Anxiety and depression can be brought on by many factors, and while many people have some of the same reactions to anxiety and depression, they aren’t the same things. Plus, each individual may react differently to these mental illnesses if they have them.
Some people find healthy and natural ways to combat stress, anxiety, and depression. Other people self-medicate in all the wrong ways. If you need help with anxiety and depression, get it, but also do the following things from home to help you heal faster and learn to maneuver the mind games that come with these illnesses.
Meditation
Meditation is a wonderful way to relax and let go of your worries and pain. Both guided meditation and visualization are used in pain treatment and in other health therapies. You can easily find guided meditations on YouTube, for free, that are made specifically to help with depression or anxiety.
Find a good 15 to 20 minutes each day to do one of these meditations, especially if you feel a bad day coming on. You’ll start to notice the difference early on.
Yoga And Fitness
A good cardio workout, whether it’s dancing or jogging, releases endorphins in the brain, which are feel-good hormones. It is because of this that exercise is a good way to boost your mood. Obviously, when you’re depressed the last thing on your mind is fitness, but if you can push yourself to get up and getting moving you can boost your mood.
Yoga is also good for relieving anxiety and depression. Include a good guided meditation with the end of your yoga routine and you’ll be combining fitness with meditation to help your feel better mentally and spiritually.
Healthy Eating
Eating healthy is another way to help you feel better. Healthy foods help to ensure you’re getting all of the right vitamins and nutrients into your body, which can help your brain stay healthy. Some foods can even help boost your mood.
Some foods that are good for your brain, and thus help fight depression, include foods with healthy fats in them. This means fish, avocados, and even nuts. Getting The right amount of fruits and vegetables in your diet wouldn’t hurt either.
Vitamins And Herbal Remedies
If you don’t feel like you can get the right amount of vitamins and nutrients directly from your foods, you could take a supplement. During the winter many people have more issues with depression because they get less sunshine (the best source of vitamin D). Taking a vitamin D supplement can be a great mood booster.
B12 is another vitamin that could be lacking if your mood is lacking. You may also want to try St. John’s Wort but talk to your doctor first. St. John’s Wort can make some other prescription medications not work, like birth control pills.