Reduce Stress, Anxiety and Depression: 5 Quick Ways

Reduce Stress, Anxiety and Depression: 5 Quick Ways

No hefty introductions here, let's go straight into 5 quick ways that will help bring relief from stress, depression and anxiety.

1. Stop beating yourself up  

Self-deprecation (complaining, ridiculing, even scolding yourself) is a huge contributor to stress, anxiety, and depression. Each time you beat up on yourself, you will erode confidence and self-esteem. Never tell yourself you're useless, worthless, stupid, hopeless, boring, ugly, and a loser. Never convince yourself that other people hate you, that others find you difficult to be around and that you're better off being alone. You would never deem it acceptable to say such things to other people and you must deem it equally unacceptable to say them to yourself. These words and phrases are powerful and they will hurt you. Accept you're not perfect and that you make mistakes – just like everybody else does – and cut yourself some slack. From this day, make a pact with yourself to never indulge self-deprecation ever again. IT IS UNACCEPTABLE.

2. Take regular breaks 

Working hard without regular breaks is a great way to build up stress and tension. Make sure you have at least one 15-minute break in the morning and one in the afternoon as well as at least 20 minutes for lunch. If possible, eat lunch away from your workstation. Equally, if you have a lot to deal with in your life right now, taking a day, or a weekend elsewhere longer if you can - to get some breathing space will really help. Even just a day away from the firing line will enable you to get some distance from the problems and help you to gather your thoughts. Try to clear your mind, meditate or drift off to sleep with soothing sounds...like the ocean. It works!!


3. Avoid long periods of isolation

This is another problem experienced by stress, anxiety, and depression sufferers. OK, there will be times when you just want your own company. During such times, you can brood repeatedly on problems and events and beat yourself up for hours on end. Not good. Instead, use isolation more positively. Occupy your mind by tackling a jigsaw puzzle, a logic problem, a crossword, read a book or perform a hobby such as painting, playing a musical instrument or whatever it is you have an interest in. In this way, isolation will help you to grow instead of causing you further pain.

4. Avoid negativity from the media

Television, radio and newspapers can all supply you with a daily hit of negativity and help lower your mood. In the main, they concentrate on the negative side of life: crime, corruption, war, scandal and natural disasters and can give you a distorted view of reality. Not to mention the amount of image manipulation they subject you to. Give yourself a break from this negative drip feed and avoid them completely for one week. You may find, like I have, that they have no place in your life after that. Trust me, you won't miss them. According to an article by author Alex Conner, scientists claim that "Sitting down for long periods increases your chances of mobility problems later in life" (2017).

5. Engage in regular exercise

  This has bee proven to relieve stress, anxiety, and depression. Exercise releases endorphins into your system and provides a natural enhance your energy and mood. It will also provide you with a break from brooding and dwelling upon problems and troubles but only if you perform the right kind of exercises. Avoid: Exercises that allow you to brood (weightlifting, jogging, treadmills) and perform exercises that require your full concentration. Competitive sports such as squash, tennis, badminton, and circuit training are all excellent examples. It is important that you do not brood when you exercise because although you will be benefiting physically, you are still stressing yourself mentally and the anxiety, and depression will worsen.

That's five, quick tips for you to help fight stress, anxiety and depression. Please give them a try, they'll all help to boost your mood levels very quickly indeed. Which one do you realize is much to frequently done in your life? What's your plan to change it?

Images Sources:

https://www.mirror.co.uk/science/sitting-watching-tv-day-one-11045526

https://www.skirtstrategies.com/podcast/024-podcast-dont-beat-yourself-up-over-something-you-did/

https://www.psypost.org/2019/12/just-10-minutes-of-mindfulness-meditation-can-improve-verbal-learning-and-memory-processes-study-finds-54979

https://www.insidehook.com/daily_brief/health-and-fitness/anxiety-and-depression-can-take-years-your-life

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