I feel sad a lot. i don't want to take anti-depressants. is there an alternative?

Keep up your health: You can try eating more fruits, vegetables and " real" foods and less packaged foods. Exercising by at least walking daily for about 30 minutes can also keep your mood up. Getting and caring for a pet can help. Counselling can help, as well as staying engaged with your friends. If your sadness gets worse in winter, light therapy with a light box can also help.

Counselling,: Meditation and yoga.

Sometimes: No individual advice can be offered. Whether or not depression can be managed without medication often depends on how severe it is. Medical contditions can cause symptoms like depression, so talking to your doctor first will ensure something is not missed. Exercise, good sleep hygiene, and psychotherapy are alternatives, but getting a psychiatric or psychological opinion first is wise.

POSSIBLY: First sadness and depression are two different things. Feeling sad is just that a feeling and depression is a disease. So sadness you can work on in a variety of ways like exercise and meditation and activity. I am not a huge fan of the over the counter meds like st john's wort or sam e just because they are hard to regulate quality. Perhaps you can see an herbalist or even consider acupuncture.

Sad a lot: If not already doing it, psychotherapy can help u sort things out for the time being.

Therapy/self-care: Therapy will help -- ask your primary care doctor or call your insurance about a mental health provider. Things that you can do on your own -- try to establish routines, sleep hygiene, small achievable goals, look for positive aspects of the environment -- do a summary at the end of the day -- best thing that happened, the things i laughed at, etc. To bring you a sense of joy.