7 Ways to Relieve Your Anxiety and Depression and Feel Good Again

Are you suffering from anxiety and depression? You’re not alone…

I was amazed to discover in a 2021 survey featured in Statista that roughly 6 in 10 women aged 20+ have never had a mental health screening nor discussed depression with their doctor.

That’s an alarming fact…

Anxiety and depression are familiar conditions but they are also amongst the most serious illnesses in the world.

The highest stress levels are reported from these different age groups:

Millennials (ages 18 yrs to 33 yrs)
Gen Xers (ages 34 yrs to 47 yrs)

Both these age groups report stress levels higher than they consider healthy:

Baby Boomers (48 yrs to 66 yrs)
Matures (67 yrs and older)

Stress has also increased for a considerable number of people, regardless of age.

According to the latest report from the American Psychological Association Millennials and Gen Xers are most stressed by WORK, MONEY and JOB STABILITY.

While Boomers and Matures are more likely to be concerned with HEALTH ISSUES affecting their families and themselves.

Work and job security is a BIG WORRY for most generations:

76% of Millennials worry about work
65% of Gen Xers worry about work
62% of Baby Boomers worry about work
39% of Matures worry about work

However, anxiety and depression can be a normal part of life. Just think about a time when you had to study for an exam or had issues in your relationships or at work.

But, when anxiety and depression seem to come from nowhere and the symptoms last for weeks, then they need to be addressed.

Sometimes anxiety and depression can be so bad that it keeps people house-bound and away from people. They are unable to undertake normal everyday tasks.

More importantly, people experiencing anxiety symptoms should know that it is a common disorder and is curable.

So let’s look at ways to relieve your feelings of anxiety and depression

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What are the symptoms of anxiety?

Palpitations
Shortness of breath
Increased sweating
Shaking
A feeling of unreality
Chest pain
Nausea or stomach discomfort
Feeling of light-headedness
The feeling of being detached from oneself
Fear of losing control or going crazy
Fear of dying
Feeling of impending doom

Where to get help?

If your feelings are very strong and prolonged then you should consider contacting a professional therapist. I’m not a therapist and this article is informative only.

However, you may want to take a look at The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook by Edmund J. Bourne PhD in the first instance.

Packed with the most effective skills for assessing and treating anxiety, this evidence-based workbook contains the latest clinical research.

It includes skills for quieting fears and taking charge of your anxious thoughts, including:

Relaxation and breathing techniques
Ending negative self-talk and mistaken beliefs
Imagery and real-life desensitization
Lifestyle, nutrition, and exercise changes

Depression, on the other hand, is a serious medical condition that affects the body, mood, and thoughts. It affects the way a person eats and sleeps, self-concept, and the way one thinks about things.

A depressive disorder is not the same as just a passing low mood.

A person with depressive disorder usually isn’t able to pull themselves out of this condition. In short, without treatment, their symptoms can last for weeks to years.

The treatment usually involves medications and/or temporary psychotherapy, which can be more helpful with depression sufferer.

You may also like:

What are the symptoms of depression?

Persistent sad, anxious, or empty mood
Feelings of hopelessness, pessimism
Decreased energy, fatigue
Loss of interest in hobbies or activities that were once enjoyed, including sex
Guilty feelings, worthlessness, helplessness
Restlessness and irritability
Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions
Appetite and/or weight changes
Trouble sleeping or oversleeping, early morning awakening
Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts
Persistent physical symptoms such as headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic pain that does not respond to routine treatment.

Above all, anxiety and depression are two different conditions. But they are the same in the sense of the intensity of how serious these conditions can be.

They are among the most common and most treatable mental illnesses in the world.

Anxiety condition occurs for a specific reason and has an underlying basis for why it persists. Education is an important way to help attain an anxiety cure.

You may find this book helpful Herbal Medicine Natural Remedies: 150 Herbal Remedies to Heal Common Ailments. This book offers the most effective natural remedies that can be used to treat common ailments.

Above all, without the risk of unpleasant or potentially harmful side effects that pharmaceuticals can cause.

Get help if you’re feeling anxiety and depression

Take a look at these 7 effective solutions to dealing with anxiety and depression:

TABLE OF CONTENTS ->>

1. Relaxation techniques

Most people suffering from anxiety have trouble relaxing. However, learning how to release muscle tension is an important anxiety cure.

Relaxation techniques include:

regular muscle relaxation
meditation
abdominal breathing
isometric relaxation exercise

2. Proper breathing techniques

Physical symptoms of anxiety can be triggered by hyperventilation or rapid breathing. This raises oxygen levels and reduces the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood.

Breathing from the diaphragm, and not from their chest, will help to prevent hyperventilation.

3. Cognitive therapy

Cognitive Therapy helps in altering patterns of thinking and beliefs that are associated with and trigger anxiety.

Basically, what this means is ideas can trigger thoughts. Which then triggers feelings, results in manifest through action.

Cognitive therapy strategies should include:

rational self-talk
training on attention
reality testing cognitive challenging
cognitive restructuring

Above all, monitoring your self-talk, challenging fears and beliefs, and checking out the negative thoughts in terms of their reality, will help.

4. Behavior therapy

Behavior therapy or Exposure therapy involves deliberately confronting your fears in order to desensitize yourself. Exposure helps you to redefine the danger or fear aspect of the situation or trigger.

5. Medication

Medication for anxiety and depression should be viewed as a short-term measure, not a solution to anxiety disorder.

Studies show that psychological therapies are much more effective than drugs in managing anxiety disorder in the long run.

6. Dietary adjustments can help feelings of anxiety and depression

Inadequate intake of vitamin B and calcium can worsen anxiety symptoms. Nicotine, caffeine, and stimulant drugs should all be avoided.

Moreover, they can all trigger your adrenaline glands to release adrenaline, one of the main stress chemicals.

7. Exercise can also help feelings of anxiety and depression

Exercise is great to relieve the symptoms of anxiety and depression as it burns up stress chemicals and promotes relaxation.

Your aim is to do some physical activities at least 3 to 4 times a week. It’s best to vary your activities to avoid boredom.

There are several effective anxiety cures. But, to sum up, the level of recovery depends on the participation and willingness of the person with the condition.

To sum up this important article, the sooner you can get help, support and treatment for your feelings of anxiety and depression, the best chance you’ll have to return to your normal health.

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