10 Easy Ways to Combat Depression & Anxiety

This is 10 easy ways to combat depression & anxiety. I have struggled with depression since I was 13, and an anxiety disorder since I was 15. Although I am better than I was before, I still have periods of depression and anxiety. These are the ways I cope.I am no longer stuck in depression and anxiety but only experiencing the emotions I need to and moving on. This is of course nowhere near what I experienced when I was in active addiction. Read more about that here.

1. Call Someone

I have a big support group these days, people who I can call anytime or reasonably at any time. They let me vent, give me good advice, and talk me back from the edge when needed. This was a hard thing for me to learn at first because I didn’t want to pick up the phone. Now it is one of the first things I do when I notice I am off for any reason.

2. Take a Walk

I am here to tell you, that all those studies and research turns out to be right. I find this to be particularly helpful when having issues with anxiety, and anger. The extra energy needs to go somewhere and walking helps so much with that. It also gives you time to reflect and focus on what is important as well (the present). This also helps me get close to nature. For some reason nature restores me to sanity, I don’t know why. Just a serenity comes upon me when the birds are chirping and the sun is shining. Mental health techs mentioned all these wonderful things physical activity does for you when I was inpatient once. I was very annoyed by there insistence because I was overweight and activity just annoyed me. Especially because the meds they put me on made me tired and lethargic. Turns out, you guys were right 😂

3. Take a Shower/Bath

Sometimes a little self-care is all you need. I am a big fan of this one, crying can’t be heard and if you lock it in time you can have some alone time away from your children. Add some nice essential oils or a bath bomb to your bath. Just carve out some me time for yourself and RELAX.

4. Taking Deep Breaths / Meditation

I watched something one time that stated meditation can be done anywhere. As long as you can take a moment and focus on your breath you’re doing it. I have found this to be very helpful at work. Where you can’t do some of these things (like take a shower). You can go to the bathroom shut the door and focus on your breath. I have found times where I realize I am getting anxious or upset at work and I immediately start to focus on my breath. This is meditation, even though I am not sitting in a lotus position I am meditating at the moment. I am then ready to restart my day from there.

5. Going to see a Movie

I was told to do this when I was very early in a recovery. Sometimes we just need to get away for a moment. The problem with getting away from your head, is, well, you cant 😂. This is exactly what you are trying to do when you go to see a movie. You are buying yourself time away from your preferred addiction. You are also buying some time from your depression or anxiety riddled head. I dare you to go to a movie and not be able to get outside of yourself. It’s what they are designed for.

6. Spend time with Friends

This is another way to get outside of your head (where the problem is). When I was first trying to get treatment for my mental health this was all I could really do. I was terrified of my own head, and I didn’t want to be alone with it. The only time I felt like I could relax was with a trusted member of my support team. Slowly I was able to be alone with myself and now I actually enjoy “me time.” The difference is that I am much nicer to myself, whereas I used to be incredibly abusive towards myself.

7. Feel your Feelings

This might seem obvious to some, to others like me this seems like a huge task. A lot of people with mental health problems don’t want to feel our feelings. Feelings are too big, too strong, too overwhelming. I have found that I grew my feelings by denying myself to feel them. I now live by the saying that any feeling grows in the dark. A feeling I am trying to deny experiencing will just grow until it overtakes me. This happened to me with anger, shame, and depression when I was in active addiction. Now I shine the light on it, by acknowledging it (not being overtaken) and talking to someone about it if I feel like it’s affecting my daily living.

8. Have a Hobby

I have always loved to crochet. It really grew as a coping skill to help with excoriation disorder (anxiety disorder). It helped keep my hands busy, and I ended up with a pretty thing. I love a lot of other crafty past times, like card making, or DIY projects. This is another thing I learned to use early on. I had a whole craft area in my room growing up. It often helped me overcome underlying feelings of anxiety and depression. It doesn’t matter what you choose, just that you find something that can keep you busy. Bonus points, if you find something that you can share with others.

9. Medication

I have a love-hate relationship with medication. I believe that I will need medication to be able to function for the rest of my life. However, I do not believe that medication is the answer to depression and anxiety. I believe the true solution to those disorders are hard work in therapy and changing how you live life. Sometimes people need medication to be able to work on things. There is no harm in that, but I also see people who are addicted to anxiety medication. This has horrible withdrawal and was never meant to be a long-term solution for anxiety. There is undoubtedly a chemical imbalance involved with both depression and anxiety. I just believe medication is best used sparingly. I have experience with being over medicated and it is not fun.

10. Treat Yourself

Along the same lines of the bath or shower, this is designed to give you an external boost. If getting a mani-pedi is your thing, spend the extra cash and do it. Buy a new outfit. Get take out so you don’t have to worry about dinner. Find a maid service to clean for a day so you don’t have to worry about cleaning. Whatever it is, it should be something that allows you to relax and gives you some external feel good. As women doing things for ourselves is sometimes so hard. We are busy doing everything for everyone else and we never find time for ourselves. Leaving us broken, and worn down. We tell ourselves that doing things for other’s should be enough, but it’s not. We have nothing left to give because we have no resources for it to come from. This is why it is so important to take care of yourself. You are not going to be a good parent if you don’t take care of yourself, you are not going to be productive or happy. Take care of yourself ladies. So then you can conquer the world! If you like this content make sure to subscribe! Also, check out some of my other posts about mental health!      https://mamaofthedrama.com/2017/08/01/why-do-we-hate-feelings/