When I was diagnosed with depression seven years ago, I knew I didn’t want to get prescribed medication and I wanted to look into natural options.

I didn’t want to be on antidepressants even though I did try to get her to prescribe me Xanax instead. She saw right through my addict manipulations, however, and declined referral. At the time, I was convinced that the only reason I was depressed was because I was so heavily into drugs and alcohol, and for all of the things that have happened in my life because of that. I had taken enough court-mandated drug and alcohol classes to understand my addiction and why it is there.

When I realized the depression wasn’t going anywhere after I got sober, and the anxiety was building immensely, I knew I had to do something about it fast. I am still in a place where I don’t want to rely on pharmaceuticals. Once you’re on them, it’s a life-long dedication that I’m just not ready for yet. I decided I wanted to try everything I could possible with the natural options we have available to us.

I have tried so many different things, but I want to share the things that have helped me the most.

These are in no particular order, and I recommend trying all of them. Start with one and add on if that helps. (Disclosure: I am not a doctor and am only speaking from personal experience on the things that helped me. DO NOT STOP TAKING PRESCRIBED MEDICATION. If you are in a position that needs medical attention, please seek guidance from a doctor. If you are in a serious situation that requires immediate attention, please call 9-1-1. There’s also a 24/7 number you can call for suicide prevention that will have someone who wants to help and wants to talk to you. 1-800-273-8255 Always reach out.)

The top natural options to help with Mental Health.

• Sleeping on a regular schedule.

  • This might seem like a no-brainer but 1 in 3 adults don’t get enough sleep (According to the CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2016/p0215-enough-sleep.html) I used to have such an irregular sleeping schedule. Sometimes I would be up until 7 or 8 a.m. and only lay down (not even really sleep) for 2 or 3 hours before I had to be up to go to work. Other days I would sleep for 12 hours. It fluctuated so much. Now that I don’t have a substance abuse issue, I am able to regulate my sleeping. I aim for 6-8 hours of sleep per night. Right now, I am trying to get into the habit of sleeping 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., but it has been hard to break the habit of staying up late and then snoozing until the last second I have before getting ready for work. I am still getting an average of 7 hours though, and it has TREMENDOUSLY helped with my overall health, including my mental health.

• Eating Whole Plant-Based Foods.

  • I’m not going to go on a tangent about why you should be Vegan. I made an entire video on YouTube for that. (Check that out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2APRHvc57Oc&t=84s ) What I am going to say is that you should start incorporating more nutrient dense veggies and fruits into your diet. Dark leafy greens and superfoods, as well as other fruits and veggies. Different fruits and different vegetable all have different nutrients they can offer you. There’s even a fun color code available for you.  Try to eat as many colors of the rainbow in one day. Also eating regularly! Eating too little, or too much, can both have an extreme effect on our psyche.

• Drink more water.

  • Our bodies are 70% water and when we don’t get an adequate amount of water daily, it can affect our entire system including our minds. A long time ago, I heard someone say that you should be drinking half of your body weight in ounces. If you’re 150 lbs, you would be drinking 75 ounces of water. I would also say aiming for 100 ounces would be optimal. ***Please, even if you aren’t going to increase your water intake, stop drinking soda and juice that has added sugars. These are so horrible for you, have been known to cause so many issues internally and can also affect the mind.)

• Meditating.

  • Meditation is one of the best things you can do for your mind. It is also one of the things I struggle to keep a consistent schedule with, but in recent months have slowly been incorporating this practice into my routine. Meditation is great not only for the long-lasting effects but because you’ll feel a difference almost immediately. If you are new to meditation I would try the app HeadSpace.  It helped me understand that Meditation doesn’t have to be difficult and it doesn’t have to be a chore. I look forward to the short 5-minute session every day. Even 5 minutes will help you! There are also tons of resources online such as guided meditation videos.

• Being in nature.

  • One of the easiest things you can do when you’re feeling down, anxious or negative in any way, is to take a walk outside. Even if it’s just around your block, just take a little stroll. As humans, we’re kind of like plants. We need water, nutrients, and sunshine in order to bloom properly. Go outside a little bit every single day and notice your mood improving over time.

• Movement.

  • One of the worst things we can do for ourselves is to become sedentary for extended periods of time. A lot of us have sedentary jobs where we’re sitting at a desk all day or on our laptops working from home. This non-activity is horrible for our mental health. Our brains almost become sedentary as well. It’s amazing what a walk around the block can do, or a good yoga session. There’s so many different options that you have to get some movement in throughout the day: at-home workouts for those who can’t leave for whatever reason, lifting weights, swimming, hiking, running, an entire lifetimes worth of exercise programs, dancing, etc. There are so many options. Try to get any movement in that you can, even if it’s just cleaning house, or doing situps on the bathroom floor for 1 minute while you kids fingers are under the door asking for your attention. I know it’s not always easy to feel motivated to get moving, especially if you’re dealing with depression, but it will make you feel so much better afterward.

• Essential Oils

  • I started using essential oils many years ago. I started by buying super cheap ones off of Amazon because I thought they smelled nice. While they did smell good, the quality was not good, so I wasn’t really getting the medical benefits from them. Once I found DoTERRA everything changed. The quality is far superior to any other brand out there. Even Young Living doesn’t equate to the quality of DoTERRA (in my opinion). I think I’m biased because I am a wellness advocate for DoTERRA (which if you’re interested in that, contact me via the contact page and I can help you find the oils that will help your particular issues.) Essential oils help with so many different ailments and can be used for almost everything. You can replace your medicine cabinet with essential oils which are completely 100% natural and plant derived unlike the pharmaceutical chemicals and artificial elements of over the counter drugs. They have helped me with my depression, my anxiety, my acne, headaches, bug bites… you name it.

• Vitamins

  • Before you go to your local Walmart and buy the cheapest multivitamin they have, do a lot of research into what you’re actually ingesting. A lot of the lower end vitamins use a lot of artificial ingredients and can do more harm than good. I recommend getting a plant-based vitamin D supplement and b12. Most people are naturally deficient in both of these vitamins, no matter what diet they follow. If you live somewhere sunny and get outside a lot, the vitamin D supplement may not be necessary. If you live in the Pacific Northwest like I do, then you’ll want to find an all natural plant-based D3 capsule. (Here are a few examples: https://amzn.to/2wuCDpz https://amzn.to/2ooSpO3 https://amzn.to/2PRQ4I8 ) Everyone should take b12, but just be wary of the ingredients and what is actually in the tablet you’re taking. Vitamin D and Vitamin B12 will both directly affect your overall happiness if deficient.

I hope these natural options help you.

The best part is that all of these options are easily accessible to anyone in the U.S. They will all help your mental health and will make a lot of things feel easier in life. The first step is just creating the habit, which can sometimes be the hardest part. I think habit stacking is what is working for me the most lately. Check this article and watch this video from Lavendaire explaining it a little more.

Thank you so much for being here on this journey with me.

No matter where we are in our journey, we are here together. I appreciate your existence and I hope we can connect. Feel free to reach out to me and let me know a little about you. I would also love to give you a tarot reading. If this is something you’re interested in, check out the tarot section on the services page. It can really provide guidance and clarity to any situation in life.

Xoxo