HOW TO DEAL WITH ANXIETY
Life has a way of creating anxious moments. It might be waiting for the results of an exam. It might come from rumors of layoffs at work. It could be as simple as your pay check not getting you through the month.
THE ROOT OF ANXIETY
I and my partner once felt anxiety like this. We desperately wanted to have children. We had been married for four years before our first daughter was born. We wanted another child and were excited that my wife was pregnant again.
Unfortunately, something went wrong and she endured a miscarriage. More miscarriages followed. Soon we were not excited about pregnancy. We felt anxious, afraid and overwhelmed each time she became pregnant. That anxiety crept into every area of our lives.
Life creates many anxious moments. But when the pressures of life continually increase, you may feel anxious all of the time. The pressure can be so great that you wonder if you will be able to carry the load of anxiety even one step further
WHEN THIS HAPPENS, WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?
According to a research by JAMA Internal Medicine, meditation effectively helps manage stressful conditions like anxiety and depression.
Meditation can be done at your home. Find a place that you are comfortable in. It can be your room, study or patio. Minimize external sounds to lessen distractions. Try not to think about anything and focus on taking deep breaths. It may be hard in the beginning - to not think about anything - but, eventually, you will get the hang of it. Your mind may wander initially. It's OK if that happens. You can get back to meditating immediately. Practicing meditation early in the morning may be more helpful and can help you kick out depressing thoughts and have a great start to the day
Sunlight: Exposing yourself to sunlight every day for a minimum of 20 minutes is proven to be extremely beneficial for the body and mind. Sunlight triggers the production of mood-lifting chemicals, called serotonin, in the brain. According to an article published in BioMed Central, decreased exposure to sunlight increases the probability of cognitive impairment.
Studies have also found that people living in sunnier environments tend to be happier (on average) than people living in darker and cloudier environments. Spending some time outdoors on sunnier days can be a big mood booster. On dark, cloudy days, exposing yourself to a light box or bright white light can help minimize mood swings.
Spend Time with Positive People: Spending time with people who accept you for who you are and who make you laugh has been found to be very therapeutic and effective in dealing with depression. We all have people in our lives with whom we feel loved and accepted. According to a new study by UCD researchers (funded by the Health Research Board), making an effort to spend time with the important people in your life can significantly reduce the symptoms of depression. Invite a friend out for coffee or consider talking with them on Skype if they are far away..
Always remember you are the only person who determines your fate not anybody else.
