Why should you consider natural methods before medication? There are many factors that can affect our bodies and moods and they should be evaluated before you seek out medication to manage symptoms. Prescribed medication certainly has its place however it may not be helpful for every diagnosis. There can be side effects from medication as well as issues with not being able to access your full range of emotion. In my experience a lot of my clients have stated that they would prefer not to use medication and explore natural methods. Read on to find out what things to rule out when establishing if you have a mental health diagnosis that requires medication management.
Visit your primary care provider
This should be your first step to ensure that there are no physical health issues that could be affecting your mental health. When you visit your health care provider you can state that you would like to test numerous things in order to rule out any potential health problems. The first test that you can request would be a thyroid function test. An improper functioning thyroid is likely to produce symptoms of depression and/or anxiety. Another area of testing that should be considered is your vitamin and protein deficiency. If your body is not able to properly absorb necessary nutrients then you will display symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, moodiness etc. You should explore what foods you are consuming as well and make sure you are eating a healthy and balanced diet. The final area of testing that you should inquire about is adrenal fatigue. There is a specific blood test that enables doctors to test your adrenal fatigue levels which would help narrow down a treatment plan.
Sleep
If you aren’t getting enough sleep your brain is not able to recover or respond well to day to day activities. Pay attention to your body and honor your unique sleeping patterns. Lack of sleep can cause the body to mimic symptoms of a mental health diagnosis. Explore sleep hygiene options that work best with your schedule and body type. Strive to be consistent with your sleep schedule as this will help you better determine if you have health concerns or if you just need to prioritize your sleep more.
Situational Anxiety/Depression
Before establishing if you have a mental health diagnosis you should first take a look at your current life situation and see if there is anything that could be provoking symptoms. Are you currently stressed out because you’re moving, changing jobs, homeschooling your kids, adjusting to quarantine etc? Then you can decide to bring in support either from family and friends or an outside source to help you manage your current situation. That may look like delegating tasks to them to relieve some pressure off of yourself or asking for help in a way that would be beneficial to you.
Active Coping
In my experience when my clients practice routine coping they are better able to manage their symptoms. My recommendation would be to use a three a day approach. Choose whatever coping mechanism works best for you that may be walking, doing yoga, meditating or another tool and do that three times per day for at least ten minutes each.
To wrap this up, you shouldn’t feel a stigma around taking medications to manage your mental health there are times where medications are needed and necessary however going through everything I have outlined above will allow you to determine if medications are something you need in your current state.
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