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Original Question: How professional were English civil war armies?When the English Civil War broke out, there was no English army in existence at all. Only the royal bodyguards:And a small number of garrisons occupying various fortresses up and down the country; but they were more caretakers stopping people from stealing the guns and fittings than combat troops.There was also the militia, but they were not a standing army in any sense. Just civilians who were expected to grab their muskets, longbows or pikes from their place over the mantelpiece if trouble started, and assemble on the village green under the command of the local squire.The militia was seen as entirely a defensive force. It was compulsory for able-bodied free men to muster into the militia to defend their homes against invaders: an obligation which went all the way back to Anglo-Saxon times. However, the militia could not, by law, be deployed outside England: and it was arguable whether the soldiers could even be forced to serve outside their own shire or county.When the Spanish threatened to invade during Elizabeth I’s reign, the government was embarrassed to find that many supposed militiamen didn’t actually own any weapons, or if they did, they didn’t know how to use them. Laws were passed to try and rectify this situation, but with limited success. Local authorities were instructed to hold regular training sessions and drill practice for volunteers who were willing to show up: such men would be known as the Trained Bands, and would form a core of (semi-)professional soldiers for the rest of the militia to form around if needed.Unfortunately, the government didn’t provide enough money to pay for the training and equipment needed, so in most parts of the country the Trained Bands existed only on paper. The only exceptions were a few places where a local nobleman or civic dignitary took a personal interest in the militia — perhaps because he liked the idea of riding a big horse in front of a group of soldiers parading down the high street — and invested his own money in paying for uniforms, wages and free beer for those willing to show up for drill.Another exception was the City of London. The council saw it as a point of civic pride for London to have a well-equipped and well-drilled body of troops, paid for out of City funds. Besides, they could prove useful in keeping order if the turbulent and violent London mob started to cause trouble, as it often did. During the 1630s London maintained an army of 6,000 troops divided into four regiments. In 1642 London’s army was expanded to 8,000 men in six regiments, named after colours (Red, Blue, Green, White, Orange and Yellow) and each carrying a flag of the appropriate colour as a regimental banner.The London Trained Bands were probably the strongest and most professional military force in the country, though even they were part-time soldiers who had regular civilian jobs as well. Furthermore, while they were nominally part of the ‘English Army’, they were in fact loyal to the City of London alone, and answered only to its Lord Mayor and Council.During the Civil War London sided with Parliament, so the Trained Bands were nominally part of the Parliamentary Army. However, they refused to move away from London; their job was to defend their city, not defeat the King. This revealed itself most dramatically in late 1642. The king had defeated a Parliamentary army around 15,000 strong at the Battle of Edgehill, the first major battle of the war. He then marched triumphantly on London, thinking he could recapture his capital and end the war. However when he arrived on the outskirts of the city he found himself faced by, not only the Parliamentary army which had fallen back to London, but the entire London Trained Bands drawn up in battle array: a force of around 28,000, which outnumbered the King’s army by at least two to one. Charles hastily turned around and retreated. However, the London militia were unwilling to pursue him — they’d done their job — so Charles was able to reach Oxford and fortify it, and the Civil War would go on for another four years.When the Ulster Massacres took place in Ireland in late 1641, the government planned to do what it usually did when a foreign war threatened (as opposed to a purely defensive war on English soil). Parliament would authorise an emergency tax to raise money, and the King would send out writs authorising nobles and gentlemen in the counties to ask for volunteers to form an army, to be paid out of the funds Parliament would raise. Unfortunately things went wrong, King and Parliament disagreed, and in the end they both raised separate armies to fight each other rather than the Irish rebels.Calling for volunteers in this way circumvented the legal restrictions on deploying the militia outside their own home area.The volunteers for these armies might well be members of the local militia or Trained Bands, and thus have some military experience or training — but as we’ve seen, in most parts of the country such experience would be minimal or non-existent. In addition, the newly-formed regiments would have no common identity or experience in working together. They were usually named after the gentleman who had raised them, and who would also command them (or at least nominate a friend or relative as their commander).For example, here are the names of the twelve infantry regiments which formed the Parliamentary army at the Battle of Edgehill mentioned above. An infantry regiment nominally had 1,000 men organised into ten companies, but in practice could have anything from 300 to 1400 or so.Sir John Meldrum’s RegimentLord Robartes’ RegimentSir William Constable’s RegimentSir William Fairfax’s RegimentColonel Charles Essex’s RegimentLord Wharton’s RegimentLord Mandeville’s RegimentSir Henry Cholmley’s RegimentThe Earl of Essex’s RegimentLord Brooke’s RegimentDenzill Holles’ RegimentThomas Ballard’s RegimentNone of those regiments had existed a year previously. Each was named after its commander, or the member of the aristocracy who’d sponsored its formation. In many cases these gentlemen even paid for equipment or wages out of their own pocket — this was especially common in the Royalist army, since the King’s supporters tended to be more wealthy than those who followed Parliament.There was an alternative source of troops: mercenaries. However, given that both sides in the Civil War were relatively short of money, but had access to sufficient manpower to fill their ranks, this war did not see the employment of mercenaries to the same extent as, say, the Thirty Years’ War (which was still ongoing when the English Civil War began).One small-scale but notable exception took place in Plymouth late in 1642. Lord Forbes was the commander of a Scottish mercenary band which had been fighting in Ireland. In October 1642 they had finished with that war and were sailing back when their ships happened to dock in Plymouth. That port was loyal to Parliament, but surrounded by Royalist-held territory and under imminent threat of capture. The commander in Plymouth, overjoyed at his good fortune, promptly hired the Scottish mercenaries, and they successfully defended the city for Parliament and profit.It should also be noted that many people from Britain had experience as mercenaries serving abroad, in the Thirty Years’ War and other conflicts. This particularly applied to Scotland, which had something of a tradition of exporting military manpower to fight in other people’s wars and send their earnings back home. A significant proportion of the Dutch and Swedish armies were Scottish, for example.This meant that when Scotland raised its army, in 1639–40 and again in 1644 — using a