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Managing Anxiety and Depression without Medication

Are you constantly worrying?
Do your thoughts race out of your control and awareness?
Is it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep?

We are living in a demanding world of anxiety, stress, and worry. We worry about our family and friends, our health, job and whatever your mind can think up. Thinking about these issues in your life can be helpful and functional or paralyzing, unproductive and damaging. When your mind races out of control it consumes your energy and depletes your ability to cope, leaving you frustrated and lost. When we manage our thoughts and emotions we become energized and positive, and we gain insight and control in our lives.

The coping skills I put together here are designed to create awareness of your thoughts and emotions and show you how to find solutions to your issues. You will learn how to take control of your life by allowing You to choose what you want to think about and when you want to think about it, ending those restless, sleepless nights. Being mindful and aware will help you to feel better mentally and physically by saving wasted energy used to think about the same things over and over. Solution focused coping puts a stop to the emotional hijacking of your brain by finding solutions to the issues. Follow through on your solutions is then required! Taking charge of your mind is a process of learning about yourself and finding out why you do the things you do.

Study of the Brain, by Way to the Well, Brian Carlson

Choose a time in your day when you will sit down and work on the most important subject in your life, Yourself.  Look at this like a class on yourself, “Me-101”. The only person you can truly control is yourself; you will be amazed at how much controlling yourself will bring positive changes in yourself and others!

1 The most underrated and underused thing to do in time of stress is taking deep breaths. Breathing deeply helps to restore balance in your mind by putting your thinking brain in charge, instead of letting your emotional brain take over. Focused breathing will allow you to see situations from different perspectives, allowing you to make smarter choices and avoid the fight or flight emotional response.

2 Pay attention to your thoughts and emotions throughout your day and write this information down. This will help you to understand your thoughts and emotions and teach you to take control of your life by finding solutions for the issues. When you lie down to sleep at night have your journal close by. When you lie down to go to sleep is when you may notice your racing mind even more, add to the list if there is any new information. Otherwise, tell your brain it’s time to sleep and a goodnight sleep will help you follow through on your solutions. Learn a sleep meditation if necessary, learning how to take control takes work, but it is better than taking pills in the long run!

3 Make a plan to deal with each of your issues individually. Find a time during your day when you can sit down and go over your list, one issue at a time. Get a separate piece of paper for each issue and write out your options on the matter. Make a pros and cons list, take the perspective of another person in the matter, and ask yourself if you are being thoughtful or emotional in your decision.

Doing this will better help you make wiser choices, and you will get the most positive outcomes. Make sure you are taking plenty of deep breaths as you find the solutions to your problems, being humble is not easy!

4 Good mental and physical health start with diet and exercise. Eating healthy foods and exercising regularly will help you get a good night’s sleep. All 3 are major parts of being both mentally and physically healthy. It is wise to write out a daily schedule for yourself in order to get more things done in your day leaving you feeling productive and accomplished at the end of your day. Start by writing down what time you will wake up in the morning and what you will have for breakfast. Eating breakfast gives you the fuel you need as well as kicking your metabolism into gear. Plan out when you will exercise and what you will be doing, taking walks/jogging, aerobic workouts, playing sports, stretching, or weightlifting. Exercise should be done at least every other day for a minimum of 30 minutes. Regular exercise prepares our body to deal with physical and psychological.

5 Nurture Your Spirit. Maslow's triangle, by Way to the Well, Brian CarlsonTake time every day to meditate and pray. Meditation and prayer initiate the relaxation response in our brain, helping us to see our life in a clearer perspective. This allows us to see the changes we need to make in ourselves and the things we cannot change outside of ourselves.

6 Listen to your thoughts. What is the dialog going on in your head? Learn to listen to what is actually going on in your own head. Most people are shocked when they realize how horrible they are to themselves. “Thought Stopping” is a coping skill to change the dialogue in your head to something realistic. Instead of calling yourself stupid and worthless, think about what is real, such as, “I forgot to pay the phone bill because I was so busy with my work it slipped my mind”. You are really not stupid or worthless, and internally calling yourself these names will cause negative effects in actions, mood, thinking and physical well-being.

With patience and persistence, you can learn to reprogram your brain from the automatic negative thoughts to something positive and helpful. Imagine you are talking to a dear friend about their problems, speak to yourself as you would speak to them.

7Watch your toxins. Many people self-medicate with alcohol/drugs which are only a short-term relief. Alcohol and drugs take away the stress and pain for a short term and then start becoming part of the problem. Learning what your problems are and finding solutions will give long term relief. Emotional eating is also toxic to your health, limiting fatty, processed foods and making better snacking choices can tremendously change your health! Drink lots of water!! Watch for the toxic people in your life, the ones that criticize and blame everyone else and take no responsibility. These people will suck all positive energy out of you.
8Learn your “Triggers”. What are the thoughts or events that take you from a good mood to a bad mood in a flash? Triggers can be things you hear, taste, touch, see or smell. Once you learn what these triggers are you can take control over them. Watching the News is a trigger for many people. Pay attention to your mood change and you can learn to listen to the news but not be triggered by it.
9Don’t worry alone. Living in your head can lead to catastrophic thinking that will take you to dark places. If you are feeling anxious or depressed, write out what the feelings and thoughts are. This can help you find solutions to your worries. Talk with a friend, close family member, teacher, pastor, or therapist about your worries. Talking out your problems will often lead to solutions and relief.

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The Way Tx Figure 1, Way to the Well