Anxiety and depression can affect every area of your life. We always recommend working with a mental health professional to find lasting mental health solutions. However, there are also several mental health solutions that individuals can take immediately. These anxiety and depression coping skills help manage symptoms associated with these mental health struggles.
Read through the following six exercises and identify which one or two you feel comfortable trying first. While these specific mental health solutions are geared to help any individual, you may resonate with one more than another.
Consider trying each exercise a few times to familiarize yourself with it. Once you are comfortable with the strategies, choose the ones you feel provide you with the best results.
Below are six effective coping strategies you can start immediately to help your reduce anxiety and depression:
1. Exercise:
Exercise is a natural mood booster that releases endorphins. Endorphins are chemicals in the brain. These chemicals help reduce stress and can alleviate symptoms of depression.
Regular exercise can also improve sleep, increase energy levels, and reduce feelings of anxiety and depression. If you are feeling depressed, take the following action step.
Take Action:
Aim for at least 30 minutes of physical exercise each day to spend time jogging, doing yoga, or strength training. If you have physical limitations remember that even small movements can greatly help. Start with stretching, walking, and balance exercises.
Taking that first small step is crucial to your mental health solutions! Your interest in these activities will likely increase over time.
2. Practice Mindfulness:
Mindfulness involves choosing presence and awareness of your thoughts, feelings, and surroundings. It can help reduce anxiety and depression symptoms by helping you focus on the present moment. Use mindfulness to avoid a negative thought loop.
Take Action:
Take a mindfulness walk in nature. Gather experiences from your senses: a touch, a smell, a sound, a visual, and tasting the air with your tongue. At the end of your mindfulness walk, stop and reflect on each sense that you collected.
Take a few moments to remember the touch, smell, sound, visual, or taste you noticed during your walk. Replaying what you have collected on your walk is a powerful mindfulness practice that calms the brain. You may want to consider inviting trusted friends or family members to join you.
3. Deep Breathing
Deep Breathing is a simple yet effective way to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. Deep breathing works by activating the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). This system is responsible for rest and digestion.
Activating the PNS counteracts the fight and flight response, which anxiety often triggers. It also reduces stress hormones like cortisol, which activate during anxiety and depression. Deep breathing can help you feel good and is a helpful way to cope with depression and anxiety in the moment.
Take Action:
Try the breathing box technique:
- Inhale through your nose on the count of 4, hold for count 4
- Exhale through your mouth on the count of 4
- Hold on the count of 4.
Each time you breathe in, imagine that you are slowly filling a balloon in your diaphragm. When you exhale out, drop your shoulders, and let the air out of this balloon. Practice holding a positive thought in your mind as you breathe, such as something you are looking forward to.
- For best results, choose to repeat this breath exercise four times.
4. Prioritize Self-Care
Self-care involves taking care of yourself both physically and mentally. If you feel stuck in a major depressive state, small actions can help you deal with this depression:
- Healthy sleep patterns
- A balanced diet
- Taking breaks when needed
- Engaging in activities that bring you joy
Making self-care a priority can help reduce stress and improve overall well-being.
Take Action:
Choose to write one thing you can do to take better care of yourself. For example:
- I’m going to drink more water, such as one glass in the morning.
- I will eat some fruit each morning.
- I will take three walks every week to get me outside.
- I will find relaxing activities to do each week, such as:
- Get a massage
- Listen to music
- Sketch
- Tai Chi
- Read a book
- Take a hot bath
5. Build a Support System
Having a social support system can help you manage anxiety and depression. Join a support group, reach out to trusted family and friends, or seek therapy. Therapists can provide a safe and supportive environment. You can learn to express your feelings and gain insight on building skills for depression and anxiety.
Take Action:
Consider volunteering or joining a sport or professional organization. Meet up with neighbors or a co-worker or use an online networking site to find opportunities.
The following list is a great way to find organizations to participate in, either near you or abroad:
- VolunteerMatch
- Engage
- JustServe
- United Way
- Habitat for Humanity
- Give Pulse
- Do Something (a youth-led organization)
These organizations are the perfect environment to build a support system. They also allow you to give back to your community and find that helping others helps you feel better too!
6. Challenge Negative Thoughts
Negative thoughts can fuel anxiety and depression symptoms. Learning to identify and challenge these thoughts can help reduce their impact. Try reframing negative thoughts into more positive and realistic ones.
Take Action:
Try the 3 C’s for power thoughts → Catch it! Challenge it! Change it!
Catch. Write your negative thoughts down when they come up.
Challenge. Counter your negative thoughts with questions and evidence that contradicts them.
Change. Turn the negative thought into a new hopeful thought.
| Catch it! | Challenge it! | Change it! |
|---|---|---|
| “This is too difficult.” | “Is this really too difficult.” | “With time/ effort I’ll get through this.” |
| “I’ll never get this right.” | “Hold it. I just said ‘never.’” | “Little by little I’ll improve.” |
| “No one understands what I’m facing.” | “No one understands?” | “I’m not the first person to face this. I’m not alone.” |
| “I don’t know what I’m doing. I’ve never dealt wih this.” | “I’ve never dealt wih this before? Have I been through hard times before and didn’t know what to do?” | “I’ve made it through difficulties before when I didn’t know what to do. How did I do it then?” |
If you start using some of these strategies immediately, you will be one step closer to a more fulfilled life! Use one of the strategies above to help reduce anxiety and depression. For further help, take our free Depression Assessment today!
Contact us to make an appointment with one of our clinicians.