10 Everyday Tips to
Manage
Depression and
Anxiety Symptoms
and Brighten Your
Day
May 30, 2022 | By: Hope for the Journey
Sometimes the weight of depression or anxiety symptoms can feel very heavy. Some days it may feel impossible to lift or manage. You find yourself struggling to experience positive emotions. Your quality of life is clearly suffering and you continue to feel helpless or hopeless.
What you may not realize is that your thoughts, your feelings, and your actions are all connected. One change in any of those three areas will impact the other two. This can be applied with both positive and negative results. Think about it- when you do something harmful or unhealthy, it likely does not make you feel very good. But when you do something healthy or kind, it can positively influence the way that you think and feel.
The cool thing is that we almost always have control over our actions. As such, it allows us to also manage our thoughts and feelings. Here are some tips for everyday actions that you can take to help brighten your day and thus help brighten your thoughts and mood. These are quick, easy, and even free ways to prioritize yourself.
Managing our thoughts and feelings can help us overcome depression. Finding support from a depression therapist in Round Rock, TX can be the first step in your recovery journey.
Managing Depression and Anxiety Tip #1:
Start your day with a positive mantra or positive intention.
Starting your day on a positive note can set the tone for the whole day. Examples include:
- “I am smart.”
- “I am strong.”
- “I will be the best version of myself today.”
- “Today will be a good day.”
This can be something that you say out loud to yourself or something that you see written down. Even if you don’t necessarily believe it at first, you deserve the opportunity to remind yourself of your strengths and connect to the feeling of hopefulness. Plus, the more that you repeat something, the easier it will be for you to remember it and ultimately believe it.
Managing Depression and Anxiety Tip #2:
Listen to your favorite songs or preferred podcasts as you get ready for the day or on your daily commute.
You’ve likely had the experience where you listen to music and notice that you’re in a good mood. Music causes your brain to release dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that makes you feel pleasure and happiness. A neurotransmitter is like a messenger that sends signals to your brain cells.
In addition, the ability to choose the music that you like is a part of your daily experience that you have control over. The awareness that you can control certain parts of your routine may start to reduce any feelings of helplessness.
Enjoying time outdoors can provide helpful changes in perspective that depression treatment in Round Rock, TX can help you cultivate. Learn more about overcoming your symptoms with the support of a depression therapist.
Managing Depression and Anxiety Tip #3:
Go outside
Spending time outside is shown to reduce blood pressure and the production of the stress hormone cortisol. Less cortisol means less feelings of stress. Fresh air, sunshine, and the connection to nature can improve your mood and help you feel an improved sense of purpose. Sometimes, the experience of being outside and feeling connected with nature can help us to see a different, more helpful perspective on our stress and problems.
You can start gradually and work your way up to longer stretches of time spent outside depending on how you feel. If you find yourself struggling to find the time or the motivation to spend an extended amount of time outside, adjust your expectations. Take a walk around the block before you go try to hike a trail. Or even spend a few minutes just sitting outside on a comfortable bench or chair.
Managing Depression and Anxiety Tip #4:
Snuggle your pet
As humans, we are drawn towards healthy connection and positive touch. Those things can make us feel safe and loved. However, if you’re suffering from symptoms of depression or anxiety you may be isolating from others and find yourself being alone. This is where your best furry friend can come to the rescue!
First, cuddling and stroking your pet has been found to also release that helpful neurotransmitter dopamine, along with serotonin. Increases in both dopamine and serotonin can relieve symptoms of depression. In fact, this is exactly what many anti-depressant medications strive to do.
Second, spending time with your pet can also strengthen the bond you have with them. Your pet can provide unconditional positive regard and love. How you are treated externally (even from pets) can impact the way that you feel internally.
Depression treatment in Austin, TX can help you in connecting with those around you. Overcoming the symptoms of depression often takes the right support, dedication, and coping skills.
Managing Depression and Anxiety Tip #5:
Connect with those closest to you who are emotionally healthy
Symptoms of depression and anxiety can make it difficult to connect with others. You might feel like a burden or don’t want to bring anyone down. However, loneliness is a damaging factor that can, unfortunately, exacerbate feelings of stress, depression, and anxiety. The emotional and psychological support that comes along with connecting with others is healing and powerful. The way that we are treated by those we are close to influences the way that we treat and think about ourselves. If you find yourself feeling low, stuck, or sad, reach out to someone positive and connect. You don’t need to have a large social network for this to be effective. It just takes the ability to reach out to one person to remind you that you’re not alone.
Managing Depression and Anxiety Tip #6:
Dance!
