The United Nations reported that people starving to death increased by 100% this past year as a result of all the measures taken for the current pandemic. What this means is that in a typical year around 9 million people die of starvation, but this year, we might lose up to 18 million people due to starvation, with the largest groups being women and girls. Additionally, according to the International Labor Organization, more than half a BILLION people will be pushed into poverty, and even more, if lockdowns continue. As a result of these governmental interventions that lead to an increase in poverty, starvation, and isolation, people are getting anxiety, excessive sadness, hopelessness, anger, mood swings, rage, sleep problems, changes in personality, and severe depression. Many have turned to violence and crime.
Most researchers are now finding that there is about a 30 percent increase in suicides this year as compared to the average year, with the worst groups being men, people in the military, and young adults. The world governments need to consider the consequences of all of these lockdowns and quarantines, instead of making decisions based only on Covid-19 cases. Have you noticed that initially the news only reported the deaths with coronavirus? Then, after the deaths started decreasing, the news only reported hospitalizations. Next, after deaths have decreased, hospitalizations have decreased, and the testing of coronavirus increased, then the news focused on reporting only the cases. Currently, as the cases have also decreased, now the news is focusing on everyone getting the mRNA shot to get back to “normal” life. Please be aware that this is an experimental drug, there are no long-term studies, there is extremely limited data, clinical trials have been rushed, and it is not even FDA approved yet. Ask your doctor if it is appropriate for you to take now, or if it is safer to wait for the official FDA approval, not just an emergency use authorization.
If these world governments really cared about saving lives, they would be addressing world starvation, poverty, and focusing on bringing clean water, plumbing, sanitation, and hygiene education to underdeveloped countries. If the American government really wanted to save lives, they would ban cigarettes, high fructose corn syrup, fast food, Round-Up, preservatives, junk food, food dyes, and artificial flavors, and they would not be advocating getting free Krispy Kreme Donuts and free beer with your shots. If it truly was about health, they would be promoting Vitamin D, healthy eating, and exercise.
Since we cannot depend on the government to help us save lives and prevent suicides, let us review some ways to help with depression thereby decreasing the chances of suicide.
Many people with depression don’t even want to get out of bed in the morning. If they do manage to get out of bed, they rely on a cup of coffee to get them going. People who are depressed often do the same thing every day: wake up, drink coffee, go to work or school, eat a late dinner, watch TV, browse the internet, and go to sleep. It’s the same routine every single day. When their brain gets stuck in a routine, it does not get stimulated and can lead to depression. The brain loves changing your routine and switching it up frequently. You must try something new each and every day to break the bad habits.
5 Secrets for Getting out of Depression
- The first step to getting out of a depression is to jump up out of bed in the morning and make your bed immediately. Do not press the snooze button on the alarm clock and start the day off with a failure. If you set the alarm clock, be committed to getting up at that time and not postponing your initial intention. That will give the brain a sense of accomplishment first thing in the morning. If you have trouble even getting out of bed, to begin with, I recommend doing a countdown like you are launching a rocket ship. If you get up with an alarm clock, do not press snooze, but instead, say “5….4….3….2….1….” and jump out of bed briskly like a rocket ship blasting off. Then make your bed nice and neat to give yourself a victory first thing in the morning.
The second step is to get the body moving. Exercise is one of the quickest ways to get out of depression. Do some push-ups, go to the gym, go for a bike ride, do some stretching, play a sport, take a walk, do some sit-ups, or go for a run. The brain loves movement! During the day, do not sit for more than 20 minutes at a time. Get up for at least 20 seconds and give yourself a break 3 times an hour. Drink some water, open a window, walk around your workstation, stretch up to the ceiling, perform some breathing exercises, do some mediation, or do some shoulder roll exercises. Find ways to increase your movements such as parking far away from your office, using stairs instead of the elevator, or walking to work or school. After work or school, don’t come home and watch TV, surf the internet, or play on your cell phone. All this technology leads to depression. Researchers have found if you post something on social media and do not get a lot of likes, or text someone and they do not respond right away, this can lead to depression. Alternatives for these nighttime activities include listening to music, taking an exercise class, playing with your children, journaling, listening to podcasts, playing cards or board games, taking the dog for a walk, practice playing a musical instrument, or doing something crafty like painting or crocheting.- The third step to help with depression is drinking water. Just like a grape that is dehydrated shrivels up to a raisin, your brain shrivels up when you do not have enough water. It is important to drink half of your body weight in ounces. So if you weigh 160 pounds, it is recommended to drink 80 ounces of water a day. Coffee, soda, juice, tea, and alcohol not only do not count as water, but they can actually lead to more dehydration. These drinks also may cause brain inflammation which can result in depression.
The fourth step and one of the most important factors in depression is Vitamin D. Almost all of the people suffering from depression have a Vitamin D deficiency, which also results in a poor Covid-19 outcome. You must do bloodwork to discover the levels, but please be aware that the ranges used in most labs are way too low for depressed patients. If you suffer from depression, it is better to have higher levels than the WebMD recommended levels of 20 ng/mL. If you suffer from Seasonal Affect Disorder (depression in the winter), it is suggested to take 10,000 IU a day for the winter months. Every case is different so always check with your doctor and see if that is appropriate for you. Also, be aware that most supplements do not have a quality type of Vitamin D and may have impurities and contaminants that could possibly be harmful to your body. Therefore, I suggest you never buy vitamins from CVS, GNC, Whole Foods, or the Vitamin Shoppe. Also, Vitamin D needs to be taken with fat and must have Vitamin K along with it to get absorbed properly. Make sure you buy your Vitamin D from a quality company such as Apex Energetics.- The last step that is really important for depression is helping others. If you start helping others then you forget about your depression and focus on someone else’s problems. When you help someone else you will see them smile, make them happy, and this releases endorphins and other chemicals in your brain that make you feel good and boost your brainpower. Not only will that help your depression, but it will help reduce depression in the person you help, and it will also help reduce depression in anyone who witnesses you helping someone.