Feeling down? Feeling depressed? Here are some practical strategies you can try – both physical and emotional.

Eat plenty of salmon and other oily fish. Omega-3 fats make up a large part of our brain and are critical for it to function properly. Although not conclusive, research has found a link between omega-3’s and depression.

Do some exercise. Better than any mood enhancing drug, a regular dose of exercise makes the body produce endorphins – the ‘feel-good’ hormone.

Change your clothes – the emotional ones. ‘Put on the garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair’ (Isaiah 61:3) When we feel depressed it’s like wearing a heavy blanket. The last thing we feel like doing is praising, thanking or singing. That sodden, heavy blanket weighs us down, making us sink into depression and self pity.

It’s the hardest thing in the world to do, and the last thing I feel like doing, but if I force myself to praise God, that heavy blanket of depression soon starts to slide off. Even if you don’t feel like it, make yourself listen to some praise music or read Psalm 66 out loud. It really works!!

My grandfather was in the medical corps in World War One. In his diaries he tells the story of two soldiers in the ward (actually a tent) at the same time; one had a ‘cushy wound on the buttock’ while the other was seriously wounded, his body smashed in many places. No-one expected him to live. But despite his injuries he was positive, kind and concerned about others in the ward. He recovered. In contrast, the guy with the flesh wound was fearful, negative and worried that he might die. In the end, he did.

This is a dramatic and tragic true story of how our thoughts and attitude affect our physical health. I’m sure most of us can relate to it. I once had to say good-bye to my husband at the airport, knowing he wouldn’t be back for nine months. At the time I was recovering from a cold. Within a few hours of that tearful farewell the cold returned with a vengeance and dragged on for another month as I struggled with my emotions.

I know a woman who had struggled with being overweight for many years. One day her sister sat with her and said sorry on behalf of the whole family for the various ways they had hurt her. Within a few months this woman had joined Weight Watchers and over the next year dropped from a size 20 to a beautiful size 14 (USA size 12). Coincidence? Perhaps. But I’m not the only one who’s observed that a lot of eating problems – over-eating, under-eating or unhealthy choices – are just a symptom of an unhappy heart.

‘As a man thinks in his heart, so is he’. These words of wisdom from over 2000 years ago apply just as much today – and science bears it out. Researchers at Harvard measured the immune response of people as they watched various images. When they watched (and engaged with their emotions) scenes of Mother Theresa their immune factors increased. Watching war scenes had the opposite effect.

So much of our physical health starts with our thoughts, and not just the thoughts in our head, but how we really feel in our heart. What emotions do you mostly feel: love, joy, gratefulness, peace? Or anger, fear, worry, boredom and unforgiveness? Even if you know what foods you should be eating to lose weight or keep healthy, your emotions could be sabotaging your most determined attempts.

Before you beat yourself up for not being self-disciplined enough, take some quiet time-out – all by yourself – to check your thoughts and emotions. It may be the key to good health you have been searching for.

Norman Vincent Peale, the author of ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’ tells of an old man he knew who was always happy. When asked how he stayed so happy he said, “Every morning I wake up, I have a choice. I can choose to be grumpy or happy. I’m not stupid – I choose happy!”

A heart at peace gives life to the body. Proverbs 14:30