What is depression?

When we describe depression, we are generally talking about two different meanings. On the one hand, we use it to express general grief. Today, we are talking about depression in a clinical context. Depression is treated as an illness. The mood disturbance is associated with extreme sadness, poor concentration, trouble sleeping, and problems with appetite. In general, it is a prolonged state of despair and helplessness.

Symptoms of depression include:

• poor engine control
• Lack of focus and attention
• memory problems
• Neurotoxicity
• Physical and emotional pain
• Decreased ability to work, play, and even love
• suicidal tendencies

Brain scans revealed that depression lights up circuits in the brain associated with pain. Even worse, depression is rising, and the risk of developing depression increases with each generation.

Understand the causes and symptoms of depression

The causes of depression can be complex. It is often the result of a combination of factors. You may have a biological or psychological predisposition. It can also come from social and cultural influences. It can also come from your behaviours.

Depression usually occurs as a result of a rapid stress response. Traditionally, we consider this a fight-or-flight response. It helped our ancestors adapt when they faced physical danger. However, it is still helpful in certain situations where there are sudden changes in the environment that may affect our well-being. These situations usually require quick responses, such as swerving to avoid an accident or swerving when you notice something flying toward your head. Then our stress response wears off fairly quickly.

The problem comes from responding to stress for long periods. In modern life, we usually keep ourselves in safe conditions where physical safety is not threatened. However, when we get a stress response that doesn't go away, it heads toward our depression and anxiety. This is incredibly toxic to our minds and also to our bodies.

We usually see chronic symptoms when the stress response gets out of hand. The quality of sleep will be affected, and our immune system will be weakened. In addition, it can cause brain damage and inflammation in our brains. As Ilardi says, "An inflamed brain is a depressed brain."

A brief history of human lifestyle

We have spent most of our collective human experience as hunters and gatherers. Over the tens of thousands of years, we have adapted well to this environment and lifestyle. We began to explore agriculture during the last 10,000 years.

Having entered the Industrial Revolution in the past two hundred years, our lifestyles and environment have changed drastically. Modern Western life has become incredibly different from anything that came before it. In the meantime, our genes haven't changed much to adapt to our new lifestyles and environments.

Diseases of civilization

As civilization progresses at a faster rate than we can adapt, there will inevitably be problems that arise. Ilardi says there is a profound imbalance between our genes, the bodies and brains that build them, and the world in which we find ourselves.

We were never designed for the sedentary, indoor, socially isolated, fast-food, sleep-deprived, and frenetic pace of modern life.

Stephen Ilardi

We have shifted mainly our lifestyles towards less physical activity, sunlight, social activity, healthy nutrition, and sleep. We also tend to have poor work-life and leisure balance. Our bodies and minds do not adapt well to these changes, making us vulnerable to inflammatory diseases.

Inflammatory diseases are widespread in the modern industrial world. However, in current aboriginal groups, they are almost non-existent because they lead similar lifestyles to our ancestors.

Other inflammatory diseases include:

• diabetic
• crisis
• Allergy
• obesity
• cancer

How to tame depression

There are six main ways to treat and cure depression. Each suggestion helps alleviate depression on its own but works miracles when combined.

Implementing these tactics together can dramatically improve your quality of life.

Even if you are not depressed, it will help improve your mood, energy, and performance.

• Physical activity and exercise
• Omega 3 essential fatty acids
• Sunlight
• healthy sleep
• Anti-rumination activity
• social contact