🌺Small steps, big impact

Simple and effective ways to battle with anxiety, depression or any kind of a breakdown

Depression or any breakdown can drain your energy, leaving you feeling empty and fatigued.

This can make it difficult to muster the strength or desire to seek treatment.

Read on to learn how to incorporate these strategies in a way that makes sense for you.

1. Shout it out

Talking to a trusted friend is one way to cope with anxiety. But there’s something even better than talking: screaming as a healthy release of emotions in a controlled environment. The more you fight anxiety, the more overwhelming it can become. Instead, embrace anxiety as a part of your life, and then let it go. For example scream at the top of your lungs, punch a pillow, stomp your feet, or pound your chest.

2. Get moving

Exercise is probably the last thing you want to do when your mind’s in overdrive.But the truth is, exercise is one of the best natural anti-anxiety solutions.

Physical activity raises endorphins and serotonin levels to help you feel better emotionally. And when you feel better on the inside, your entire outlook improves. Also because your brain can’t equally focus on two things at once, exercise can also take your mind off your problems. Aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity three to five days a week. Don’t think you have to struggle through a painful workout, any type of movement is good, so put on your favorite jam and move around the house!

3. Give yourself a bedtime

With your busy schedule, there’s no time for sleep, right?

Some workaholics brag about only needing three or four hours of sleep a night, as if to say, “I’m more determined and committed than everyone else.”

But no matter what you might tell yourself, you’re not a robot. Humans need sleep to function, so unless you beamed in from some nearby planet, this also applies to you.

Whether you deal with insomnia, purposely limit your amount of sleep, or you’re a self-professed night owl, chronic sleep deprivation makes you susceptible to anxiety. Do yourself (and everyone around you) a favor and get eight to nine hours of sleep every night.

Develop a bedtime routine to read a book or do something relaxing before bed. The better prepared you are to get a good night’s sleep, the better quality of sleep you’ll have, which leads to a better morning as well.

4. Don’t skip meals !!!

If anxiety causes nausea, the thought of eating food is as appealing as eating dirt. But skipping meals can make anxiety worse. Your blood sugar drops when you don’t eat, which causes the release of a stress hormone called cortisol. Cortisol can help you perform better under pressure, but it can also make you feel worse if you’re already prone to anxiety.

The fact that you need to eat doesn’t justify stuffing just anything in your mouth, so this isn’t an excuse to overindulge in sugar and junk food. Sugar doesn’t cause anxiety, but a sugar rush can cause physical symptoms of anxiety, such as nervousness and shaking. And if you begin to obsess over a reaction to sugar, you could have an out-all panic attack.

Incorporate more lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats into your diet. Eat five to six small meals throughout the day, and avoid or limit your intake of sugar and refined carbohydrates.

5. Give yourself an exit strategy

Sometimes, anxiety, depression or any kind of breakdown is due to feeling out of control. You can’t always be in the driver seat of your life, but you can take steps to identify your triggers and cope with circumstances that cause depression or anxiety. The more in control you feel, the less anxiety you’ll have.

6. Meet yourself where you are

Depression is common. It affects millions of people, including some in your life. You may not realize they face similar challenges, emotions, and obstacles.

Every day with this disorder is different. It’s important to take your mental health seriously and accept that where you are right now isn’t where you’ll always be.

The key to self-treatment for depression is to be open, accepting, and loving toward yourself and what you’re going through.

Also

Know that today isn’t indicative of tomorrow

Today’s mood, emotions, or thoughts don’t belong to tomorrow.

If you were unsuccessful at getting out of bed or accomplishing your goals today, remember that you haven’t lost tomorrow’s opportunity to try again.

Accept that while some days will be difficult, some days will also be great. Try to look forward to tomorrow’s fresh start.

8. Assess the parts instead of generalizing the whole

Depression can tinge recollections with negative emotions. You may find yourself focusing on the one thing that went wrong instead of the many things that went right.

Try to stop this over generalization. Push yourself to recognize the good. If it helps, write down what was happy about the event or day.

Then write down what went wrong.

Seeing the weight you’re giving to one thing may help you direct your thoughts away from the whole and to the individual pieces that were positive.

9. Do the opposite of what the ‘depression voice’ suggests

The negative,irrational voice in your head may talk you out of self- help. However, if you can learn to recognize it, you can learn to replace it. Use logic as a weapon. Address each thought individually as it occurs. If you believe an event won’t be fun or worth your time, say to yourself, “You might be right, but it’ll be better than just sitting here another night.” You may soon see the negative isn’t always realistic.

10. Set attainable goals

A lengthy to-do list may be so weighty that you’d rather do nothing. Instead of compiling a long list of tasks, consider setting one or two smaller goals.

For example:

• Don’t clean the house -> take the trash out.

• Don’t do all the laundry that’s piled up -> just sort the piles by color.

• Don’t clear out your entire email inbox -> just address any time-sensitive messages.

When you’ve done a small thing, set your eyes on another small thing, and then another. This way, you have a list of tangible achievements and not an untouched to-do list.

11. Reward your efforts

All goals are worthy of recognition, and all successes are worthy of celebration. When you achieve a goal, do your best to recognize it.

You may not feel like celebrating with a cake and confetti, but recognizing your own successes can be a very powerful weapon against depression’s negative weight.

The memory of a job well-done may be especially powerful against negative talk and over generalization.

12. You may find it helpful to create a routine

If depressive symptoms disrupt your daily routine, setting a gentle schedule may help you feel in control. But these plans don’t have to map out an entire day.

Focus on times when you feel the most disorganized or scattered.

Your schedule could focus on the time before work or right before bed. Perhaps it’s only for the weekends. Focus on creating a loose, but structured, routine that can help you keep your daily pace going.

13. Do something you enjoy…

Depression can push you to give into your fatigue. It may feel more powerful than happy emotions.

Try to push back and do something you love — something that’s relaxing, but energizing. It could be playing an instrument, painting, hiking, or biking.

These activities can provide subtle lifts in your mood and energy, which may help you overcome your symptoms.

🌺#hopehealthbeauty to all, @j_brightlife