similar system to England — they had a significantly higher proportion of combat veterans and experienced soldiers than the English army had at that time. Many of their troops had once been mercenaries.This does not mean there were no people of similar backgrounds in the English armies; just fewer of them. Former mercenaries tended to be given positions of command, or at least staff positions advising the commanders, to make use of their experience.For example, Sir Ralph Hopton and Sir William Waller were the commanders of, respectively, the Royalist and Parliamentary armies in south-west England. They were also close personal friends, having fought side by side as mercenary officers in the army of the Protestant King Frederick of Bohemia, the ‘Winter King’, in the opening years of the Thirty Years’ War.In conclusion, when the Civil War began the armies were almost entirely unprofessional. The various Trained Bands, especially those of London, were a partial exception: but even in those cases their military experience largely consisted only of getting together a few times each year to parade up and down.There were plenty of individuals who had military experience, often gained as mercenaries abroad. However, they tended to be scattered and mixed in with the entirely untrained and unprofessional volunteer armies raised in 1642 and afterwards. There were few or no units with collective experience and training as cohesive groups.That, of course, changed over the next few years. By 1644 the survivors of both the Parliamentary and the Royalist armies were hardened veterans, well-experienced in campaigning and combat. Less-competent officers had also been sidelined in favour of an emerging new class of skilled commanders.The soldiers of this war were also ‘professional’ in the sense of that many of them fought for pay, not out of idealism. It was not at all rare for soldiers of a defeated army to agree to change sides and fight for the winner. Likewise, armies of both sides would often lose a lot of men to desertion when conditions became bad or the money ran short, only for those soldiers to sign up again (for either side) a few months later. Of course this primarily applied to the ordinary soldiers, not the officers who tended to be more committed to the cause.But then there was the New Model Army.This was created on 6 January 1645 by order of Parliament. This came after three years in which the King had generally had the upper hand in the war, but had never quite been able to translate his advantage into victory. The Parliamentary leaders were conversely becoming increasingly frustrated at their failures. On paper they had the manpower and resources to defeat the king: but time and again victory had slipped out of their grasp, or they had failed to exploit a success and thrown an opportunity away.One of Parliament’s biggest weaknesses was that its armies were all locally-based — the armies of the Eastern Association, Southern Association, and Northern Association — and cooperation between them was often flawed. The troops were often reluctant, if they did not outright refuse, to leave their home areas. Maintaining three and more separate army establishments, with their overheads of administration and senior commanders, was wasteful of resources.The answer was to create what can be seen as the first truly professional army England ever had. The army was to be ‘new-modelled’, a 17th-century jargon phrase which meant to fundamentally reform or reshape something.The New Model Army was funded out of general taxation and its commanders were appointed by Parliament, rather than noblemen raising armies of troops themselves and putting them at the service of the government. Officers were appointed for competence and ability, not social status or birth. Soldiers were issued with standard uniforms and equipment, supplied by Parliament, and at least in theory would be paid a regular salary.The Army had a standardised order of battle and table of organisation:Twelve regiments of infantry, each to comprise 1400 menEleven regiments of cavalry, each to comprise 600 menOne regiment of dragoons, to comprise 1000 menSome existing regiments were transferred intact into the New Model Army, while others were newly created from volunteers transferred from other regiments.Finally, the army was to serve anywhere Parliament might send it, without any of the localism that plagued earlier English armies. In the event, the New Model Army would fight successfully all over England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and even Flanders.The Army also developed its own esprit de corps, to an extent that came to worry the Parliament that created it, and that would ultimately be overthrown by it. The soldiers of the New Model Army tended to be much more ideological than those of the old local home-defence armies of the first half of the war. They were fighting to end tyranny, defend the Protestant religion, and secure the natural rights of freeborn Englishmen; and they were often far more radical about it than the MPs in Parliament who had started this war.The New Model Army united all of the British Isles under a single government, and continued in existence until 1660, when the Restoration took place. It was then hastily disbanded — at an estimated cost in back wages of £836,000.Only one of its regiments remained intact: Monck’s Regiment of Foot. General Monck had been instrumental in securing the restoration of King Charles II, and so his personal regiment (formed in 1650, in the Scottish Borders) was exempted from the general instructions to disband the New Model Army. The troops were used to maintain order in London.On 14 February 1661 they performed a ceremony outside the Tower of London where they formally laid down their arms — thus cutting their link to the revolutionary New Model Army — and immediately took them up again as soldiers of the British Army. A few years later the regiment was renamed the Coldstream Guards: they’re still called that today.Coldstream Guards in Torghai, Afghanistan, in 2009

thank you for asking this question..it appears that the concepts of narrative psychology and narrative therapy are what i've been practicing all my adult life - without realizing what they are..for me the need for narration came out of extremely stressful experiences and the only piece of advice that helped was to remove the edge (so to speak) by putting things in writing..i did just that - but once again, the experiences were extreme in their nature, so even writing did not help, and out of necessity i had to add some humor to the mix - and, voila! - my life has been documented on and off for the last several years in bits of silliness..i do not know your background - but from my professional life, i am extremely selective about my words and what i put in writing - my rule is that i am comfortable with my written messages to be published on the front of WSJ..enough about me :)back to the question.. or response..the last several years have been turmoulous for me and instead of confronting each and every issue, i had to pick my battles and re-evaluate my life and my core values..therefore, narrative therapy helped to become a spectator of sorts (even one day at a time), which further allowed to be a dispassionate judge of what's important and what's not..it is often tempting to continue life at the same pace, in my case, however, i became overwhelmed and since my financial situation does not allow for the therapist, i had to make-do with the DIY approach of narratives..long story short: it helped, and it continues to help, though now things appear to quiet down a little; not sure if i am getting better at this life thing or if it's a quiet before the storm.. *smile*to further illustrate