How to treat your depression and anxiety disorders

Anxiety and Depression are two words that you must be familiar with since it is increasingly common nowadays. This is because many people are suffering from anxiety and depression. The reason behind this can be due to various reasons such as high-stress levels you experience at work or the problems that you are facing in your personal life.

In any case, the symptoms to recognize anxiety and depression are easy enough for the majority of cases, since you will feel nervous, tense, heart rate increases while also feeling simultaneously depressed and not wanting to interact or eat anything if you are under the effect of depression. You may have also heard contrasting opinions about why depression and anxiety take place and some would literally make no sense to you while others would try to undermine its effects which could prove dangerous.

What you should know is that anxiety and depression are an illness that could affect anyone and you should not feel ashamed if you are diagnosed with them. Anxiety and depression can be treated with a variety of different approaches. One of the most effective ways is to find a licensed therapist or counselor.

Counseling

This is one of the simplest ways you can treat depression. Often people hide their emotions which end up causing those issues. Emotions such as anger and sadness get caged and these people often either lash out on small incidents or communicate less. Anxiety can be handled correctly if you seek counseling immediately after you are diagnosed with it. It is one of the first treatments which doctors suggest to their patients hence highlighting the importance of it despite people underestimating its effects.

You should go and get the necessary therapy which will help to reduce your anxiety levels. A professional therapist will likely develop a plan which will simultaneously treat your anxiety and depression levels. There are different types of therapy that you can try such as cognitive therapy which will allow you to control your thoughts and emotions, Interpersonal therapy which will help you to communicate better. Problem-solving therapy which will provide you with the right skills to effectively manage your symptoms so that you can handle the illness.

Medication

If you feel that counseling is not doing the job that you were expecting, another option that you can try is to go for medication to treat your illness. You should always approach your doctor before consuming any medicine yourself since the dosage of the medicine plays a huge role and you could end up doing more harm than good if you consume the wrong quantity. Since the symptoms of depression and anxiety usually occur together, they can also be treated together using medicines.

Medicines such as SSRI and SNRI have been known to be highly effective in treating anxiety disorders and can also reduce depression among patients who use these medicines. Your doctor can also prescribe certain antidepressants which will improve your condition.

So, you should openly discuss your symptoms with your doctor and mention any other supplements which you are consuming so that your doctor can decide the correct dose of the medicine that you have to consume.

Exercise

It is a proven fact that exercise is not only healthy for your body but it can also make you happy. Exercising regularly will ensure that you use your energy in the right direction which will ensure that your stress levels are down. Many studies have shown that people who exercise have lower stress levels on average when compared to their counterparts who did not which is useful in controlling the anxiety levels that you are facing.

Exercise will also improve your self-esteem and improve your relationship with your friends and family which can be a great way to reduce depression.  Another important aspect to note is that exercises help to release hormones such as endorphins which are responsible for making you feel happy.

Hence it is a win-win situation for you since you can take out the stress that builds up in your body in a positive way while also staying healthy. Exercises such as running and yoga are known to be highly beneficial if you want to get rid of anxiety issues and depression.

Manage time efficiently

I am sure that some days you feel that you have too many things to do and cannot complete them even after working for an entire day. Naturally, you feel stressed after working hard for the entire day and if the task that you are attending is important, it will only increase your anxiety levels. Although you may feel helpless in these circumstances they can be easily managed if you plan things. There is no need to keep things until the last moment which will only make you panic at the last moment. For example, if you get a week to complete your assignment, you can do it every day and not worry at the end instead of waiting to complete it at the last moment. You can develop the habit of breaking down large tasks into smaller parts so that it can be easily managed at the end.

Spend time with animals

Although you may feel uneasy about it according to research, people who keep pets with them do not face the same levels of anxiety which people with no pets face on average. There are many reasons why this occurs because pets offer you companionship, love, and bond with you on a personal level. All of these are positive reinforcements that help you to stay happy. For example, while returning home from work the sound of your dog barking and running up to you will no doubt make you feel happy and simultaneously reducing the stress levels that you were experiencing. However, your pet does not need to be furry to make you happy since keeping crickets as pets have improved psychological health in older people according to research.

Conclusion

Anxiety and depression are two of the most common issues that people are facing today. No matter where you go, you will likely come across someone who is dealing with either of these issues. However, the worrying sign is that these issues are not treated as seriously as they should with the result that many people have committed suicide without due to their inability to coping up with the situation. There are ways that you can use to cure people of this illness or at least reduce its effects which is why patients should approach a physician to seek counseling or go for medication after consultation with your doctor.