Out of the Blue: Six Non-Medication Ways to Relieve Depression (Norton Professional Books) (23 page)

Research has shown that we can grow new brain cells when we do anything physical that takes some effort. And depressed people’s brain are sometimes so challenged and stressed that they make fewer new brain cells.

You need those brain cells to help learn new things, to hold on to good memories and feelings, and to help you climb out of the pit of depression.

So, even though it may sometimes seem like you’re walking through mud up to your thighs, it’s important to get as much physical activity as you can muster. And if it feels difficult or gets you breathing heavily, all the better, because that can help your brain get more blood to it, something it desperately needs when you are depressed.

There is even a new idea that one of the reasons that antidepressants work is because they help the brain grow new brain cells, so anything you can do to assist the process of new brain cell growth can give you some traction in getting back to your life.

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