my point, below is an excerpt from my diary documenting my attempt at the extreme physical fitness routine:_________________________________________________________________Not sure why I even started this – maybe the change of weather, maybe my husband’s mother who is currently staying here for a visit, maybe the hormones, maybe the star alignment – but I got a serious urge to do something about my weight.The breaking point came when my own doctor told me that I didn’t look my weight. I felt that I hit the rock bottom.So I did some search and some online reading – mainly very “reliable” Facebook posts – and came to the conclusion that something needs to be done.Namely, after a former coworker of mine tweeted that she’s signed up for some exercises and that she’s “one stomach flu away from her ideal weight”, I rushed for that same cure.The cure was a boot camp.The website listed a skinny – a severe understatement – lady who allegedly has 2 kids and is in her 40s but looks like 18. I should have done more research and should have read that this lady started jogging since she was 7, yes, 7 (se-ven). And that she’s completed a NY marathon (about 6 hours) with a medal .. WHILE BEING 8 MONTHS PREGNANT!!!! Are you kidding me?.. but no, I did not read or paid attention to any of this stuff – how can it possibly influence my fate?The website also listed a number of inspirational stories and a multitude of life-changing transformations.I was sold on this.I got the form, signed the check – and went shopping for a new sports outfit. New body, here I come!Then the reality hit.Monday.The alarm went off at an ungodly hour of 5am. Who knew that such time existed? Why 5am? Because the boot camp starts at 6am – with strict instructions on arriving at least 10 mins earlier.Of course, my husband pushed me out of the bed by 5:30am. A quick shower and I am off.Barely awake, I still made it to the park (where the boot camp is to take place) in about 9 mins.Parked the car. Saw a bunch of people in sports clothing walking between trees and headed there.I asked who is the instructor. The response was a reasonable, “it’s easy – she’s the skinniest one”. Makes sense to me.Sign up. Weigh in. unroll the mat. Stretch. I Am ready, baby…For some reason – and I blame it on TV – my understanding of the boot camp was a bunch of cardio, some jumps, some kicks and climbing the rope (don’t ask, reality TV does things to people).And I cannot truly convey the reaction when the instructor casually gave an order, “1.5 miles, everyone. Then gather back here”.Wha…?Are you kidding me?Seeing my jaw beneath my newly shined sneakers, the instructor added almost apologetically, “and for the newcomers, just 1 mile”. It did NOT make me feel any better.Having had walked about ¼ mile, I was the last to return. Yeah, memo to myself – have to move a bit more in my spare time. Like ASAP.Then the real work began. You are reading this correctly.First, the squats – about 100. Then jumps. Then “walking” – with weights, and performing various pirouettes. The length of this “walk”? take a wild guess. Of course, the length was the length of the football field. I am serious. We were on the football field.In the midst of it all, I felt a bit light-headed. Why? Well, because I thought that I was a superhuman and I did not eat anything before the workout and neither did I bring any liquids with me.So while others were performing the exercises with cringed faces – hey, who said that well-being was pain-free? – I was slooowly sliding down the fence thinking how long can I last or will I last until the ambulance arrives.This is when the trainer and her assistant started nursing me back to health with Gatorade and talk to me about common sense like eating before arriving. I felt like a child when I realized that the part about food and water was not listed in the welcome letter. It’s true then – whoever is doing everything “by the letter” is risking to die from the typo. I was the walking – well, fainting – example of that.By the time the remainder of the group was covered in a shiny coat of sweat and dirt, I was getting my blood circulation back. Every little bit counts.Besides, being left out of the action has its positives in some instances – such as this one. While others were a bit shaky about walking, I waltzed to my spot, picked up the weights and was on my way back.This was not all.After that, we had to do some mat exercises – lunges, crunches, push-ups, lifting legs, etc. the bottom line – the strongest ones were outright shouting that enough is enough (and I am talking about the people who did this boot camp for YEARS – either 2 or 3). The “other” ones – myself included were asking why in the world did we sign up and whether there was anyone in the vicinity who would take pity on us and end our misery.In the midst of this storm of emotions, cries for help and desperation of some, there was this one guy – in his 40s, early 50s – who still had enough energy to run around in circles. I picked up the weight ,and since my body refused to listen to me anymore, I was looking around for someone who could have lifted my arm to throw that 5-lbs weight at that guy. He was too annoying and completely demoralizing to the ailing troops..The end of the boot camp. Cheers. Come back again. Smile.Me: Yeah. Sure. Don’t call me – I’ll call you.I barely picked up myself off the mat.This is when the worst of it started.My body refused to listen to me. “No way,” my body said. It took me 9 mins to get to this park and it took me 30 mins to arrive home – my brain was malfunctioning as well. I was at the point when GPS, wary of recalculating the route for 10th time, exhaled a slight "Sigh!!"..I made it back using the “auto pilot” function that I never knew I had. Opened the door. Crawled to the 2nd floor and crashed on the bed. 7:15am and I was wiped out. Completely.I woke up because someone was poking me in my shoulder. My child. “mommy, dada said it’s already 8 o’clock”.Great. Just great. Now I am late for work.Quick shower. Getting dressed. Wearing heels. “ouch!” my legs would not move. “ahem. A bad sign”, I thought to myself.Went to work. The way anyone would know that I was in the office was because of the “ouch” sound I made with each step... End of Monday. Is it Friday yet?Tuesday was even worse – had to change my shoes to flats. No platforms mean that I lost 5 inches off my height – my BMI did not move in a positive direction, I am sure of that. I need my platforms but I almost fell down a couple of times: the knees would not bend, and if they bend, they would not straighten out. I was “falling” into the driver’s seat and crawling out of there with the help of my remaining limbs and my teeth.Moving up and down the stairs at home was a routine procedure before this “camp” – and now it was an adventure because I would not know when exactly would my knees give in – it’s like playing a russian roulette with myself. As the motto says, “hey, you never know”. What kind of lottery jackpot did I hit?.. oh well..By the end of the day, I looked as follows: patches of “icy hot” all over my legs (I checked, it doesn’t come in a bodywrap size, otherwise someone would have made a small fortune today), a huge heating wrap on my back, had spent about an hour in a hot bath with about a gallon of bath salts, and had close to an overdose of over-the-counter painkillers.Otherwise I am a picture of health.What else can be added to this? Oh, just the fact that I had pre-paid a whole 4 weeks of this boot camp and the sessions are on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Oh, why did I get myself into this?If you know the answer to this question, email me..Wednesday.Waking up was a bit easier – mainly because my body literally shut down at night as if