Lessen the Impact
Decide
Using the information from the debate, make a decision about the situation while considering your goal. Is your goal to find your “truth” or to be happy? Many times people believe “I feel it so it must be true.” In reality, your truth is only your perception of the situation. Your truth will not match the truth of others since truth is subjective at times.
Choosing happiness means that you decide to believe the explanation that ignores depression and anxiety. Consider saying, “The world has a lot of beauty in it,” or “Trying is the only way to change my situation.” Where your thoughts go, your behaviors are sure to follow. Changing your thinking will increase energy and motivation since there is hope.
Recover
Depression and anxiety each affect your body negatively. Engage in pleasurable activities to recover from the assault. Start with small, low risk goals of getting out of the house and meeting friends for a bite to each. Take a long, hot bath or shower. Go for a walk or to the movies. Doing something outside of your “comfort zone” further challenges the unwanted thoughts you have. Chances are fantastic that only good things will come from your recovery-focused activities. Once momentum is established, you can stretch your comfort further.
Relax
Relaxation techniques are great for reducing anxiety and can act as damage control to limit the influence of future symptoms. Find techniques and interventions that work for you. Deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery and others are extremely helpful when done with consistency. Try yoga or other exercise for another level of relaxation. Do not wait until your energy improves to try. Relaxation will boost energy and motivation.
Rational
Depression and anxiety grow by inserting irrationality into your brain. Depression tells you that you are 100 percent worthless. Anxiety tells you that walking out your front door will lead to certain doom. Choose to confront these irrational thoughts as improbable, illogical and baseless. This is similar to the debate step above but rationality must be extended throughout your life. If being rational is proving difficult, use a trusted friend’s opinion over your own. Depression and anxiety make you incorrect. Accept this fact.
Conclusion
Depression and anxiety work together to make your life less than you want it to be. Understanding the relationship and overlap of symptoms allows you gain insight regarding its method of attack.
Afterwards, use the three Ds and the 3 Rs from above to fight back and regain control of your mental health. Battling depression and anxiety is never an easy task, so be sure to involve your friends, family and mental health professionals to act as allies. It is a war worth fighting.
