According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), one in four adults suffer from a mental illness each year. Specifically, 14.8 million American adults suffer from some form of depression. Chronic or severe depression is typically treated with medications and psychotherapy. Anxiety is a natural response to stressful situations or environments. Learning how to manage your anxiety can prevent the onset of a more severe mental illness. Whether or not you are on medication, if you suffer from depression or anxiety, there are some things you can do to deal with your symptoms. Just remember that you should always make your doctor aware.
Step 1
Maintain a healthy diet with foods and vitamins. Taking a multivitamin and eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables (three to five cups per day) can help to maintain balance in the body overall and prevent irritability and increased anxiety.
Step 2
Take a complex vitamin B supplement that contains vitamin B6. Many patients who suffer from depression show a vitamin B deficiency. Vitamin B is essential to a healthy nervous system. A deficiency could cause a change in mood.
Step 3
Exercise daily for 20 to 30 minutes. Exercise adjusts your brain chemicals, which ultimately affect your mood. Cardiovascular activity promotes cardiovascular health and increases endurance while releasing chemicals that help to moderate your moods. If you are anxious, do an exercise such as yoga that contains a meditation or relaxation component.
Step 4
Get plenty of rest; try for six to eight hours per night. Fatigue or tiredness can cause a change in mood and exacerbate symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Step 5
Eat chocolate as a treat. Go for dark chocolate because it contains less fat and has antioxidants. Low serotonin levels can cause a change in mood. Chocolate increases serotonin levels.
Step 6
Avoid caffeinated drinks if you are having more moderate symptoms of anxiety. Ingesting too much caffeine can exacerbate any nervousness you are feeling.
Step 7
Keep a journal. Make notes on your mood and feelings each day with details on what happened during the day, who you interacted with, places you went and other seemingly mundane items. Doing so can help you to identify positive influences in your life that can counteract your depressed or anxious mood.
Step 8
Perform breathing exercises. Breathing exercises are a natural way of increasing the amount of oxygen that goes to the brain and boosting blood flow. Try this simple breathing exercise the next time you feel anxious or stressed. Sit up straight and close your eyes. Breathe in for five seconds and exhale for five seconds. Concentrate on the rise and fall of your chest (instead of the extension and retraction of your stomach) to ensure that you are using the full capacity of your lungs. Do simple breathing as often as necessary when you feel stressed. You can also use simple deep breathing proactively by doing it before you encounter situations you anticipate being stressful (e.g., meetings at work or before making speeches).
