How Does One Overcome From Depression And Anxiety

It is very difficult to defeat depression without help, but if you want to go that route, you should understand what is making you depressed. The short answer is your brain chemistry. The long answer is, all the things you do/think that influence your brain chemistry.

Here is what you can do to improve your brain chemistry, in order of simplicity and effectiveness, in my own experience:

• Regulate your sleep (do not oversleep, especially, but get enough, 7 hours or so). For me, this was the #1 issue driving and sustaining my depression
• Exercise (consistently, including both weights and aerobics). If you cannot exercise, move and stay in motion as much as possible. Sedentary behavior is not good for depressed people.
• Remove negative people from your life (especially friends and family, but if necessary also co-workers; if you cannot remove the latter, find another job)
• Become aware of your negative thoughts and learn to observe them, rather than believe them … above all, do not listen or give attention to thoughts that include self-blame
• Your diet can play a part in your depression, because you may use food to regulate your mood. This is a behavior many people do without being aware of it, and the foods that are the worst offenders are sugar, flour, and wheat. If you observe this to be true about yourself, eliminate foods you eat compulsively (“crave”) and/or the three categories noted above.

Some activities that require interaction with others:

• Learn to promote positive thinking via a 12-step group, support group, or therapist
• Establish relationships with people who are supportive … examples of places you can find such people: a group who shares a hobby with you, a church group, a support group, an exercise class, volunteer opportunities

The ones that you have the most control over are exercise, removing negative people, and becoming aware of your thoughts then learning to observe - so I would start there.

Regulating sleep can be very difficult when depressed because depression robs you of your will, and establishing regular sleep patterns does require some willpower - especially getting up in the morning.

For sleep, try any/all of the following:

1. Make it easy to get up and get going: put clothes out the night before, put the coffee maker on automatic, etc.
2. Use an alarm clock with a light that gets brighter, or wake up with the sun.
3. Get a dog. You will need to wake up to walk him or her, and they have very regular sleeping schedules.
4. Avoid alcohol 5 hours before sleep, as it disrupts sleep (especially if you are older).

Illustrated By:-Jean Campbell