in the preparation for this glorious day.I arrived with a strong determination to voice my concern over my own well-being – mobility is my main issue – based on the outcome of Monday’s program.As soon as I opened my mouth, I got a cheerful “well, hello there” from the instructor – great, now I am being recognized. On the second thought maybe she did not expect me to show up again – but the finance person in me does not surrender any money without receiving goods or services. Not even if it kills me. Yeah, I have to work on this argument.So then I was stopped in my tracks since the instructor continued, “today there will be no jogging”. Hey, works for me. So I am standing there with the smile on my face.The instructor continued, however, “today is a DRILL day”. So I am standing there with the smile – now permanently frozen on my face. The faces of others have visibly soured.Oh god, now why didn’t I stay home? Too late. No way out.Another thing I learned today – aside from the fact that I have a looooooooooong way to go – is the old truth, “location, location, location”.I came in a bit late – like 2 mins late. And instead of marching across that football field and hang out with the newbies, I stood at the edge of it. Big mistake.I did not realize that I was standing with the ladies who were doing this for at least a year and who were determined to do-it-all today, even if they had to lay their heads on this football field. I am into sports but not to that extent.So I was standing right next to these ladies. In about 2 mins I have learned the true meaning of the peer pressure - when competing with 2 maniacs.The best part about them? They pride themselves in jogging on the weekends and even on vacations. This is not the end of it: this “determination” has also led one of them into an altercation with the boss and subsequent job change. Yeah.Enough about them – back to me..Luckily this time around I managed to get a small muffin and a glass of water in me before arriving. Let’s see if this is going to make a difference.Alright. So what do we do for drills? Oh, not much. Just jump-squats WITH weights (you thought it was a walk in the park, right?), then “burpees” and “climbs”. Why is this a drill? Because it goes in increments of 10 of each with 10 repetitions. Then 9 and 9 respectively.. and same on sliding scale to 1.. and THEN do it on an increasing scale all over again...!!!!Yeah.My body did not like that at all. However I do give my body some credit since the instructor didn’t expect me to show up. Hey, I think it’s a progress right there. Smirk.. Ouch, pain.So the set above was #1 – in total there were 4 sets of same type of torture in varying degree of pain. In between, we had to do a “lunge walk” of about 200 to 300 feet. Another Ouch with a capital “O”.The funny thing came when someone’s brain was still operating and the person was concerned that the instructor did not do the countdown properly – it appeared that we did one of the repetitions “stuck” at number 4 either 3 or 4 times. The instructor took full responsibility and said, “oh sorry” and instead of giving credit for all the repetitions, she went on to say, “alright. 3 remaining”. One person just sat there with a rather hopeless look on his face.All of this went on for an hour and was spiced up with. Oh I just don’t know how to say it.All of the time when we were literally struggling to survive – and I mean it – the instructor was staying there quoting slogans from the army commercials starting with “pain is weakness leaving your body” to “be all that you can be”. Her luck is that none of us were in the right physical state to tell her what exactly we were thinking about this type of “encouragement” as she put it. I would not say that it was an outright mockery but it was very VERY close. Seriously, people who are less than size 2 should be banned from the training sessions – they are NOT representative of the population in training and they do nothing to enhance anyone’s self-image.There was a shocker as well. There were these 2 ladies who just wouldn’t be quiet. Even for a moment. And all the exercises they were taking as if their lives were to depend on them. Ladies, chill! I was then thinking how wonderful that 2 girlfriends are chatting and always find something to talk about.Then I learned that these 2 girlfriends who seem to be fitting together so well – personality wise – are in fact a mother-daughter team. Yep, my jaw was on the floor – well, on the grass – once again. I did not expect that at all.At the end, it was all about stretching. Oh god. I think I pulled every single muscle in my body. How do I know? Because ALL of them were paining, at the same time.However, I did manage to survive and no fainting – hey, maybe there is a chance for that Olympic medal in my lifetime. Or maybe not.This time around I managed to get home in 15 mins – which is a substantial improvement on my previous record – but I was not able to shake off that tired feeling. And seeing everyone in the house sleeping so soundly and peacefully only made my feeling worse: why did I get up at 5am today?So still debating that the amount paid is not actually that large and there will not be too much harm done if I don’t come for the next session, my mind drifted back to today’s session.One parting word of wisdom the instructor shared with me was, “pace yourself. We still want you to be moving on Friday”.HHHHEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!

The first step to heal how you feel is to accept a simple fact.Your depression and self loathing is a natural part of life.Being depressed doesn’t make you weird or mentally unstable or broken.Depression is nothing more than a signal. The same way that your “Check Engine” light on your car is a signal that something isn’t working properly and needs attention.So instead of seeing depression as this negative thing, we need to realize that depression is actually there to serve us. It’s a sign that something in our lives isn’t working and that we need to take action to remedy the situation.How do we do this?You eliminate depression by creating an environment, physically, mentally, and emotionally where depression cannot exist.When you strip away all of the root causes of depression, it slowly fades away.Based on your question, it sounds like your depression is being caused by your self image and low self esteem, not necessarily by a chemical imbalance or major life change.Here are a few ways that I personally beat my own depression and self hate years ago.(Note: Some of this content was taken from an article that originally appeared on my website Knowledge for Men, if you want to read the article in its entirety, click here)1. Sleep Like a Baby without the GuiltSleep is the best meditation ~Dalai LamaAccording to Medical Daily, 40.6 million Americans, more than 30% of the workforce, are chronically sleep deprived.Now, at first glance, this statistic probably doesn’t seem all that significant.But when you consider that sleep deprivation has been strongly linked toDepressionDeliriumHallucinationsImpaired Cognition and an Increased Risk of Preventable AccidentsNot to mention, an increased risk of infections, cancer, and overall mortality.You begin to realize that sleep deprivation is no joking matter.So how much sleep is enough to help battle depression? And how can you improve the quality of your sleep to maximize the benefits that you gain?Well, according to the National Sleep Foundation, adults need 7-9 hours in order to prevent the effects of sleep deprivation from affecting your life and mood.As for increasing the quality of your sleep, it’s actually pretty simple.Go to bed before 11 p.m.Wake up at the same time each daySleep in a completely dark and cold room (research