Mike Genevie was a guy who always came out with a joke. But when his relationship with his girlfriend turned sour, his enlightened gaze turned dark. "He stopped answering my phone," says the 27-year auditor from Levitton, Pennsylvania, United States. "I discovered that she was dating someone else." Suddenly, when a commercial of an antidepressant appeared on television, she picked up a pen instead of taking the remote control.
Genevie is not alone. A study from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in that country, found that people take antidepressants even more often than pills for high blood pressure, asthma and high cholesterol. But many times men do not need medication, they just feel a little down at the moment. "Antidepressants are prescribed very often," says Stuart Shipko, a psychiatrist and author of Surviving Panic Disorder . Dr. Shipko warns that taking a pill can lead to real problems: addiction, sexual disability or both. "Unless a person has a serious mental problem, the risk-benefit ratio does not favor these pills."
Fortunately, there are many practical ways at hand to increase the encouraging forces of the body. Try a combination of the following strategies against that rainy day feeling, and your vision of life will quickly escalate.
FILL THE FREEZER WITH SEAFOOD
Why it works
Two types of omega 3 fatty acids are in abundance in seafood, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). In humans, high levels of DHA are related to elevated levels of dopamine and serotonin, the same brain chemicals that antidepressants increase. Moreover, a deficit of DHA in animals has been related to symptoms and indicators that simulate depression. "You're at a greater risk of being depressed, anxious and irritable at avoiding fish," says Dr. Joseph R. Hibbeln, acting chief of nutritional neurochemistry at the NIH's National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (National Institutes of Health , from the United States).
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Eat cold-water fish (salmon or verdel) at least twice a week. Or, if you are not a fan of fish, take one gram daily of a supplement with EPA and DHA, with a ratio of two to one, since the former seems to maintain more control than the latter over mood and behavior, according to Dr. Parris. Kidd, nutrition educator and editor of Alternative Medicine Review . Be patient. Most men take eight to 12 weeks to feel a satisfactory response.
LIFT YOUR MIND WITH ESSENCES
Why it works
If love enters through the stomach, the way to enter the mood selector may be in your nose. A study in Physiology & Behavior found that people waiting in the dentist's office were less anxious and in a better mood when the waiting room smelled of orange or lavender. If those essences can distract you from the noise of the drill against a grinding wheel, imagine what they can do in less tortuous scenes.
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You're probably not the type of man who drives with a flavored hanger in his rear-view mirror. Instead, sprinkle a little citrus Acqua Di Gio by Giorgio Armani or Eternity for Men by Calvin Klein before work or a date with a girl. Extra: nothing will improve your mood as fast as the attractive woman next door when you comment on how well you smell.
PUT A GOAL AND GO IT!
Why it works
Putting high expectations for yourself does not create stress; In fact, it is an escape valve. A 2006 study found that those who set goals were less anxious, felt better about themselves and found more meaning in their lives than their counterparts. "Setting goals raises your spirits by increasing the chance of success, which leads to better feelings about yourself and life in general," says Dr. Jennifer S. Cheavens, study leader and assistant professor at Ohio State, in the United States. United.
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Cheavens recommends establishing concrete and reasonable goals, and using many means to achieve them. For example, commit to going to the gym three times a week instead of vaguely declaring that you will lose five kilos. If you fail one day, propose to skip the starch at dinner. "You need goals to have small, satisfying points along the way, so you can enjoy the happiness that comes with success," says Cheavens.
DO YOU WANT IT WITH MILK?
Why it works
Milk is rich in tryptophan, an amino acid needed for the production of serotonin, a brain chemical that lifts your spirits. It is not surprising that the lowest levels of tryptophan coincide with reduced levels of serotonin. But your body can not produce tryptophan alone. So it has to come from the food you eat, like milk, which is full of amino acids. Otherwise, your mood could suffer from a deficit.
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Take three quarts of whole milk a day, which translates to 0.6 grams of tryptophan, enough to lift your spirits when combined with a high-protein diet, according to Dr. Susan M. Kleiner, author of Good Mood Diet . Yogurt, cheese, eggs, bananas, and nuts and peanuts are also good sources. "A selection of these foods should be in your daily diet to increase serotonin levels and boost your mood," says Kleiner.
