(NaturalNews) When it comes to treating depression, many things come to mind, from antidepressant medications to natural therapies like yoga and herbal remedies like St. John's wort. In particular, there is one very crucial element which cannot be ignored. As humans are social animals, the very important role that relationships play cannot be overlooked or underestimated.

Important aspects of fighting depression include the right lifestyle habits, positive thinking patterns and the use of natural remedies. Being able to flag out the root causes of one's depression (http://blogs.naturalnews.com) would also be useful.

Another vital element is the people around a depressed person. For example, a 2013 study at the University of Michigan which looked at almost 5,000 American adults found that one's risk of major depression disorder was affected by the quality of his or her relationships with a spouse, family and friends, and this was regardless of the frequency of their social interactions.

Trusting and loving relationships

Human beings are social creatures, and isolation can have a negative impact on the psyche. Whether preventing depression, overcoming depression or simply being a happier person, having loving and trusting relationships is an important element of living. When one is in a depressed state, isolation is all the more harmful. Avoid that, no matter how tempting it is to break away from everyone else.

In particular, if one needs someone to speak to or provide a listening ear, a loved one or friend whom one trusts and is comfortable with should be approached. Recovery from depression could be kick-started with just a phone call.

If they are available, hugs help a lot too. Physical touch actually has healing qualities.

Hang out with positive people

Positive mentalities and negativity both tend to rub off on other people. Spending too much time with doom-and-gloom personalities would cause one to feel down too, sooner or later, while hanging out with brighter and cheerier persons would bring more positive energy to oneself.

Enjoy pets

Pets are an excellent source of companionship and virtually unconditional friendship. They bring life, energy and meaning. All these aspects are useful for helping to heal depression.

Pets do not judge, chastise or desert (usually) their owners. Caring for a pet also raises one's sense of self-worth. And watching or stroking one's pets can be a soothing activity. In addition, while walking one's dog, for instance, one would be getting some healthful exercise, fresh air and sunshine as well. One could even make new friends -- other pet owners.

Group therapy

A form of depression treatment known as group therapy could help. Such sessions provide an outlet for depressed persons to share their problems, which in itself a powerful healing tool, as well as a platform for mutual learning from each other's experiences. Listening to others' issues helps put one's own problems in perspective too.

Such a sharing community of like-minded individuals can be an excellent source of social support.

Help others

A well-documented way to help improve one's own life is to help others. And one could take it one step further and begin doing volunteer work, to reach out to the needy segments of society. One would meet new people and could even make some new friends. Many people report feeling better about life and about themselves after doing volunteer work.

Conclusion

Relationships in life are important, with or without illness. When it comes to dealing with a mental condition such as depression, the role of people becomes magnified. With the support of the right people, one's journey of recovery from depression will be made so much smoother.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com

http://www.sciencedaily.com

http://science.naturalnews.com

About the author:
Reuben Chow has a keen interest in natural health and healing as well as personal growth.

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His main health websites Insights on Health and All 4 Natural Health focus on being healthy naturally, while his other health websites cover topics such as cancer, depression, holistic depression help, as well as omega 3 fatty acids. He also owns self improvement and inspirational websites like Inspiration 4 Living, allinspiration.com, Life Changing Quotes, and 101 Inspirational Ideas. Through his network of sites at The Journey of Life, he hopes to help improve people's lives.