Options for improving your health Options for improving your health

Talk with a health professional about everything you can do to improve your health. This could include eating well, exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking and limiting alcohol intake.

Adopt a healthy lifestyle

A healthy lifestyle reduces the risk of lifestyle-related diseases like heart disease and diabetes. It might also enable you to take fewer medicines and/or lower your doses by improving your blood pressure, cholesterol or blood sugar levels. Lifestyle changes like exercising regularly also help lessen side effects such as weight gain and can have a positive effect on your mental health and wellbeing.

Look after yourself if you’re a carer

Caring for a person with a mental illness or other chronic condition can be stressful and tiring. If you’re a carer it’s vital you look after yourself too, by taking breaks, continuing enjoyable activities, eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly and getting enough sleep. You’ll be able to look after someone more effectively if you’re in good health yourself.

Know your medicine choices

If you’re in the process of deciding about a treatment talk to your health professional. They can help you weigh up the pros and cons of your options and discuss your concerns, values and priorities. By doing so you’ll be able to make the right choices for you or someone in your care.

Learn more about making wise choices about medicines and consider using this personal decision guide for medicines to help you choose between treatments.

Are there alternatives to medicines?

Lifestyle changes and other non-medicine treatments can make medicines work more effectively and for some people can be used instead of a medicine, or may help avoid the need to take a medicine. For example, counselling on its own can be as effective as an antidepressant medicine, particularly for people with mild depression. But even when someone needs an antidepressant, they are more likely to benefit in the long term if they receive counselling in addition to taking the medicine.

Maintaining normal routines, doing enjoyable activities and keeping in contact with work, family and friends can also help people recover from depression.