2 Tactics for Tackling the Blues

Solutions to Depression

Although some signs of depression are self-evident, many of us hesitate to call ourselves depressed. We'll write it off as being too tired or too stressed or justifiably sad because Boozer, our 18-year-old cat, couldn't hang on anymore.

But here's the thing: Depression is actually one way your body sends you a signal that something isn't working quite right -- and that you should be thinking of coping strategies to get your mind and body on the right track. Below are a couple that may work for you. Also, get a quick gauge of your mood with this little quiz.

Talk it out. When it comes to reducing the effects of depression, the biggest cure may not be in a pill bottle, but in making sure you don't stay bottled up yourself. In treating minor depression, talk therapy over 6 weeks is 60% to 70% successful, and the success rate jumps to 90% when used in conjunction with drugs. How does it work? Probably by encouraging your body to release those feel-good chemicals, like oxytocin, and helping you acquire new coping strategies.

One of the more effective talk treatments for depression is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Limited to 10 to 20 sessions, this therapy helps you learn how your thoughts contribute to your symptoms, and it suggests behavioral changes that you can make to change your environment, your response to your environment, and, ultimately, your thoughts. It doesn't tell you how to feel; instead, it teaches you how to stay calm and cool when you're upset about a problem, so that you can figure out what to do and how to feel better. (It's why therapists ask lots of questions rather than make a lot of statements.) But even just talking about your problems with your spouse, friends, or a taxi driver can help. Since women tend to talk much more than men, they may get a much larger brain-chemical boost from hashing things out.

Use guided imagery. Guided imagery isn't the screen of your car's GPS; it's actually a technique for making you feel better. It has been shown to help people cope with depression by improving mood and decreasing stress. How do you do it? Go to a quiet place (the bathroom often works well, since privacy is usually respected there). Start by relaxing and breathing deeply, and then visualize yourself in different scenarios, like enjoying some beach time, or performing well at work or in a sport, or fighting disease as you see your good immune cells fighting off bad germs.