Depression Special Article
Panic attacks
Sing it
Try singing it in your head rather than talking it.
Write it down
Writing down all your worries on paper has the effect of saying to your mind:
“Okay, mind, you think these are important. I’ve written
them all down in detail. They won’t be forgotten, I promise.
I can come back to them and deal with them”
You decide
Empower yourself by giving yourself the ability to put off the worry. In so doing you take an involuntary process and make it voluntary. Say to yourself ‘I’m going to let myself worry about this but not right now’.
Drink water
Regular fresh drinking water is a vital ingredient to your diet. This is something the medical profession has been telling us for years. When we are dehydrated our cells can feel this at a molecular level and communicate this to the subconscious as an underline subtle anxiety or threat to survival.
The key to rebalancing a deficit of fluids is to drink eight glasses of fresh water daily.
Have you noticed the effects of dehydration on your emotions before? If you have ever suffered from a serious hangover after a night out on the town, you will understand the feeling of dehydration all too well.
Hangovers result from dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. I’m sure many of you are familiar with the “the hangover fear”. This is a heightened sense of anxiety and jumpiness that results from the dehydration of hangover.
The surest way for someone who suffers from high anxiety to experience yet more anxiety, is to drink excessive amounts of alcohol and wait for the hangover to set in the following day.
It is important to be aware that dehydration is a factor that contributes to anxiety and nervousness. The good news is that it is easily remedied by drinking regular fluids. Personally, I have found that not only does regular intake of water ward off any subtle feelings of anxiety, but it is also incredibly useful for building stamina and avoiding fatigue.
Diet and Exercise
Feature by Ryan Rivera
About the Author: Ryan Rivera had intense mental health issues that caused him to struggle a great deal in life. But since then he’s found solutions for reducing the severity of these symptoms that you can find at http://www.calmclinic.com.
5 Ways that Exercise Can Lead to Less Anxiety and Greater Happiness
Anxiety and depression are caused by a number of different personal and physical factors. Some people experience these mental health issues because of major life events – an inability to copy with some of life’s problems, either because of upbringing or simply not finding effective coping strategies. Others arrive at these mental health conditions for physical reasons – poor hormone production, for example, can lead to depression and anxiety issues, without any triggers from your personal life.
There are numerous ways to treat depression. You can take anti-depressants, you can utilize cognitive behavioural therapy, you can sign up for support groups, and more. But if you truly want to beat depression and anxiety, you need to make little changes as well. One of the most important for you to consider is adding regular exercise to your daily routine.
The Known and Unknown Value of Exercise
Regular exercise has received somewhat of a mixed reputation. On the one hand, everyone knows it is important and most people at least strongly consider it all throughout the year. On the other hand, most people see exercise as a needless addition to an otherwise busy schedule, and indefinitely put off exercising until they’ve given up altogether.
If you suffer from depression and anxiety, however, exercise may be one of the greatest changes you can make to your lifestyle. It has several benefits that go beyond simply “being healthy” and may help you control some of your anxiety and depression symptoms. These benefits include:
Endorphins
Exercise releases endorphins. Endorphins are a type of mood stabilizing neurotransmitter. While it’s difficult to describe the effects of endorphins on your mood, it’s best to think of them as a “feel good” neurotransmitter and a natural pain killer. For those suffering from depression, and to a lesser extent anxiety, these endorphins can help you stabilize your mood and feel a little bit better every day.
Social Activity
Exercise is also a semi-social activity. A gym is not your only option (although you are surrounded by other people and can partner with friends to make it more of a social experience). You can also play team sports, and find a way to get yourself out in public with others around you. Social support is an important part of coping, and remaining social can help you better deal with depression. It may also simply be an enjoyable activity, and enjoyable activities are important when you have depression.
Physical Exhaustion
When you enjoy an intense workout, your body becomes physically tired. Some studies have shown that physical relaxation can have a number of benefits for your depression. When your body is physical tired you experience fewer symptoms of anxiety. When you are physically tired you can sleep easier, which in turn reduces the stress and depression cause by insomnia. Also, when you’re physically tired your mind is often tired as well, preventing negative thoughts. Overall, tiring out your body in a healthy way has many benefits.
Healthy Living
Depression can be caused by hormones, life events, and a host of other issues. While healthy living is not a solution to past problems, nor can it provide any permanent relief from depression symptoms, healthy living does improve the likelihood of healthy hormone production, potentially boost self-esteem and self-confidence, reduce
stress and anxiety over health related issues, and so on. They’re all small effects, but they’re all important for someone that is living with mental health issues.
Keeping Yourself Busy
Finally, exercise is part of a daily routine, and having a healthy daily routine is always useful. Routines can sometimes feel boring, but routines also represent comfort. If you schedule regular times to exercise during the week, you keep yourself busy with a productive and healthy routine that can relax your mind and body and hopefully reduce some of the impact of your depression.
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