Feeling like life is just passing you by because you’re paralyzed by your crippling anxiety or depression will leave you stuck in a vicious cycle, where you constantly feel out of control. Breaking out of that cycle may seem very difficult, and it actually is. Breaking old habits and rewiring your brain might be hard, but it sure is worth it. Taking back control of your life and not having to deal with sudden bursts of stress, anxiety, or sadness is definitely worth the fight. Here’s how you can reclaim power over your life.
Create an Achievable Schedule
The first step towards taking back control of your life is to map out what you want your day to be like. Spending some time thinking about what you want to do throughout your week helps you create a schedule that you’ll look forward to sticking to. In return, this schedule will help you mentally prepare yourself for your upcoming days, while also helping you stay productive. Just remember to start a bit slow, as the last thing that you want to do is to overwhelm yourself.
Surround Yourself with People you Like
Having the right people around can help you battle anxiety and depression, as they’ll be understanding of what you’re going through, and they’ll want to do all they can to make it better. Putting in some extra effort to befriend that person you thought was pretty cool can make a huge difference in your life. On the other hand, having the wrong people around can have the opposite effect, as they can trigger negative emotions that leave you feeling even worse. Cutting out some people who you know aren’t good for you can be very difficult, but it’s necessary to regain control of your life.
Exercise Frequently
Exercising has proven to help out people suffering from anxiety, stress, and depression because it promotes the release of endorphins. Being able to muster up the energy to head out for a run or visit the nearby gym is impossible if you’re constantly feeling drained and exhausted. That’s usually where people go wrong; there’s a very common misconception about needing to have the energy to exercise, but once you’re actually out there (either at the gym or down the street for a run), the energy naturally finds its way to you. Forcing yourself to take that first step to get out there and exercise is all it takes. Once you’ve had that satisfying feeling after a good workout, you wouldn’t want to stop.
Get Some Sunlight
Studies have shown that depression and vitamin D deficiency are closely linked. Getting 10-30 minutes of sunshine a day to absorb some vitamin D is proven to greatly improve the mood of people suffering from depression. Taking a short walk to get some sunlight can help you feel a lot better for the rest of that day. If you live somewhere that doesn’t get that much sun, you should probably consult a doctor who will probably prescribe some vitamin D supplements to help you out.
Get Some Professional Help
Facing anxiety, stress, and depression is a constant battle filled with uncertainty, as you keep trying to figure out why you’re feeling the way that you are. Mike Brooks, a licensed psychologist with over 20 years of experience over at drmikebrooks.com/austin-therapy/, says that the answers to all the questions you have are already within you, you just need help unleashing them. Getting some help from a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist can help you gain the upper hand on any mental illnesses that you may be suffering from.
Set Time Aside for Yourself
Constantly feeling like you’re giving away more and more pieces of yourself can drain you very quickly. Fitting some me-time in your schedule can help you collect these pieces and regain enough energy to head back into the world once again. Moderation is good in everything though, so try to allocate just the right amount of time for yourself because spending too much time alone can sometimes have some negative repercussions.
Learn Some Breathing Exercises
When facing elevated levels of stress or anxiety, your mind might start zooming around, which may cause you to start having a panic attack. Preparing yourself by learning some breathing exercises can help you fight through and calm yourself down a lot faster. Some research says that in most cases, it doesn’t matter what breathing exercise you do; as long as you focus solely on your breathing, you’ll calm yourself down faster.
Find the Root of the Feeling
If you find yourself facing heightened levels of anxiety from time to time, try to figure out the pattern behind them. More often than not, you’ll be able to find a direct correlation between something in your life and your anxiety. Asking yourself why this thing makes you feel anxious and figuring out the root of what causes you to feel this way helps you better understand it, which makes fighting it a lot easier.
Remember That It Takes Time
Finding yourself a couple of weeks down the path to recovery and still facing the same symptoms that you’re trying to heal from is quite natural. The journey towards getting better is a long one, and focusing on the improvements that you’ve seen in yourself rather than the setbacks will make it a lot easier. The more time that passes, the more you’ll tip the scales to your favor.
Count Your Blessings
It’s much easier to focus on the things that bring you down rather than the things that push you up. Taking a few moments to just look back and remember all the good things that happened throughout the day can shift your mood instantly. Some people like to write down all the nice things that happen to them in what’s called a “happiness journal,” so if you feel like you’ll benefit from one, try it out.
Constantly fighting to live without the sadness or the internal judgment that follows you around is hard, but imagining a life where the battle has already been won will give you the motivation you need to keep going. Pushing yourself to take that first step is the hardest part, but everything that follows will use the momentum from that first step to keep pushing you forward. If you’ve read this far, then you’ve already started taking that first step. Now, put all of your energy into it so that you dart straight through your recovery.
Photo by Thomas Mowe on Unsplash
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