It is impossible to be upset when you’re dancing, right? In addition to releasing those positive neurotransmitters that were previously mentioned, free flowing dance can help you to feel more in control and connected with your body. It can also be silly and fun. The action of moving your body without any judgment or agenda allows you to just focus on the movements rather than your stress or negative feelings. You can also literally imagine shaking the weight of the world off your shoulders.
Depression can often cause us to lose touch with our bodies. Learn how depression treatment in Round Rock, TX can help you in practicing mindfulness.
Managing Depression and Anxiety Tip #7:
Practice Mindfulness.
Mindfulness may sound like a complicated therapeutic technique, but it’s really very simple. Mindfulness is the ability to focus on the present moment without interpretation or judgment. It’s a way to train your brain to respond differently to symptoms of depression or anxiety.
For example, if you find yourself struggling with negative thoughts that just seem to spiral out of control, find a focal point and allow yourself to notice it. It may be something in your environment like a candle flickering or a pretty object. It can also be a feeling or a body sensation. Practicing mindfulness allows us to be open and curious as to what we are experiencing without being reactive or critical of it.
Managing Depression and Anxiety Tip #8:
Reduce phone/screen usage.
Anyone who takes their phone to bed with them can likely confirm the idea that smartphones negatively impact our quality of sleep. The screens on our phones are known to display a blue light that inhibits our brain’s production of melatonin. Melatonin is a natural hormone that our brain produces when it is time to go to sleep. When our sleep is disrupted, we are likely to wake up cranky and irritable the next day with a lowered ability to regulate our mood and manage the regular stressors that occur.
Our phones also have quick access to social media. Social media is a vortex where it becomes easy and accessible to compare ourselves to other people. Comparing yourself to others is tied with negative self-worth, depression, and even higher rates of suicide. Having such easy access to social media sets our emotional well-being up for failure. Furthermore, excessive phone usage can also take away time spent doing other productive activities that may make us feel better.
While phones have the common result of more depression and anxiety symptoms, they can also be addictive. A potential way to reduce phone usage is to purposefully step away from your phone for an allotted chunk of time each day. Or try placing your phone in another room before you go to bed so that you can have some physical space to unwind and relax before you fall asleep. You may find that you enjoy the freedom that goes along with limiting screen time.
Taking a little time for yourself each day can provide a multitude of benefits. Learn how a depression therapist at Hope For The Journey can help you to better control stress.
Managing Depression and Anxiety Tip #9:
Breathe.
Breathing…it’s so simple. It’s something that we do every moment of every day, and, most of the time, we barely think about it. However, thinking about our breath can give us the control and empowerment that we need in a given situation or moment. Deep, slow breathing slows the release of that stress hormone cortisol. The action of following your breath (mindfully paying attention to it) also allows you to focus on something that is not your stress, depression or anxiety symptoms- even if just for a second.
Managing Depression and Anxiety Tip #10:
Declutter your space.
One of our basic needs is a space where we can feel safe, stable, and comfortable. Without that, it can be exceedingly difficult to be able to meet our other, more advanced needs. Extra clutter can cause you to feel more overwhelmed and anxious. De-cluttering allows us the opportunity to decide what we need and what we don’t so that ultimately we can feel more in control of our environment. This is also something where it can be helpful to start small. If it feels like too much to clean your whole space, start with just one room. Or maybe you can start with just clearing up your desk. The great thing about decluttering your space is that it leads to instant results.
In Summary
In the aftermath of all of these techniques, be sure to give yourself internal credit and praise for your effort to improve your emotional well-being. Doing something different can be hard, but that doesn’t mean that it won’t ultimately be worth it. You are worth the time, effort, and energy that it takes to feel better.
If you or someone you know is struggling with symptoms of depression, anxiety, or just feel like it may help to have some extra support, please feel free to reach out to us today. We have therapists available to help virtually and in-person in our Austin and Round Rock offices. Our care coordinator Diana can speak with you directly to help find the best fit to meet you where you’re at. Give us a call at (512)400-4790 ext. 101.
Begin Depression Treatment in Round Rock, TX or Austin, TX
Overcoming the symptoms of depression and anxiety is much easier said than done. Our team of caring therapists would be honored to support you in learning the skills to help you better cope with the issues you face. You deserve to feel hope again and prioritize yourself. To start therapy with Hope For the Journey, please follow these simple steps:
Other Services Offered At Hope For The Journey
Depression treatment isn’t the only service we offer. Our team is happy to offer a number of services from our Round Rock and Austin therapy offices. Mental health services include therapy for anxiety and depression, domestic violence, sexual assault, PTSD, and EMDR. Our team also provides support for family members of all ages with counseling for teens and young adults, children and tweens, couples, men, and parents/partners. Contact us today to learn more about our team and community involvement!