shows that 65-67 F is ideal for sleep)Exercise dailyTurn off all electronics 60 minutes before bed.Reduce blue light by using amber light bulbs and apps like f.lux on your computerIf you start to take your sleep more seriously, I can promise you that you will feel the effects almost immediately.When I made a conscious effort to get more sleep and prioritize recovery over #hustling, my performance, mood, and overall well being skyrocketed.2. Turn your Life into an Epic AdventureWe’ve all heard about the neurotransmitter dopamine. Traditional psychology holds that dopamine is the reward chemical in brain meaning that it’s released to reward beneficial or pleasurable behaviors. However, more recent research has shown that dopamine is actually related to our brain’s desire to seek rewards rather than being released as a reward itself.For example, you get more of a dopamine hit from anticipating sex with a beautiful woman than you do from actually having sex.Animals studies have shown that novelty and dopamine are inextricably linked and that the brain reacts to novelty by releasing more dopamine which makes us want to go and search for a new reward.In Layman’s terms, this means that your brain gets excited and releases “feel good” chemicals into your body anytime it is exposed to something new and exciting.What this means for people suffering from depression is simple.If you want to make your brain happier, expose it to completely new and novel stimulus.Studies have shown that increasing the amount of novelty present in your life has tremendous benefits for the secretion of dopamine and serotonin, both of which work to combat depression and anxiety and help regulate and ensure the continued health of your brain.When I was struggling with depression personally, I found that the more often I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried new hobbies and activities, the better I felt.Luckily, you don’t have to go too far in order to reap these benefits.Even things as simple as listening to a new genre of music, watching a new standup comedy (which we will talk about later) or playing a new video game can stimulate the novelty and reward centers of your brain and increase your dopamine and serotonin levels.Increase the intensity and frequency of novel experiences as you feel comfortable by trying out group activities such as dancing, martial arts, or some sort of creative endeavor like a musical instrument.The more novelty you can inject into your life, the easier it will be to beat depression once and for all.3. Tap Into Your Inner Monk and Express Gratitude DailyWhen gratitude appears, fear dissapears. ~Tony RobbinsYour brain did not evolve to make you happy. It evolved to make you survive.Our primal minds are hardwired to focus on the things that we don’t have to encourage innovation, creation, and competition.After all, when humans first emerged onto the planet, resources were scarce and the competition was fierce. If we didn’t have this inherent desire for more, we would have died out and fallen prey to more aggressive species.However, we aren’t on the plains of Africa anymore…We live in a time where resources are more abundant than ever before even with the increasing population (a.k.a competition).Today, we have an unprecedented opportunity to experience true abundance and happiness if we can find a way to sneak around our evolutionary hardwiring and consciously practice gratitude and an abundance mindset.You, yes you, have more resources and power at your disposal than some the greatest kings of history.You have access to more information, better health care, longer life expectancies, and more options that the greatest rulers and tyrants that the world has ever known.Hell… The device that you are reading this article on has more computing power than the devices that put a man on the moon!But most of us don’t realize this… We are caught in an endless loop of scarcity thinking about all of the things that we don’t have and the things that we wish we could have.If you want to beat depression once and for all then you must wrestle your lizard brain into submission by focusing on the abundance and blessings in your life instead of all of the perceived scarcity and lack in your life.Among many other benefits gratitude can help increase your baseline happiness levels by more than 10%… That’s equivalent to the happiness boost you would experience from doubling your income!It’s also been shown to improve the quality and quantity of your sleep, increase your odds of career success, and improve the quality of your romantic and platonic relationships.Gratitude makes an appreciable difference in every area of your life.And the best part is that it’s easy and free to practice it.By taking only 5 minutes each morning to write down and internalize all of the things that you are grateful for, you can reframe your struggles and supercharge your psychology.You will show up in a completely different way when you are focused on everything that is right in your life instead of the things you perceive to be wrong.Be grateful now.It might just change your life.4. Empty Your Mind with a Daily JournalYour brain is the most important complicated and important organ in the human body.It’s the command center for everything in your life and every function that your body has.However, most of us have no idea how to maintain a healthy and optimized brain. We were never taught how to clean and declutter our minds so that they can function at the highest levels.Journaling is like whispering to oneself and listening at the same time. ~Mina MurrayAnd as a result, most of us are carrying an endless amount of baggage, confusion, and frustration that is hindering us from living normal and exciting lives.According to a significant amount of peer-reviewed research, journaling is one of the best ways to declutter your mind, manage stress, and overcome internal struggles.By regularly journaling about your depression, and about your life in general, you are able to organize and prioritize your thoughts and emotions.It gives you an opportunity to detach yourself emotionally and analyze your experiences, thoughts, and feelings on a logical level.It’s kind of like a form of cerebral urination.If you drink a ton of water over the course of the day and don’t take the time to relieve yourself, your bladder is going to explode and you will experience excruciating pain.Your brain is the same way.If you are continually filling your mind with new information, stimulus, and experiences, you will need to empty it occasionally to ensure that it continues to function properly. Unless you take a “Brain dump”, your brain will eventually become so cluttered and frazzled that your mind will explode into a state of stress, disorder, and chaos creating an environment for depression to thrive.Take 10 to 15 minutes a day and simply write about what you are feeling. You might be amazed by the results and how simple this is.5. “Gamify” Your Life And Rig It in Your FavorYou’ll often hear personal development gurus telling you that you should “Set goals that are 10X greater than you think you can achieve!”And this is great advice for someone with high levels of happiness, esteem, and confidence.But it’s TERRIBLE advice for people who are suffering from depression.Here’s why…According to the chemical theory of depression, one of the underlying causes of depression is an imbalance of neurotransmitters and chemicals in your brain. Most notably, the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin.Now, as it relates to goal setting these neurotransmitters are activated and released anytime that you set and achieve a goal, win at a competition, or succeed at a personal or professional endeavor.However, if you set and fail