serotonin also plays a large part in controlling your circadian rhythm or biological clock.
Sleep is the body’s way of recovering from daily stress (physical, mental, and emotional) of life. Lack of sleep, particularly deep sleep, can prevent your body and mind from resting and healing — allowing stress to accumulate day by day. Sunlight also prompts your body to produce vitamin D — strengthening bones, reinforcing the immune system, regulating blood pressure, and firing up your sex drive. It only takes a few minutes under the sun to increase serotonin and vitamin D production. Take morning walks, go jogging, or drink your morning cup of coffee outside the house.
Exercise
Fight or flight was the natural response to stress dating back to the first humans. While modern society has evolved to a point where things are relatively safe — it still can’t override human instincts dating back millions of years. Your body needs to release pent-up energy brought about by stressors, and exercise is a great way to do it. Physical activity gives your body an avenue to release stress — tapping into the body’s fight or flight instinct and channeling it more positively. Moderate to intense physical activity releases endorphins into your body, providing a sense of euphoria, more commonly referred to as runner’s high. A few minutes of cardio will also leave you gasping for breath, automatically inducing diaphragmatic breathing or deep breathing.
Yoga and meditation often integrate deep breathing into their sessions, and numerous studies have linked deep breathing to reduced stress and feelings of sadness or anger. Regular exercise will also help control or reduce your weight — preventing most of the problems associated with obesity. 15-20 minutes of exercise a day is ideal, but even 10 minutes of exercise a week is enough to positively affect your emotions and lower your risk of dying from cardiovascular diseases by 12 percent and cancer by 14 percent.
Call a Friend
A recent study by the University of Texas at Austin and the Episcopal Health Foundation found that a simple phone call can alleviate loneliness, depression, and anxiety. The study focused on interactions between participants and trained volunteers, but the positive effects of a simple 10-minute call will only increase if the interactions are between friends or family. Calls were scheduled to specific times, and trainees were prompted to elicit conversation and listen with a touch of empathy.
Cut Expenses So You Can Splurge
Financial troubles are at the top of the list regarding stressors, but things are slowly getting back to normal. However, it still makes sense to cut back on spending so that you can splurge on yourself once in a while. If you’re in a major city like Dallas, San Antonio, or Houston, you can shop energy plans for consumers fromyour power company to save on a few dollars. $10-$20 might not be much, but it can pay for four loads of laundry, picked up and delivered to your doorstep. You avoid the stress of washing and folding laundry and free up half a day to do whatever you want. Skip a couple of mocha frappes a week, and you could get enough money to buy a new console in 3-4 months. Prompt an extra family member to save with you, and you’ll be playing that Playstation or Xbox in no time.
Reach Out to Friends and Family
Connecting with people is vital to your mental and emotional health. Contact with friends and family releases the neurotransmitter oxytocin. Commonly referred to as the “love hormone”, oxytocin brings about feelings of warmth, trust, and security. Increased oxytocin levels have also been known to improve self-perception (how one views oneself), altruism, empathy, and openness. A 2013 study in Germany also linked oxytocin to faithfulness to partners, particularly in men.
Loneliness and depression are serious problems, but most cases will have simple solutions. Balance the chemicals in your body by getting some sun, working out, and socializing — but don’t hesitate to get professional help if you believe you have deeper issues.
