As awareness increases, mental health is becoming a hot topic in the United States. At the center of attention is the rising issue of depression and suicide, why is the number of peoples afflicted rising, and what we should do about this?

As much as I wish I had all of the answers, I do not. What I do know is my story and approach to my own mental health. I want to share it with you in hope that you can find some comfort in knowing, you are not alone if you do not want to fight your depression with pharmaceutical remedies. There are other options that could work possibly work for you, like they have worked for me.

When I packed up and went to college, I hit an all-time low. Lonely and sad I retreated into myself. At the time, this was a cold and dark place. Like many individual suffering from mental health diseases, I ended up in my physicians office needing help.

Like most, I was prescribed a medication with a list of possible side effects longer than it's resolutions. While I might feel more "back to normal" I might also gain weight, become dizzy, have nausea, drowsiness, and there was also a chance that my symptoms might be magnified on this medication with an increase in anxiety and nervousness.

I did not in any way want to start taking antidepressants, but I did because at the time if felt like I was either going to take the pills or the end was inevitable.

My first hesitation was that the side effects quite honestly seemed just as bad as depression. I recently listened to a TedTalk (I cannot remember which one!) that described mental health medication in a way that I can truly relate.

The speaker created an analogy that taking antidepressants was analogous to opening up the hood of your car and pouring motor oil all over with the intention of get oil into the motor. Yes, a little bit would go into the motor and do it's job, but the rest would sit and soak, reeking havoc on the rest of the system. He then explain the process of how some medication works and that when taking antidepressants, you are basically pour these chemicals all over your brain. Yes, some will go where they are needed and do their job, but the rest will spread out and pool in areas where they are ineffective and can even cause harm.

The medications clearly did not seem very promising, however this was not my biggest issue with taking them.

My biggest hesitation was that I didn't feel like taking a pill would really be able to help me with my problem. This is hard for me to explain but I will do my best.

I am a true believer in being yourself. At the time, the person I was was sad, lonely, isolated, desperate. By taking a pill I might start to feel happier, less anxious, and more friendly and energetic. However, this change in personality would not be coming from me, it would be coming from these chemical compounds altering my brain. Underneath it all, I still knew that that sad, lonely, person was inside of me. I was going to have to be dependent on those medications to keep this part of me suppressed. I did not want that.

One quote that I have found that enraptures this idea was from Chogyam Trungpa that says, "If we seek to relieve our loneliness, we will be distracted from our path. Instead, we must make a relationship with our loneliness until it becomes aloneness."

I wanted to be truly happy, and I knew that I could never achieve this if my positive emotions were coming from a pill that kept my depressed self at bay. While I was on anti-depressants, I felt like my depressed self was always just below the surface, boiling like molten lava just waiting to erupt and destroy me completely.

I knew that in order to be a truly happy person, I personally was going to have to do that work not to suppress my depression, but to except it, embrace it, and create a space for it inside of myself where it can reside and not effect me constantly.

So, what did I do to create this space and get off of the antidepressants?

Yoga

I started practicing yoga everyday. Yoga videos and online classes are great, but what I found most beneficial was actual going to a studio and participating in classes. Being physically present with a teacher and other students creates a level of connection that you cannot achieve while doing yoga from someone on a screen. While with a group, I am able to fully immerse myself in what the teacher is saying. As we all struggle through poses together I feel a connection to something deeper within us, common humanity. Everyone has their unique hardships and with the right support we can over come them. Through yoga, I can convert my emotional difficulties into the physical poses, and then master them. This gives me a level of physical control over my thoughts.

Another benefit of yoga comes with the release of tension. As people, we all carry a lot of tension, maybe in our shoulders, hips, and/or backs. Yoga poses force me to release this tension, and enter a calmer and more grounded state.

Counseling

Although I don't particularly enjoy going to counseling, I must admit that after I found a counselor I could connect with, I have benefitted tremendously. It can be difficult to open up and reveal your inner most thoughts, fears, hopes, weakness, to someone that you don't know all that well. With all this begin said, my counselor has been able to talk me through a lot of difficulties that I have with myself and my life. Just simply talking and getting the words that are haunting you out of your head can be extremely beneficial.

If you make an appointment with a counselor and don't like him or her, don't fret. I went to three different counselors before I felt comfortable enough to truly open up and trust someone to help me.

Essential Oils

Am I a hippie? Nope. But I am confident that the support of essential oils has been pivotal in improving my mental health. I am very passionate about natural remedies and I am confident that essential oils are effective at putting me into a better state of mind. Every day I apply a citrus oil, orange, lemon, or citrus fresh to my inner wrists to for uplift and inspiration. I also apply lavender to my neck and behind my ears for relaxation. Throughout the day I use a multitude of oils like envision, clarity, clary sage, sacred mountain, and frankincense, depending on how my day is going and what my needs are.

In my opinion, essential oils have been a true blessing in improving my mental health. In my self-concocted remedy to depression and anxiety they are more then just the icing on the cake, for me they are the frosting that is holding the cake together...I might be writing this while hungry ;)

Acupuncture

For about three months I went to acupuncture weekly and for the past 3 months I have been going biweekly. Acupuncture has been incredible in releasing tension and lessening my anxiety, while allowing me to sleep most restfully and be more energized. Almost hair thin needles are inserted into my body, mainly in my ears, scalp, hands, and feet. Each needle point has a different purpose that range from releasing hormones for relaxation to psychological intentions like creating feelings of groundedness.

A question I often get is, does acupuncture hurt? Not at all (except for the ones in the bottom of my feet!). In fact, it is incredibly relaxing, and I often fall asleep on the massage table while I have the needles in for 20-30 minutes.

Self Compassion

My mom and I went to a workshop on self compassion. The techniques I have learned from this experience change how I think about my daily experiences completely. I have learned that when something is going wrong or feels out of control to pause and think "this happens to everyone, I am going to be okay" and then smile and imagine being hugged or touched in a loving way. This reminder that everything is going to workout keeps my thoughts in perspective, almost like a small reality check!

These are the most valuable techniques and things I have done to combat my depression without the use of western medication. I totally respect that some people need and truly benefit from these medications, that is awesome! I am in no way a medical professional, I just want to share my experiences and hopefully relate with others like myself that want supplementation for their anti-depressants, or different options entirely.

What I have learned is that as much as I wish that I could get rid of depression all together, I know that it is a part of who I am, and that is okay. Some days are better than others, but I am working towards an overall feeling of joyfulness and self love.

An awesome analogy I want to leave you with is this, you are a lotus flower. In order to bloom into a flower of pure and magnificent beauty, first you must sink your roots deeply into the mud. Without mud, you cannot bloom and grow. The mud might seem thick and smelly, but once you begin to use it to your advantage, you will grow to your truly beautiful potential.