at a goal, lose at a competition, or screw up at any endeavor, the inverse happens. Your brain actually reduces the number of neurotransmitter receptors that are present and, given enough time, can actually make you much more depressed than you originally were.This is where gamification comes into play.When people are depressed, they tend to view their lives in a pessimistic and negative light. They tend to feel lost, hopeless, and purposeless. As such, one of the most powerful ways to reframe their depression is to view life as a game.When you play games like Angry Birds, Chess, or Tetris, every small win gives you another tiny dopamine hit.And when you start to introduce these concepts into your life, you will find that it’s much easier to stack these small wins upon one another and achieve a high level of success and happiness over time.So how do you actually gamify your life in order to help rid yourself of depression? It’s actually quite simple.The goal here is to make a game out of life by setting small daily goals or “Quests” that you need to achieve. This can be something as grandiose as attending a salsa class and asking that cute girl to dance with you.Whatever the case may be, your mission is to create and achieve at least one quest each day.Make it small and make it winnable. Write down your goal at the beginning of the day and keep score on a whiteboard or piece of paper.The more fun you can have with this, the better. Steve Kamb over at Nerd Fitness did a phenomenal job of using gamification to help his clients reach their health and fitness goals and I’d highly recommend using his Nerd Fitness Academy as a model for your own life.When you turn your life into a living breathing video game with daily quests, boss battles, and fun adventures, you alleviate some of the stress of daily life and turn your days into a fun and exciting video game that you actually want to play.6. Affirm the F*ck Out of your AwesomenessI know that affirmations sound like a steaming load of new age bull crap…But they aren’t.In fact, psychologists and neuroscientists have conducted several studies using FMRI’s and other brain imaging technology that has shown a significant benefit to positive self-talk.Affirmations literally rewire your brain to be more future-oriented and optimistic.If you do them right…Whether you realize it or not, you are ALREADY using affirmations each and every day whether verbally or non-verbally.Everyone has an inner voice providing dry witty commentary on their daily lives.The only question is: What is that voice saying?If you are suffering from low levels of confidence and self-esteem then I can all but promise that your self-talk is probably riddled with negative loops, pessimistic sayings, and general b.s.If you have high levels of esteem and confidence, then I can all but promise you that the way you talk to yourself sounds similar to the way you’d talk to a treasured friend.Over the next few weeks, I want to challenge you to rewrite and consciously select the affirmations you repeat over your life.Eradicate the negative self-talk and replace it with uplifting sayings that set you up for success.I like to spend 5-10 minutes every morning repeating a small handful of affirmations to myself while I shower.A few of my favorites are:I’ve got thisLife is happening for me, not to meI am filled with unlimited potentialI can achieve anything that I truly desireEvery day I become stronger, smarter, and betterYou can even create goal-oriented affirmations to help you focus on specific monetary, physical, or relational goals.Before you move on to the next section, take 5 minutes to write down 5 new affirmations that you will say to yourself on a daily basis.I’ll be here when you get back.7. Sweat Like You’re Running For Your LifeStudy after study has illustrated the tremendous importance of daily exercise.Benefits including:Elevated mood, reduced stress, and less anxietyImproved blood flow to the brainThe production of new brain cellsImproves memoryImproved discipline, impulse control, and decision makingAnd, most importantly, decreased depression.Exercise helps ease depression in a number of different ways.In fact, numerous studies have concluded that for patients with mild to moderate depression, exercise could be just as effective (if not more so) than antidepressants over a 12 week period.You don’t need a complicated workout plan or a fancy gym membership to reap the anti-depressive benefits of exercise.Studies have shown that HIIT or High-Intensity Interval Training is one of the most effective ways to reap all of the positive benefits of exercise in the shortest amount of time.Although I recommend that all of my clients and audience members complete a resistance training workout at least 3 times a week, and yoga twice a week, if you are just getting started, simply doing three HIIT cardio sessions per week can get you started on the road to recovery.All you are going to do is pick an exercise like sprinting, burpees, or jump squats Then, you are going to set a timer for 45 seconds.You are going to go all out on the exercise for 45 seconds and then rest for 15-30 seconds.Repeat this for a total of 15 to 20 minutes and BOOM! That’s it. You can also YouTube a number of different HIT workouts for free.For those of you who are ready to embark on a serious physical fitness journey, I highly recommend that you check out my good friend Michael Matthew’s program Bigger Leaner Stronger.I’ve been weight training for more than 10 years and I’ve yet to find a more effective and research-backed approach than the workouts that Mike shares in his books and on his blog.If you’re up to the challenge, his training philosophy will help you get bigger, become stronger, and feel better about yourself and your body faster than you ever thought possible.But regardless of which workout you choose to follow, you must workout.Your brain and body will be much happier and you’ve successfully taken one more positive step on the road to recovery.8. Let Food Be Thy MedicineMost people underestimate the effect that their diet has on their mental health and overall well being.However, after a groundbreaking study compiled by Felice Jacka Ph.D. at Deakin University in Australia, we can conclusively say that depression can be improved through dietary changes.In her research, Jacka’s team recruited 67 men and women with moderate to severe depression who reported eating a relatively unhealthy diet.They took half of the depressed individuals and placed them on a modified version of the Mediterranean diet and required them to attend dietary support sessions with a nutritionist.The other half of the group was instructed to continue on their unhealthy diet as usual but was required to attend social support sessions (to reduce the possible variable of social interaction).All participants were scored using the MADRS scale (Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale(link is external), a system that rates mood on a scale of 0 to 60 with a score of 60 indicated borderline suicidal levels of depression.After the 12-week study concluded, the individuals following the Modified Mediterranean diet improved their MADRS scores by an average of 11 points. Of the 31 individuals on the diet, 32% scored so low on the scale that they no longer met the criteria for clinical depression!Conversely, in the group that continued to consume an unhealthy diet, their scores improved by an average of only 4 points and fewer than 8% of the participants successfully “beat” their depression.Although more studies certainly should be conducted to conclusively determine how specific dietary factors influence mood and depression, the research conducted by Jacka’s team gives us a great place to start.Here is a list