What if you have depression but don't need to see a doctor yet. How can you improve your light depression symptoms at home? Don't say some type of pill, because I would want to go through a doctor before I take any kind of supliment.

Sunlight, exercise, sleep and eat well, yoga, meditation, art.

Excercise & healthy balanced diet (especially low in processed grains and sugar) have been shown in some studies to be as effective or almost effective as anti depressants. Making sure that you have adequate nutrition by using supplements, especially iron, vits D, E, B6 & B12, and a multi vitamin can also help. (http://www.livestrong.com/article/46...se-depression/). More sex (3+ times a week), with yourself or a partner, is helpful. Going out, excercising outside, getting fresh air, talking with friends (especially in person) are all good solutions.

I agree that just getitng out and taking a walk can be the most relaxing things you can do. Maybe go to the park and listen to the birds and kids play. Make some "me time" where you can push the world away for a while.

You might want to take a good book with you and get lost in that for a bit. Just getting fresh air can work wonders for you. I work from home and its like I am on vacation if I just go for a walk around the block

I respect your wishes to try to manage your feelings of depression at home before seeing a doctor. No medication should ever start being taken without a full understanding of what it can do to you. However, should you start to feel extreme depression or thoughts of suicide, I'd hope you'd see a doctor right away.

Given that, certain things have been shown to cause depression in some people that perhaps you have been doing and can change:

Getting enough, but not too much sleep. 8 hours really is the magic number.

Related to that, sleeping with a light on can interrupt your deep sleep and cause tiredness and depression. Anything really that interrupts your sleep can be an issue.

Getting out of the house works wonders as some people have said.

I've struggled with pretty severe depression since my early-teen years when I lost my sister in a car accident...sensitive kid dealing with pretty grown up stuff...I just slid down over and over and over and deeper and deeper.

Catching it when you feel it isn't severe is definitely good!! Things that helped me were:

1. Social interaction - I had gotten so bad that I had alienated all my friends, and even my family. Reaching out and seeing people was tough, many times it was overwhelming and I ended up not doing it. But, even making a small attempt - emailing someone, calling someone, writing a birthday card or even going out for a coffee with a friend - almost always helped me. If you can't handle anything "big" yet - go for small interactions, anything that will help you feel connected.
2. Setting and achieving small goals each day - It helps me to feel I am accomplishing things - even if it's just getting through my huge stack of mail, cleaning the bathroom or reading a magazine. Especially helpful to me are "crossing off" the things that I've been avoiding that make me feel overwhelmed.
3. Sleeping well - Do everything you can to get enough sleep. For me, my depression became suicidal even after one night of not sleeping (I am a chronic insomniac).
4. Eating healthfully - Good for your body and your mind! If you can't do it all day, aim for one healthful meal per day and then build on it, if you can.
5. Exercise - Another thing that can feel overwhelming, but even light exercise was immensely helpful. We have dogs, so I'd take them out for a 10-minute walk and it always lifted my spirits.
6. Do something you love - I found this difficult, because in the pit of depression, I didn't really like doing anything. For me, it wasn't about " findng me time" - it was about not wanting to do a darned thing. I searched for hobbies that interested me and a big one was genealogy...I would end up spending hours doing it and at the end of the day, I felt accomplished and proud for the new things I'd uncovered and learned. Plus, I've connected with all kinds of family members over the years - it's been amazing.

Everyone is different, but I do think catching it early and trying to deal with it now, without drugs, is fantastic. These things have helped me, to varying degrees, in the past and even now. I hope you can find a nugget or two in all these great responses that will help you, too!

Clean I love de-cluttering my apartment- it seems like when I start to let go of things, I let go of pent up stress and anxiety. If you don't need it, toss it out!

I also like to have Pandora running in the background- the music web-site- and I put on meditation music to calm myself.

If you're struggling to find time to be otuside when it's sunny out, you might consider investing in a light box. They make some really streamlined versions now (I have an old, huge, clunky one...but hey, it works!) I think some insurance companies will even cover the cost, but of course that depends on your plan.

Related to reduced sunlight, if you do see a doctor, you may want to have him or her check your Vitamin D levels. I have significantly low D levels (live in the Northeast US---sun is hard to come by, especially when working FT!) and have had to take supplements. I do notice a difference in my energy and mood now that it's been a few months.

Also, the people who mentioned sleep are spot on. Like Lunula, I am a chronic insomniac. My sleep has been really awful lately and I'm noticing more tearfulness and hopeless feelings.

In fact, I have to agree with everything Lunula wrote. It's a very comprehensive post. It just stinks that all of taht wisdom was gained by going through terrible times.

I find exercising while listening to my headphones is a big depression reliever for me. I also like to cook or watch a good movie to help my mood on my bad days.

I suffered from depression for a bit, the most helpful thing to me was outdoor exercise. Particularly hiking.

A book I read recently called, "Spontaneous Happiness - A new path to emotional well being" by Dr. Andrew Weil MD was fantastic and offered insight to everything from exercise to supplements to yoga to acupuncture to meditation for dealing with depression. He also talks about what NOT to do, such as do not socially isolate yourself...it's one of the worst things you can do. Out of everything, he said if he had to pick just 3 of the most helpful things it would be: Exercise, Vitamin D and Fish Oil. I highly recommend the book. If I knew 20 years ago what I learned from that book, it would have made a big difference when I needed it the most.

I'm trying a relaxing yoga routine before bed.... If you search for Nighttime Yoga you can find some wonderful free videos to follow along.

Nighttime can bring on a lot of depression/anxiety issues for me- stuff like this really helps!

Thank you for the advice.