Self-Help Tips for Anxiety
Now that we know more about anxiety and its links to depression, let’s go deeper into knowing the tips on how to cope with anxiety and depression. In the next two sections, we’ll be learning effective and proven methods on how to cope with anxiety and depression.
The prevention tips are split into two kinds, the mental tips, which are tips that are focused on trying to change our state of mind and the lifestyle tips which focus on lifestyle changes that may affect our mental state.
Mental Tips
Understanding more about anxiety
If you want to know how to cope with anxiety and depression, you have to understand them. Let’s start with anxiety.
One thing that we should understand is that anxiety is a daily part of our lives. We experience anxiety every day when we look at our unpaid bills, when we are called to the boss’ office or before we receive our report card. The anxiety that is caused by adverse situations is known as a fight or flight response that we develop in order to help fight away the danger. This is actually an evolutionary response that our ancestors used back in the days of primal survival. However, our minds have already been accustomed or used to the fight or flight response, so even if there is no need to turn on our “survival mode,” the mind still turns it on. It is because of this that we still experience anxiety even if there is no danger but just some small adversity. In a sense, anxiety is our fight or flight response which is kicked into auto-pilot.
Control Unhelpful Thoughts
What makes anxiety a danger to our mental state is the fact that when we worry about adverse situations that can be rather unrealistic. When this happens, it’s very important to know how to control these unhelpful thoughts. For example, a person with social anxiety who is about going into a room full of people may think that no one will like him or her. This is an example of a ‘worry’ feeling that really has no basis. To control unhelpful thoughts, we must first identify it.
Below are the cues to show what an unhealthy thought is:
◻ Predicting the Future
◻ Assuming What Another Person is Thinking about You
◻ Exaggerating or Blowing Situations Out of Proportion
◻ Pressuring Yourself to Follow a Societal Standard
◻Using the Outcome of One Situation as a Generalization for the Outcome of All Other Situations
◻ Labeling Yourself
When you are thinking thoughts that fall into any of these categories, it will help if you list them down. After you do, ask the following questions:
Does My Thought Have Any Basis?
What Category Does My Unhelpful Thought Fall In?
What Would I Tell a Friend If He or She Have This Unhealthy Thoughts?
What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Harboring this Thought?
Is There Any Way to Perceive the Situation?
Improving your problem-solving skills
Beefing up on your problem-solving skills is one very good way to help your anxiety problems. We would generally develop anxiety whenever we have problems piled in our thoughts. When these unresolved problems just pile up and pile up, we would drown in them and not solve any of them. Just think of it like getting a credit card loan– if you don’t pay the principal amount, the interest just piles up until we drown in it. In order to fix this, we have to create a system on how we can fix our unresolved issues one by one until they’re totally wiped out.
Here is a systematic outline on how to approach problems one by one:
Make a List of Your Problems and List them in Order of Priority
Identify the Problem (What exactly is the problem?)
Make a List of Possible Solutions for the Problem
Choose the Best Solution from the List
Create the Steps on How to Carry Out the Solution
Carry Out the Solution and Evaluate Whether it Worked
Choose a Different Solution if it Didn’t Work
With these steps, you can systematically solve each of your problems one by one.
Learning how to reduce the amount of time you spend worrying
Lastly, you have to learn how to decrease your worry time. One technique to do this would be to create a “worry time”. Outside of your worry time, probably for just 20 minutes, try to take out all thoughts in your head. When you’re in your worry time, time yourself with a timer so that you can limit it. While you’re in your “worry time,” try to make up as many solutions as possible and list them down. Try to solve them again in the next worry time.
Lifestyle Tips
Those are some mental tips on how to curb your anxiety. However, for you to overcome anxiety and depression fully, there are some lifestyle changes that you need to obey, such as:
Eat Well
Always eat a balanced meal curbing unhealthy processed foods, too much sweets, and too much carbs.
Exercise Regularly
Regular exercise helps you emit happy hormones and create a “high” that can curb anxiety.
Learn to Relax
Pick up some activities that can help you relax like sports, yoga, or meditation.
Do Something You Like
One of the symptoms of anxiety is that you stop doing things that like to do. Try going back to doing what you like to do so that you can be happy.
Avoid Alcohol and Drugs
Whatever you do, avoid drugs and alcohol because it won’t make your anxiety go away. It would make you even more destructive.
Talk to a Loved One
Lastly, talk to a loved one. Opening up to a trusted family member or friend will help you, not only to vent out your worries but also to make you feel that there is someone there for you.