of encouraged and discouraged foods according to the diet used in this research:Encouraged foods: whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, low-fat/ unsweetened dairy, raw unsalted nuts, lean red meat, chicken, fish, eggs, and olive oilDiscouraged foods: sweets, refined cereals, fried food, fast food, processed meat, soft drinks.Beverages: maximum two sugar-sweetened beverages per week and maximum two alcoholic drinks per day, preferably red wine with the occasional screw-upOn a personal note, I would like to mention that green smoothies and a low meat diet have both had a MASSIVE impact on my own happiness levels and were critical components in my battle against depression.I recommend that every single person reading this start their days with a cup of organic coffee and a green smoothie filled with spinach, kale, cucumber, celery, and about 1.5 cups of frozen fruit.For those of you in the world of low card/ high-fat dieting, especially the ketogenic diet, it’s important to note that, while this diet certainly has a wide number of physical benefits, it is not the ideal diet for depressed individuals.A carbohydrate-rich diet triggers the release of insulin in your body. In turn, this causes the amino acid tryptophan to remain in the bloodstream at a high concentration allowing it to enter the brain and cause a rise in serotonin levels.In other words, carbs are like premium fuel for the brain. Sure, you can get where you need to go with plain old 82 Octane, but you will be faster and smoother if you give your brain what it really needs.The Bottom Line:If you want to beat depression naturally, then you need to provide your body with all of the nutrients required to optimize your physical and cognitive function.This means cutting out the processed crap, increasing your intake of plant foods, and ensuring that you have a sufficient amount of meat and complex carbohydrates to create the neurotransmitters and peptides your body needs.9. Socialize Like Your Life Depends on ItDespite the fact that we are more connected than ever before, there is a pervasive sense of loneliness and isolation in our society that is becoming unavoidable.People don’t interact the way that they used to. We walk through our lives with our earbuds in, our eyes glued to our phones, and our minds shut off from the outside world.We are surrounded by people, but most of us feel completely alone.Unfortunately, most people underestimate the impact that this can have on their mental and physical well being.In fact, some studies have shown that suffering from loneliness can be as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day!Once you have recalibrated your physical body through exercise, the modified Mediterranean diet, and sufficient amounts of high-quality sleep, it’s imperative that you begin to tackle and optimize this part of your life.According to many studies, regular social interaction can: (source)Decrease your risk of depressionReduce your likelihood of developing dementiaIncrease your life expectancyBoost your immune function and physical healthLife is meant to be lived and shared with others.If you or someone that you love is suffering from depression, finding ways to increase your social activity and spend more time with amazing and empowering people will help you heal and recover in a way that few other things can.But there’s a catch…Depression makes it easy to stay isolated and hard to socialize. Which, in turn, makes the depression worse and increases the desire to stay isolated.Taking someone in a deeply depressed state and trying to get them to go out and have a good time with friends can often do more harm than good by making the person associate negative emotions such as insecurity, inadequacy, and anxiety with social time.This is why I personally recommend that you focus on fixing your physical body first.Clean up your diet, get sufficient amounts of sleep, and exercise regularly. Then you will feel more ready and comfortable to engage in social activity.When you are ready to start socializing again, you want to start small. Pick an activity or two that you genuinely love and invite one of your positive friends to join you.Use We are what we do or check out local activity boards to find something that you would enjoy and make it a goal to get out of your house and into a social setting at least once or twice a week.You don’t need to turn into a crazy party animal to improve your depression and begin building your social support network.Start small and increase your social interactions as you become more comfortable. It will make a world of difference.10. Free Yourself of Worry, Endless Concerns and Anxiety (Meditation)In meditation, I can let go of everything. I’m not Hugh Jackman. I’m not a dad. I’m not a husband. I’m just dipping into that powerful source that creates everything. I take a little bath in it ~Hugh JackmanMeditation is the equivalent of shutting out all of the open tabs and programs on your computer to free up the RAM and increase your processing power.It is one of the single most powerful weapons in your arsenal to fight depression.Extensive research has been conducted that have shown some pretty amazing and surprising findings regarding the effects of meditation.Increases the production of neurotransmitters like serotoninShrinks the brain’s fear centerDeactivates the anxiety and depression centers of the brainRebuilds the hippocampus of the brainStimulates the same Alpha and Theta brain waves Doctors use to combat depressionAnd that’s just the tip of the iceberg.Meditation is proven to help: (source)Lower blood pressureAlleviate symptoms of insomniaReduce depression and anxietyReduce painReduce symptoms of IBSAid in smoking cessationThe bottom line is that meditation is a wildly positive habit that can improve nearly every area of your life if it’s practiced with consistency.But how do you actually get started meditating and how often do you need to do it to reap the benefits?While there is no conclusive evidence prescribing an exact method or length of time in order to achieve optimal results, most experts agree that 10-30 minutes of meditation per day is all that is necessary to experience real and lasting changes.I’m a great supporter of Transcendental Meditation. I’ve been using it for almost 40 years now – and I think it’s a great tool for anyone to have, to be able to utilize as a tool for stress. ~Clint EastwoodPersonally, my favorite way to meditate is to pick an instrumental song that gets me into a positive (but relaxed) mental state, set a timer, and then simply get present in the moment for 10-20 minutes.I don’t do any sort of fancy visualization techniques or chant weird mantras from an audio tape.I just sit in silence, feel my body and my breath, and pay attention to the present moment. Anytime I notice my mind wandering, I gently redirect it back to the present moment by noticing the music and the rhythm of my breath.And that’s it.If you want a more in-depth and comprehensive guide to meditation and mindfulness then I recommend that you check out Leo Babauta’s Beginner’s Guide to Meditation.Leo is one of the most profound and inspiring guests that I’ve ever interviewed and his simple approach to life and happiness will rock you to your core and challenge the fundamental ways in which you view life.If nothing else, I highly recommend that you give his blog a read and learn from his wealth of wisdom and experience.If you are willing to commit to this practice for 30 days, alongside a comprehensive diet, exercise, and social regimen, I promise that your depression will be dramatically reduced (if not completely eradicated).11. Reconnect with Nature to Unlock Your Primal SideI personally believe that one of the biggest causes of