CONTINUE YOUR WALK
Why it works
The trails are a path to happiness. Compared to sedentary types, those who run regularly were 70 percent less likely to experience acute stress and life discontent, according to a study of more than 12,000 people published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. Periodic exercise increases adrenal activity (that of the adrenal glands), which facilitates adaptation to stress and emphasizes the discharge of hormones such as noradrenaline, serotonin, beta-endorphin and dopamine. All these improve mood, says Dr. Peter Schnohr, leader of the study.
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Dr. Schnohr suggests running, taking small walks or any cardiovascular exercise for half an hour, five times a week. Interval training is particularly effective, especially when you need to exercise hard and fast.
EXERCISE YOURSELF IN THE BED
Why it works
Oxytocin, a hormone that makes you feel good, reduces fear and lowers your cortisol (a stress hormone) and blood pressure levels, reaches its highest levels in your body one or two minutes after the sexual climax. "The levels return to normal within 10 minutes after orgasm," says Debby Herbenick, a sex researcher and educator at Indiana University in the United States.
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Hold it after intercourse. "Oxytocin can be released not only during masturbation and sexual intercourse, but also during affectionate touching," says Herbenick. The more she keeps hugging you, the more oxytocin is released and the better you feel.
PLAY MUSIC
Why it works
If you feel like a blues song, maybe it would be better to hear that melody. A 2006 study in the Journal of Advanced Nursing found that listening to one hour of music per day for a week could reduce the symptoms of depression by up to 25 percent.
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Even better is to create your own song. "Just playing some chords or melodies can be therapeutic," says Anna Maratos, certified music therapist and director of Arts Therapies at the Central and North West London Foundation NHS Trust. If you can not play or in self-defense, play Guitar Hero with your friends.
LEAVE THE JAR
Why it works
There is a reason why a bartender has a column in this magazine: he has more practice than many doctors. "Alcohol can reduce anxiety immediately after taking it," says Clyde W. Hodge, a professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in the United States. "It also has antidepressant properties." The problem is that this temporary lift is followed by a hangover of the state of mind. Hodge and his researchers found that mice that consumed a moderate amount of alcohol every day for 28 days seemed discouraged after two weeks of abstinence. What happens, says Hodges, is a reduction of new neurons in the part of the brain that regulates mood.
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Plan activities that are not focused on dinners with wine or other types of alcohol. Also, your melancholy may just be that you've been locked in for a long time. Go outside.
ELEVATE YOUR TESTOSTERONE
Why it works
The effects of testosterone can also be felt above the belt. A 2008 study by the Archives of General Psychiatry found that older men with the lowest levels of free testosterone were at a higher risk of depression than those with the highest levels. Researchers have not pointed out the relationship, but other studies have shown that low testosterone levels can lead to increased fat mass, irritability and decreased sexual desire. It is not surprising that men are depressed.
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To help support testosterone levels, Kleiner recommends taking 30 percent of your calories from healthy fats, such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats from olives, fish, nuts and avocados.
REMEMBER THE GOOD MOMENTS
Why it works
Photos can let go of a bad mood, assuming that the images bring to mind happy moments. Researchers from the University of Southampton, in the United States, found that feeling nostalgic increases self-esteem, social ties and positive feelings.
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Change that wallpaper on your iPhone for a picture of your children on your most recent vacation. Compile a gallery that you can download from me.com.
SLEEP TO THE WORLD
Why it works
The dream is a place free of stress. In fact, researchers at the Stanford Sleep Epidemiology Research Center found that people with sleep problems, such as apnea, are five times more likely to experience depression than those who sleep soundly. "Individuals with sleep apnea generally have an efficiency in their rest between 65 and 85 percent," says Maurice M. Ohayon, MD, director of the center and the leader of the study. Those seven hours in bed could become five hours of sleep fragmented and without rest. Do this If you have a somewhat loose middle section, snores like an ambulance siren, or often wake up tired, go to a specialist. Let the Sun in. Why It Works Very little sunlight can cause a vitamin D deficiency. A 2008 study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry found that vitamin D levels were 14 percent lower in depressed people. The Sun on your skin needs exposure time to trigger vitamin D production, according to Reinhold Vieth, a professor in the department of nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto, in Canada.
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Vieth recommends consuming a 1,000 IU pill of vitamin D every day, since turning to only food as a source of this vitamin is very difficult. Are you worried about having low levels? Ask your doctor for a test of calcidiol (25 (OH) D).