Overwhelming worry and stress can lead to mental health issues such as anxiety and depressive disorders. This usually occurs when someone doesn't know how to cope with daily stress in healthy ways or experiences significant, stressful events such as a divorce, life-threatening car accident or the birth of a new baby. Someone who suffers from such a disorder should seek the help of a licensed mental health professional and implement lifestyle changes to reduce negative symptoms.
Combat Negative Thinking
The most common type of therapy used to treat depressive and anxiety disorders is cognitive-behavioral therapy. With this type of therapy, clients are taught how their negative, irrational thoughts affect their emotions and their behaviors. A therapist would work with a client to learn how to combat and change her thinking.
You can do this with or without the help of a mental health professional. For instance, someone who has thoughts such as, "My husband divorced me, so I must be worthlessness and stupid," could combat that thinking by focusing on the people in her life who appreciate her. Someone who suffers from an anxiety disorder such as social anxiety might have thoughts such as, "People are going to laugh at me," before giving a presentation at work. Instead, the person could think about all the times she has given a successful presentation without being laughed at.
Practice Relaxation Techniques
People who struggle with depression and anxiety should learn relaxation techniques to cope with stress and worrisome thoughts. Some relaxation techniques include meditation, yoga and visualization. For a simple relaxation technique, simply focus on your breathing while taking 10 deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. You can do this at almost any time, unlike other relaxation techniques.
Implement Daily Healthy Habits
You may not realize that having healthy daily habits is one of the best techniques to treat depression and anxiety. If you want to improve concentration and energy levels, you should exercise for at least 15 to 30 minutes each day, eat healthful meals, get eight hours of sleep each night and take care of your personal hygiene. If your basic needs are taken care of and your body is nourished, your mood will improve and your symptoms of anxiety will decrease.
Make Time for Relationships
To reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety and prevent them from reoccurring, you should take time each day to cultivate supportive relationships with your friends and family. You don't have to spend hours on this each day. Just 15 minutes can make a huge difference in your mood. You could eat lunch with a coworker instead of eating lunch in your cubicle by yourself, call your sister to catch up once a week, walk with your neighbor or dog after work and plan to get a manicure on the weekend with a friend.
