Can Anxiety And Depression Be Cured Without Medication?
Do you experience constant nagging cycles of thought in your head, which seem so powerful that they have the ability to break you down? Are you unable to seemingly focus at work, enjoy a good night’s worth of rest? Do you have a certain apathy for previously enjoyable tasks?
These symptoms, my dear friend, are in keeping with anxiety and depression. I know…you don’t want to hear those words at all, but consider it this way: the first step out of a problem is to properly identify it- after which you can get solutions for them, right?
Usually, anxious and depressive feelings/thoughts are likely to throw you off balance, divert your focus, make you prone to distractions and have a negative impact on your overall functioning and productivity. This is why you’ve got to get rid of them.
Whilst several medications have been touted to tackle these problems, there are also natural remedies. These natural remedies involve mind-body approaches and have been proven to be highly effective.
With your overall health in mind, we have collated some natural methods of abating anxiety and depression. Ready to check them out?
Deep Breathing Exercises: Simple, Yet Effective
People who are anxious tend to breathe with their upper chest; and their breathing consists of shallow, rapid respirations. As this goes on, a syndrome of hyperventilation is established by the resultant shallow breathing.
The more effective means of breathing consists of breathing with their lower chest - deep, slow respirations. To deal with this symptom of anxiety, you need to practice deep breathing.
This is how to go about it:
Find a suitable spot, free of distractions and noise. Take a comfortable position; one you know you can maintain for a long time. Make sure your posture does not in any way cause pain to any part of your body. first take a normal breath. Notice your breath patterns: is it slow? Is it fast? Do you feel pain in your chest region? Observe. Now, take a deep, slow breath. Do not let the air feeling your lungs go unnoticed; sense as it enters your lungs, filling it to its maximum. Allow your abdomen to expand fully. Now, breath out- either through nose or your mouth, preferably your mouth. Before inhaling, exhale as much air as possible; in other words, completely empty your lungs. Alternate this pattern of breathing several times. Anxiousness tends to make us more tense and constricted. Shallow breathing contributes to this feeling, whereas, deep breathing aids relaxation.
Focus more on relaxing areas of your body which feel tense. During your sessions, pay more emphasis to your exhalation than your inhalation.
Try this technique for 15 to 20 minutes every day, and those feelings of anxiety and depression would significantly reduce.
Get Enough Sleep
Poor sleeping habits have been linked with anxiety and depression, and it’s no surprise. Your brain needs enough rest to function properly. Actually, these three problems are interwoven. You get depressed the entire day, get anxious at night about what the outcome of the next day would be and of course, end up having that grumpy and sluggish feeling that accompanies sleep deprivation.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, neurochemistry and neuroimaging studies suggest that while adequate sleep could lead to more mental and emotional resilience, chronic sleep deprivation- insomnia, could result in negative thinking.
Remove all manners of distractions from your bedroom; including televisions and gadgets. This way, you can effectively control the amount of do-not-sleep stimuli you receive each time you lay head. Again, train yourself to follow a consistent get-to-bed time. Unconsciously, you set up a good circadian rhythm for yourself. Avoid taking naps during the day and shun all kinds of stimulants; especially caffeine and nicotine.
Get a mattress that promotes a good night's rest. For people who want to enjoy the feeling of soft foam, try out a high-end puffy mattress (read review). In addition to its stain-resistant nature, puffy mattress allows for a peaceful, calm night rest; eliminating risks of stress, anxiety and depression. A good mattress uplifts your mood, promote calmness and give you peace of mind; all of which are essential to heal an anxious or depressed mind.
Get Into A Routine
Most depressed individuals often complain about how fast time flies. Slowly, one day melts into the next. Sadly, depression knocks you off balance mentally and makes you feel incapable of going about your daily activities. Getting embedded in a routine can solve this.
If you are depressed, you are sure to notice some set of thoughts crawl into your mind during the day. Combating these negative thoughts with more productive thoughts is surely a way of warding off depression.
Set Goals
Depression always keeps your mind in insecurities, fear, and doubt. Really, it renders talents useless and hard work, meaningless. So, even if you are excelling at work, thoughts of low self-worth trickle in; spoiling your entire mood.
So, face depression squarely and tell yourself you are more than this. Set goals and aspirations for each day. Fulfilling your goals has a way of increasing your confidence in your abilities and skyrocketing how much you believe in yourself. This way, depression reduces gradually.
Eat A Healthy Diet
Most people neglect the impact a healthy diet would have on their mental health. In some people, flavoring, artificial colorings, preservatives could cause low blood sugar levels and dehydration which go on to result in mood changes. If your anxiety worsens after a meal, check out what consists your diet. You can find a lot of natural mood boosters through proper nutrients from food or vitamins. Stay hydrated, eliminate junks from your diet and eat healthy!
Wrapping Up
Indeed, information is power! Remember to embed these 5 tips into your day-to-day lifestyle. Depression and anxiety need to be consciously tackled; and that’s what you do when you choose to follow these steps. However, these are all home remedies. If the anxiety and depression persists, seek professional help. Talk to your doctor about your concerns!
Guest post by:
Sleep Delivered
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