Olive leaf extract is helpful with a number of health issues. Many of them have to do with physical ailments, but this supplement can also provide relief from the symptoms of various emotional illnesses. That includes easing some of the more common symptoms associated with mild to moderate depression. When paired with a healthy diet and exercise, the impact on the way you feel can be significant. Here are some examples of how the right type of olive leaf extract will make it easier to cope with and eventually recover from the depression.
1. Understanding the Role of Oleuropein in Alleviating Depression Symptoms
There are several compounds in olive leaf extract that have a reputation for helping with different types of emotional conditions. One that’s receiving a lot of attention the last few years is oleuropein. According to various types of studies, this compound has the ability to reduce the symptoms commonly associated with PTSD, different forms of anxiety, and certain types of depression.
In order to enjoy the most benefits, it’s important to select an olive leaf extract product that’s prepared in a way that keeps most of the nutritional and medicinal properties intact. There’s one particular approach that will receive attention a little later.
2. The Impact on Apathy
When a person suffering with depression doesn’t seem to care a lot about anything at all, it’s difficult to feel motivated to get out and do anything. While there may be hunger, the desire for any particular type of cuisine is absent. Little things like taking care of personal hygiene, making sure clothing is free of wrinkles, or remembering to brush the hair may hold no particular appeal at all. In fact, no aspect of life triggers any real reaction at all.
With the aid of olive leaf extract, the apathy can begin to fade. While it will take time, you slowly begin to find that there is something specific you want for your next meal. Maybe deciding to sit in the sun for a short time starts to sound like a good idea again. Instead of not interacting with anyone unless they initiate the connection, you begin to text, email, or call loved ones again for short chats. Little by little, things begin to mean something instead of not making much difference one way or the other.
3. Stabilizing Mood Swings
There’s a myth that people with depression are in a constant state of feeling down. While that’s definitely part of what happens, there may be short bursts when you feel some what euphoric. The mood never lasts, and it’s possible to be laughing one moment and want to curl up in a ball the next. There never seems to be any period where you feel good in general and somewhat in control.
People who have taken various doses of around 500 mg of olive extract in capsule form at a time notice that their mood swings are not quite so broad. There are more times when they feel balanced rather than euphoric or totally down. While it’s important to work with a professional to monitor the dosage and the effects, a sense of being more stable in general is often one of the first benefits to appear.
4. Making It Easier to Get Up in the Morning
As anyone with depression can tell you, one of the worst parts of the day is waking up. There’s no stretching and looking with anticipation at the sunshine coming through the window. A more likely scenario is burrowing deeper into the covers and seeing no reason to get out of bed at all.
As the extract begins to balance out neurotransmitters, the morning is not so difficult to manage. Any desire to remain in bed is more along the lines of getting a few more minutes of sleep before beginning the day. The shift may be so gradual that you don’t even notice at first. It’s only when you catch yourself in bed thinking about what you want to get done today that you realize something is changing.
5. Finding the Energy to Get Through the Day
Depression tends to sap physical as well as emotional energy. You simply don’t want to make the effort to do any chores around the house, run and errands, or even go to work. The effort required to keep going is almost more than you can manage.
You’ll find that as the olive leaf extract begins to balance your mind and body, it takes less effort to get going. For a time, you may still not be all that interested in any activity. Even so, you notice that it’s easier to get things done and not feel completely exhausted at the end of the day.
6. And Not Feeling So Weak
Depression doesn’t just sap your energy. It can also leave you feeling weaker in general. You just don’t seem to have the stamina that was present before this whole issue began. Taking a walk, riding a bike, or trying to work out is discouraging because you can’t seem to lift or press anything like you did before.
This is where you want to make sure the type of olive leaf extract that you take is the purest possible form. Many people find that a product known as d-Lenolate fills the bill. The preparation process doesn’t change the chemical composition of the extract. That allows you to receive more of the compounds that are capable of helping to restore your energy and help you feel stronger again.
7. Lessening That Feeling of Being in a Bubble
People who’ve lived with depression for some time sometimes comment that there seems to be a film or thin barrier between them and the rest of the world. It’s almost as if they are on the outside watching everyone on the inside. While this bubble may be thin and may not obstruct the vision, it seems to set you apart. The result is that you don’t really feel like a part of things.
As you begin to recover, that bubble will start feeling thinner. In time, parts of it will be so thin that you almost feel as if you could take your hand and break through it. The day will come when the barrier is not there anymore. You will definitely know that the depression is on the run when this happens.
8. Taking an Interest in Activities Again
As you continue with the extract, the day will come when you notice the desire to do something that you’ve not done in a long time. Maybe it’s something along the lines of getting dressed and going to your favorite coffee shop. Perhaps you once loved to listen to music, and today’s the day that you decide to stream or grab a CD and listen to an album that you used to love. You may even decide to call someone that you’ve not talked to in quite a while. Any of these activities indicate that the extract is contributing to the effort to move past the depression.
9. Little Things Aren’t as Irritating
In the days before depression entered your life, it took quite a bit to irritate you. Since things got so bad, it seems as if things that you never used to notice trigger a negative reaction. You may not always show it, but it seems as if everything and everyone around you has taken on habits designed specifically to trigger anger.
Keep taking the extract and all those little things won’t be so noticeable again. Even if you do notice them, they don’t seem to be such a big deal any longer. Little by little, you are reclaiming your life. Take that ability to focus on things that matter as one more sign that you are getting better.
10. Chasing Away the Brain Fog
Brain fog is a phrase used to describe the inability to focus and concentrate on whatever is happening right now. The presence of brain fog is one of the ways that depression manifests itself and builds a wall between you and the rest of the world. It’s hard to carry on conversations, watch television programs, or read a book because your mind seems unable to fully comprehend what’s going on.
One of the benefits of olive leaf extract is that it can help with cognition. Over time, it becomes easier to be in the here and now. You can focus on what someone is saying, or read a page and retain what was there. As the fog begins to lift, the world begins to seem more colorful and not so gray.
As with any type of supplement, it’s important to talk with your doctor about using olive leaf extract. The goal is to utilize a plan that involves, therapy, nutrition, exercise, and possibly medication. You also want to ensure every element of the treatment plan moves you forward with as few complications as possible. Keep the dosage within reason and balance it with your other efforts. Over time, you will have your life back.
Geoff Melcher is the Vice President at East Park Research in Las Vegas, NV. East Park Research has studied the healing properties of the olive leaf, resulting in the development of a unique olive leaf extract formulation – d-Lenolate.
