Ten ways to fight depression - part 2

Average rating:

4. Eat properly

We're not suggesting you only eat healthy things, but eating the wrong food can bring on the wrong mood.

You should avoid food with lots of sugar and caffeine; they may give you a burst of energy, but they later bring about anxiety and tension because they upset the blood sugar levels in your system.

There are some foods that can help lift your mood, though:
- Avocados: these are a great source of the mineral selenium, which is full of stuff to stop you feeling depressed.
- Kiwi fruit: Vitamin C is important for boosting your immune system and increasing your wellbeing and kiwis contain more than other fruit, even oranges or apples.
- Bananas: low levels of the chemical serotonin in your body are associated with depression and eating a couple of ripe bananas a day can help to increase those levels.
- Chilli: capsicum is the ingredient in chillies that make them hot. It stimulates the body and improves the circulation and also releases feelgood endorphins in the brain.

- Try our Beat The Blues Diet

5. Drink water

A lack of fluid has more than one negative effect on the body.
- Dehydration causes tiredness, which is one of the factors that can easily throw people into a depressed state.
- It stops you feeling hungry. Many people tend to think they're hungry, when they're actually thirsty. Eating when you're dehydrated will cause you to become overweight and people who are overweight are more likely to suffer from depression.

Nutritionist Amanda Geary says: "80% of people who tried having more water as a way of improving their emotional and mental health reported significant improvements. Water came out top, ahead of fruit and vegetables and oily fish."

Ideally, you should aim to drink at least two litres of water - that's about eight glasses - a day

Top tip: if you get bored with water, try the odd cup of green tea. It contains high levels of antioxidants that help fight depression and it won't dehydrate you like normal tea, because it contains no caffeine.

6. Keep a diary

Getting your head right is one of the biggest parts of coping with depression. Try setting yourself small goals every day or every week to complete and write down when you've achieved them. These goals will start to focus you into doing something specific and get actively involved in something, which means the feelings of depression are less likely to take over.

Another thing to do is write a 'thank you' journal. At the end of each day, sit down and right down five reasons why you're grateful. It might be difficult to start with, but it will remind you of the good things you're not focussing on, rather than what's making you sad.

- Next: Why going for a walk can help beat the blues