How To Enjoy Life Again By Attacking Anxiety And Depression

According to some accounts, over 15 million people experience depression each year. Severely impacting one's mood and mental health, depression disorders sap enjoyment and happiness from everyday life, leaving feelings of anxiety, sadness, loneliness, and helplessness. However, there are several things you can do to enjoy life again by attacking anxiety and depression.

Things You Will Need

A positive attitude and a willingness to try.

Step 1

Eat Foods That Improve Your Mood. Research has shown that certain foods can help in attacking anxiety and depression.

Eat more fruits and vegetables. Eating fruits and vegetables, which are rich in key nutrients and antioxidant phytochemicals, is a smart and effective method of increasing your health.

Eat more foods rich in folic acid and Vitamin B-12 such as grilled salmon, skinless chicken breast, caesar salad and broccoli. These essential vitamins have been shown to prevent disorders of the central nervous system as well as mood disorders and dementia.

Eat more foods containing selenium. Selenium rich foods (i.e., oatmeals, brown rice, seafood, etc.) are effective in reducing the symptoms of depression.

Eat foods rich in Omega 3 fatty acids such as fish and flaxseed which improve serotonin and dopamine pathways in the brain.

Step 2

Avoid Foods That Make Your Mood Worse. It is well known that foods packed with saturated fat can lead to heart disease and stroke. However, saturated fat has now been shown to contribute to depression.

Step 3

Avoid Beverages That Make Your Mood Worse. Being a chemical depressant, alcoholic beverages are the worst offenders despite the temporary feelings of euphoria experienced by the consumer. Moreover, avoid caffineated beverages. Being a stimulant, caffeine immediately spikes the consumer's energy. However, that energy spike crashes and can interfere with sleeping and causing increased irrability due to inadequate sleep.

Step 4

Exercise Your Body. Choosing an exercise that you enjoy can help alleviate the onset of depression. If you are on a tight budget, running or jogging is a great choice as all you need is a comfortable pair of running shoes and a weather appropriate outfit and you are "off to the races" (pun intended). While it may seem tedious and boring, the positive health effects are well established. If the weather permits, try locating a scenic area to run or jog. A nice environment to enjoy certainly helps pass the time and gives your mind something else to concentrate on. If, however, mother nature is less than cooperative, running on a treadmill is a good alternative. To help pass the time, simply grab your mp3 player and fire up your favorite iTunes. If your treadmill is in front of your television, catching up on your favorite show is a great way to trick your mind and body into not realizing what it is doing. As an added method of attacking anxiety and depression, recruit a friend or two to run with you. This will permit you to enjoy the companionship needed for depression help as well as making the time spent running seem as though it went by much quicker than it actually did. Plus it always helps to have that extra support to push a little bit harder.

TIP: Whatever exercise you choose, the benefits will be tremendous. Just pick one you enjoy and you will be more likely to look forward to it and not make excuses to skip it "for just today." You do not have to train as if you were entering the olympics. However, you should gradually increase the level of activity. This will cause you to feel better physically and permit you to sleep better at night which will, in turn, help you feel less depressed.

Step 5

Exercise your mind. Most depression therapists will advise you to record your thoughts in a daily journal. Write down your emotions when you are sad and what event or events triggered those feelings of sadness. Then write down those things that make you happy. Once recorded in your journal, go do them! It has been shown that when people explore their creativity, signs of depression reduce. Whether it is painting, photography, sewing, or writing in your journal, these creative outlets help you understand who you are and what make you tick, all of which can help in attacking anxiety and depression.

Step 6

Relax. Yes, finding time to relax is difficult. However, stress and anxiety makes it harder to overcome depression by increasing symptoms of depression. Finding inner peace, even for short durations, can significantly reduce your feelings of depression. It can be as involved as taking a yoga class, or as easy as listening to calming music while enjoying a long, steamy bath. The choice is yours but you must take affirmative steps to relax.

Step 7

Enjoy your friends and family. Your friends and family will likely be your biggest fans in wanting you to succeed in overcoming depression and anxiety. Lean of them for support. You will find that family members and true friends are all too willing to listen if you give them the chance. Ask for a hug! Nothing feels better when you are sad or lonely then a big hug from a loved one.

Another family member that will provide you with depression help is your pet. Not only does caring for a pet help take your mind off of the causes of depression, it has been shown that petting and hugging a pet will lower your blood pressure.

Step 8

Get the right amount of sleep. Whether it is not falling asleep easily or sleeping too much, sleeping healthy is difficult when suffering from depression. Try to get into a routine where you go to bed and wake up at the same time everyday because getting the correct amount of sleep helps overcome depression by helping ou feel better mentally and physically.

Step 9

Avoid drugs and alcohol. Note that I did not say "avoid your depression medication." If you have been prescribed medicine to help you overcome depression, keep taking it until you are instructed not to by your therapist or doctor. However, likely to interfere with your medication for depression, alcohol and drug abuse, seek help. Be sure to disclose your depression diagnosis so that a plan to attack depression can be tailored to meet your needs.