Here are some of the real causes of depression and you may find them fascinating

Depression is a word that is thrown around a lot. We live in a stressful world and more people than ever before the struggle with stress, anxiety, and depression. In the western world, we go to doctors and therapists to treat our depression.

These are two good and important things - depression should not be ignored. But we are also fairly quick to swallow a few pills every day as a cure. Yet there are alternate ways to deal with depression and it is important to look at them. In the East, people practice Buddhism and do a lot of meditation and yoga. They also eat very differently to the way we eat.

 Depression in the East is not nearly as high as in the West. People in the East, as century-old traditions, have practiced ‘time out.’ Meditation is as old as the hills and while meditation is gaining momentum in the western world, we need to start teaching our children about the importance of meditation and the importance of clearing our minds.

 And we need to teach them about diet, not just what we eat but how often we eat. Depression is thought to be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. It is important to remember that this is true - but we need to look at why so many of our brains have this chemical imbalance. Is it because of the way we live? We are busy, frantic even, all of the time, and don't give ourselves the time out. We have forgotten how to be calm and mindful. We eat junk food.

And we overeat. Dr. Vincent Felitti, a scientist, talks about his own journey with depression. He tried everything, diet, medication, counselling and exercise. And while he found that everything has a place, for him, the most important was diet. Not just diet, but fasting occasionally. Eating less. Eating the right foods in small amounts. And taking time out, not just from the world, but from food too.