depression in the modern world is our society’s disconnection from the natural world.10,000 years ago, we had no choice but to spend time in nature. We were constantly surrounded by plants, animals, and awe-inspiring views that reminded us of our place in the cosmos and of the insignificance of our troubles.But today, we live in a world where nature is scarce and a narcissistic focus on the self is abundant.We forget that we are nothing more than animals and are only a small part of this planet that we call home.According to research published by the Journal of Extreme Physiology and Medicine in 2013, exercising outdoors will not only produce endorphins but has the ability to improve self-esteem, reduce feelings of depression, anger, and tension.In fact, a recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Essex found that walking in nature reduced depression scores in nearly 71% of patients!But here’s where things get really interesting.When the researchers compared the effects of walking in nature to a control group that walked through a shopping center, they found that only 45% of shopping center walkers reduced their depression scores with 22% of them actually citing increased feelings of depression!This is wild!By combining regular exposure to nature with the already mentioned tactics, you will have a powerful tool for combatting depression in any form that it takes.Make it your goal to spend at least 3 hours in nature each week.Personally, I try to ride my bike by the beach for at least 60 minutes a day, however, for those of you on a tighter schedule, simply getting out of the city for a long hike once a week can work wonders for your physical and mental well being. To top it off it’s a great place to meditate and journal in absolute solitude!12. Create an Environment of Anti-DepressionOne commonality that I’ve noticed among all of my depressed clients or friends is that they live in depressing environments, and I mean this in every sense of the word.Their homes and apartments are poorly lit, filled with crap, and about as clean as the inside of a Detroit alley dumpster.The music that they listen to is depressing, angry, and nihilistic.The movies and video games that they play are filled with gratuitous violence and depressing plotlines (seriously guys, Schindler’s List is a great movie, but it’s not worth watching on repeat if you’re depressed).Even the people that they hang out with are in a similarly depressed and sad state, after all… misery loves company.If you are going to overcome depression once and for all, then your environment needs to reflect your commitment.According to an article from Psychology Today, there is a strong correlation between an unclean and negative environment and chronic depression:As they put it clutter:Bombards our minds with excessive stimuli (visual, olfactory, tactile), causing our senses to work overtime on stimuli that aren’t necessary or important.Distracts us by drawing our attention away from what our focus should be on.Makes it more difficult to relax, both physically and mentally.Signals to our brains that our work is never done.Makes us anxious because we’re never sure what it’s going to take to get through to the bottom of the pile.Creates feelings of guilt (“I should be more organized”) and embarrassment, especially when others unexpectedly drop by our homes or workspaces.Inhibits creativity and productivity by invading the open spaces that allow most people to think, brain storm, and problem solve.Frustrates us by preventing us from locating what we need quickly (e.g. files and paperwork lost in the “pile” or keys swallowed up by the clutter).Looking back at my own battle with depression, it’s funny how easy it was to allow my home environment to slip into chaos.When I was depressed, dishes piled up in the sink, my bed and clothes were unkempt, and laundry left undone for weeks.In much the same way that you someone battling chronic illness would want to keep their environment clean and bacteria free, if you want to beat depression, you must create an environment where depression cannot thrive.Clean your apartment. Open the windows and the shades. Paint your living space a bright and inviting color. Remove any negative images, photos of exes, or other pictures that conjure negative emotions. Get rid of the junk!Minimalism is not the lack of something. It’s the perfect amount of something. ~Nicholas BurroughsStart listening to happier music. Watch comedies instead of horror flicks. Buy indoor plants and fill your home with them. Do whatever you need to do to transform your environment so that it creates a state of happiness, peace, and serenity.I’d highly recommend that you check out Joshua Becker (from Becoming Minimalist) Ryan Nicodemus, and Johnathan Fields (the minimalists) for tips and tricks to live larger with less.Life isn’t meant to be wasted in the pursuit of more “Stuff” and the profound lessons that I learned about minimalism from these three men cannot be overstated.In fact, my minimalist philosophy is one of the primary reasons that I’ve been able to experience the levels of joy and abundance in my life today.13. The Most Powerful Way to Reframe Your ChallengesOften times, one of the underlying causes of depression is a pessimistic and skewed view of yourself, your challenges, and your future.We live in such a narcissistic and “Me” focused society that it’s easy to slip into a worldview where we lose sight of the struggles that others are going through and the things that we have to be grateful for in our own lives.The less connected we are to other people, the easier it is to believe that we are someone unique and special and that the challenges we are facing have never been dealt with by anyone else before.The reality is much different.You and I are one out of more than 7 billion points of human connection. We are specks of dust on a speck of dust.And the best way (that I’ve found) to reframe our problems and gain perspective on our lives is to volunteer.But don’t take my work for it, take a look at the science.According to helpguide.org:“When researchers at the London School of Economics examined the relationship between volunteering and measures of happiness in a large group of American adults, they found the more people volunteered, the happier they were, according to a study in Social Science and Medicine. Compared with people who never volunteered, the odds of being “very happy” rose 7% among those who volunteer monthly and 12% for people who volunteer every two to four weeks. Among weekly volunteers, 16% felt very happy—a hike in happiness comparable to having an income of $75,000–$100,000 versus $20,000, say the researchers.”Yes, you read that statistic correctly.Volunteering once every two weeks can have the same benefits to your baseline happiness levels as increasing your income by more than 500%!The social connection and perspective shift that you will gain by spending time with people who are less fortunate than you is tremendous.You don’t have to go crazy and join the Peace Corps (unless you want to which is great if you do), but taking a few hours out of your month to go and help someone else is one of the most powerful tools in your battle against depression.ConclusionI want you to know that, no matter how you feel, you are not disgusting or worthless.You are a human being… Just like the other 7.4 billion of us.You weren’t given a guide to living life. The schools didn’t teach you how to be all that you can be. You were simply thrown into the deep end without being taught how to swim.So take it easy on yourself.You can and will overcome this.You’ve got this.And you’ve got a ton of people here and across the world who are willing to support you in this journey.Stay strong.Andrew.