“Mental health requires the ‘whole enchilada', as the saying goes. Bring it all in! I use crystals, music, meditation, chanting, massage, painting, images, vitamins, essential oils, prayer, food, exercise, nature, friends and psychotherapy to remind me that I am already whole. Yoga is just one ingredient in the enchilada of mental health,” says Rose Kress, owner and director of the LifeForce Yoga Institute, in Lebanon, Oregon, and author of Awakening Your Inner Radiance with LifeForce Yoga. “If it brings you a sense of ease around your feelings of depression, use it. If you are not sure, ask your support network for help.”

 

Psychologists, support groups and counselors can be found through the Anxiety andDepression Association of America or by calling 1-800-662-HELP (4357), the national helpline of the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Both are free, confidential referral and information services.

 

Depression can become severe and warrant intervention. If someone is suicidal, stay with them and contact the NationalSuicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, a 24/7 national network of local crisis centers, providing free and confidential emotional support to people in emotional distress.

 

Alternative modalities for depression could fill volumes, and they have. Check these out for more information:

·  Eat to Beat Depression and Anxiety: Nourish Your Way to Better Mental Health in Six Weeks, by Drew Ramsey, M.D.

·  Ayurveda for Depression: An Integrative Approach to Restoring Balance and Reclaiming Your Health, by L. Eduardo Cardona-Sanclemente

·  How Come They’re Happy and I’m Not?: The Complete Natural Program for Healing Depression for Good, by Peter Bongiorno, ND

·  How to Heal Yourself from Depression When No One Else Can: A Self-Guided Program to Stop Feeling Like Sh*t, by Amy B. Scher

·  Yoga for Depression: A Compassionate Guide to Relieve Suffering Through Yoga, by Amy Weintraub

 

“While it may take dedication to embody the peace you seek, the glimpse of that peace can be enough to fuel you through the times you want to give up,” adds Kress.