Depression is a common medical disorder that affects millions of people around the world. In fact, according to reports, around 264 million people across all ages suffer from this condition. It affects an individual's thinking and the way they act when it becomes more serious. It is also reported that depression more than 18 million adults in a year and it is basically the reason for suicide cases about “every 12 minutes” (https://www.hopefordepression.org/). Signs and symptoms of depressive moods may manifest the following:

• Sadness or depressed mood
• Suicidal thoughts or tendencies
• Guilty feeling of worthlessness
• Having a hard time thinking, making decisions, and in concentration
• Loss of weight/gain or change in appetite that is unrelated to dieting
• Increased exhaustion and loss of energy
• Difficulty in sleeping or having too much of it
• Loss of interest or enjoyment in activities

Depression in the workplace causes about $23 billion in losses in workdays each year based on reports that this malady should be addressed as soon as possible as the cases are increasing rapidly worldwide. Why do you think many people suffer depression nowadays? We can surmise that hard times, especially economic difficulties and loss of love may be one of the causes why some people are depressed.  

There are certain causes of depression that are based on clinical studies but other causes “are unknown.” Certain factors may contribute to depression such as the following:

• Family history and genetics - when another family member suffered from depression in the past, you may possibly experience such a disorder. Reports indicate that depression is “40% determined by genetics. Researchers have found that having a parent and grandparent with depression doubles the risk of depression.”  
• Lifestyle risk factors - this may be about personal lifestyles e.g. drug or alcohol abuse
• Poor nutrition - it should be noted that “diets high in sugar have been associated with depression”
• Stress - when an individual is unable to cope with difficulties in life and other emotional issues, then these can trigger tension and stress
• Grief and loss - related to loss of a loved one that may be unbearable for the individual
• Substance use - “ Some drugs that have been found to be associated with depression include anticonvulsants, statins, stimulants, benzodiazepines, corticosteroids, and beta-blockers” (https://www.verywellmind.com/).

The good news is that depression can be treated and those suffering from it can be helped to recover eventually which would enable them to lead a normal and better life after treatments. While some drugs such as antidepressants may be utilized to treat depression, other alternative treatments may be applied such as psychotherapy, music therapy, yoga, or meditation.

It may also be a great help to change your lifestyle such as avoiding too much consumption of alcohol or drugs that may contribute to the prevention of depression. As one of the symptoms of depression is sleeplessness, it should be part of your lifestyle to get enough sleep and to eat a well-balanced diet including fruits and vegetables to veer yourself away from being depressed.

Family members of those suffering from depression could also be a great help by talking to them about positive things in general, enjoying with them, and having more time for interaction so that those family members who suffer from depression may have more clear thinking, positive outlook in life, thus treatment and recovery from the illness are faster and more effective.

There should be more encouragement and motivation to look at life and deal with daily living bravely and that all problems can be solved with a clear mind and proper course of actions. Some patients suffer hopelessness and they see their problems are not surmountable and they cannot handle them. As such, they need more encouragement and positivity to be able to hurdle their problems.

Other friends and community members could also help by inviting mental health experts for lectures and meetings, educating community members about depression and mental health. By having them in the community, those who are suffering from depression or other mental disorders may be given assistance leading to faster treatment of such disorders. Sometimes sickness can be treated with our own resolve to recover and be treated on our own initiative.

Veering away from the stress that leads to depression is also possible with some physical activities such as engaging in different forms of exercise. It is already proved by mental health experts that doing exercises prevents depressive mood and other negative thinking because by doing them, we focus more on the exercise or on what we’re doing at the moment.

One of the best exercise machines can be found at FlexiSpot. If you’re not so familiar with this company, check on its website and you will know more about it and the ergonomic home office products as well as fitness machines it offers to everyone.

One of the best exercise machines is the Home office All-in-One Desk Bike/Bike Workstation V9. Actually, this is a combination of a workstation and a bike that will motivate you to exercise while doing your office work or other tasks that you want to accomplish for the day. As such, you are shooting two birds at a time with this wonderful machine.

It has an adjustable seat for your desired height and that even your family members of different heights can use it at any time.

There is also an integrated digital display for workout time, calories burned, and speed. If you want to have a more intense workout, you can change the resistance levels in eight (8) settings.  

You can exercise while being productive in a quiet way so that you do not disturb others in the workplace. Assembly gets one minute with no complicated tools involved.

This machine is perfect at home especially when you are a work-from-home employee. With this machine, any activity can be done on its desktop aside from your workload, such as reading the newspaper or your favorite coffee table book, watching videos of your loved ones, or simply sipping a hot cup of coffee. That will be fantastic!