Managing Anxiety & Depression
"What you focus on - you make stronger!"
Below are some 'ideas' about managing difficult thoughts & feelings that my client's have found helpful - perhaps some of these points will resonate with you:
- Remind yourself that over 90% of the conversations we have are with ourselves - so, speak to yourself in positive ways.
- Anxiety makes worried & fearful thoughts come to mind about anything & everything - focus on other things!
- Depression makes sad thoughts come into mind mostly about never feeling good, never finding happiness again, never being good enough, never being loved, focusing on all that you may have lost - focus on positive moments!
- Anxiety & depression use helplessness, hopelessness & isolation as their most powerful weapons – remind yourself that there is no problem so great that it cannot be solved!
- Resist the pull to isolate yourself - spend time with the people who love you! (Pets included!)
- No one can get through this struggle alone! We all need help – from those who are closest to us, love us & want to help and sometimes from others who are trained to help.
- Remind yourself how good it feels when you help someone else - let others do that for you!
- As soon as the negative thoughts strike – focus on your breath – a deep, cool breath in and a slow, slow, warm breath out. You can simply think of the deep breathing as taking a break from stress and anxiety – a few moments of peace.
- Anxiety & depression often try to smother your imagination, to stop you from imagining your future outside of their control – the future you have dreamed of before – use your deep breathing to trigger that imagination and set it free!
- Anxiety & depression respond to humour by retreating – the anxious & depressed thoughts immediately become weaker in reaction to humour so, use it often.
- Listen to your heart!