Anxiety and depression are mental and emotional disorders that are manifested by symptoms such as dizziness, sweating, tachycardia, fatigue, among others, endangering our mental health and preventing a normal life.
Controlling these disturbances can be complicated, but it is worth trying with a series of exercises that help to diminish the symptoms, grant calmness and relaxation to our body, by eliminating the muscular and mental tension that disturbs us daily.
Here we present a series of recommendations to avoid the appearance of these disorders.
1- Exercise
When the body begins to perform physical activity increases the level of endorphins, hormones that allow you to feel joy, well-being and act against the sensation of pain.
There are different types of exercises for each person, according to their physical characteristics and lifestyle, although it is always recommended to have an adequate program prescribed by a doctor or a personal trainer.
There are people who give better results to practice outdoor exercise, as it produces a certain sense of freedom, or even contact with nature, as part of a therapy for relaxation and a full life.
2- Alternative forms of stress management
There are many ways to cope and balance stress; The most common are meditation, yoga, exercise, etc.
But there are also alternative ways of managing it. For example, “health journeys” (internal trips for health); This consists of a powerful technique of mind control in the imagination. It can be something as simple as a surfer dreaming, before getting into action, the feeling you might experience when sliding on your board through a large wave. Or it can be as complex as imagining the buzzing that thousands of cells of the immune system would produce in a search and destroy mission of cancer cells.
Another of these alternative methods is “progressive relaxation”. The objective of this is that one learns to completely control to relax all the muscles of the body, through understanding and discrimination resulting from tension and relaxation. With this this can eliminate muscle contractions and experience a feeling of deep relaxation.
If you practice any of these, you will be able to calmly face the obstacles that life puts you. It does not matter which of them you do, since the fundamental thing is the will and the commitment.
3- Communicate emotions
In life it is essential to have friends and family you can trust when you need to tell a problem or express a concern.
At the same time, expressing the difficult feelings or thoughts will take away a burden from you and your mood will improve noticeably.
4- Commit yourself to a group
Keeping busy and focusing your energy on some purposeful activity is paramount so as not to let yourself be overcome by depression and anxiety.
Being in charge of a group of people to carry out physical, social or administrative activity is a good option, as worrying about the environment or the health of the people is a motivation to fight for something and have satisfactory results.
5- I wrote
To raise the mood there is nothing better than to express the feelings and emotions. If you are distrustful or there is no one around to whom you can turn to tell what ails you, take a notebook or journal and start writing, it is a good way to release negative thoughts.
6- Achieve spiritual tranquility
A method to fight against depression and anxiety is to spend time in contact with nature, meditate, pray or take refuge in a religious environment. These activities will allow you to connect with something in particular and channel your problems or sorrows to find comfort and tranquility.
7- Discover what makes you happy
What motivates you every day to fulfill your objectives? This is what you should ask yourself and especially if you feel that you start to get depressed or you get anxious.
There are different activities that can help you improve your mood. You can put into practice activities that give you pleasure, like a hobby.
If you are not sure of what you like most and give satisfaction in life, try different activities, from sports, board games, dexterity or mental agility. You can also lean towards artistic activities such as drawing workshops; If you like music, you can make an effort to integrate into the cultural life of your community; plan routes of museums and cultural bazaars.
Maybe yours is the food, and in that case there is the option of the gourmet world. You can register for tastings, cooking courses, cocktails, etc.
The florist and gardening are also recommended as therapy for relaxation.
8- Help the other
Registering for a volunteer is an appropriate way to channel your feelings towards something positive, and raise self-esteem. This is because this type of activities helps to understand and learn new values. Helping others entails a sense of physical, emotional and intellectual well-being.
9- I learned to spend time with yourself
When you feel anxiety or depression it is essential that you focus on doing something that makes you feel better. Some ideas may be paying for a good relaxation massage, watching a movie or following a television series, walking in the park with your pet, enjoying a meal, or being interested in reading.
10- Adopt a pet
At the beginning it may be another job in your life, but adopting a pet can help you feel accompanied, focusing all your attention on him. Animals always provide unconditional love, and can be useful at times of depression.
11- Take note of your activities
It is recommended that you keep a record of all the activities you do throughout the day. This will help you realize that everything you do has positive and negative values.
Realizing the difference is important to assess the good times of the day and make an effort to change the negative.
12- The sense of humor
It is essential that you always maintain a good sense of humor, because this action is therapeutic. Laughing makes your mood increase and you have a simpler perspective of life, without being overwhelmed by problems or unpleasant situations.
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