Beat depression and anxiety

All month long we’ve been talking about depression and suicide.  Anxiety is a result of depression and sadly, sometimes suicide is a result of it as well.  We need to make some changes in our lives to combat this problem.  Let’s beat depression and anxiety by changing your brain!

When you don t want to live anymore

It’s still Suicide Prevention month so I want to talk about suicide more.  According to the National Institute of Mental Health, over 47,000 people died to suicide in 2019.  And, if you’re between the ages of 10 and 34, it’s the 2nd leading cause of death.  10 years old!  Really?  Yes, really!  The numbers aren’t much better for the age group of 35-44.  People are depressed, unhappy, and are suffering inside.

And, we lose more people to suicide than we do to homicide.  People are choosing to end their own lives because they don’t feel like life is worth living.  If you’ve ever been depressed, you understand.  We’ve gone through it before but people feel this way for a variety of reasons and I want you to know you’re not alone but if you are struggling, please reach out.  If you’ve ever felt “Why am I such a disappointment” and you continue to feel this way, I don’t want you to feel like you have an unfulfilled life.  I want you to be happy.

Beat Depression and anxiety by changing your brain!

I’m not a doctor but I have seen what depression can do to someone.  I’ve experience depression.  I’ve also experienced how people treat you when you are depressed and it’s no fun.  Luckily, I was able to deal with my depression but I’ve had family members who still struggle.  How did I do it?

The first thing we need to do is change our thoughts.  Don’t get me wrong, I know this one is probably the hardest.  When we’re in a constant thought loop about how unworthy we are, it’s hard to get out of it.  I truly know.  I’ve struggled with this.  The monologues you tell yourself of “I’m not good enough” or “I have no good qualities” and “I don’t want to live” are hard to get rid of.  It’s a constant battle.  But, what I did was I was persistent.  I failed many times – meaning I could not get rid of these thoughts no matter how hard I tried.

So, for a whole day or sometimes days at a time, I would be in a depressed state.  But, I kept at it because the only true failure is not getting up at all.  I eventually noticed that these depression episodes were shorter and shorter.  And, I was able to start making better choices so if I could change the way you see yourself, I have started to change your brain!

Meditation for depression

Eventually, I started to meditate.  Here, again, this wasn’t easy.  When you have constant chatter inside your head about how awful you are, it’s hard to calm your mind.  I wrote about that in my Boost your self esteem month article.  The thing to realize is that you just need to start.  Just like you need to start changing your thoughts by trying and being persistent, it’s the same with meditation.  Just start.  Do 2 minutes or 5 or even 1 minute.  Even if you think you failed for those 2 minutes, let me assure you that you didn’t.

How do I know?  Because that’s exactly what I did.  I committed to meditating and I tried for 30 minutes the first couple days.  I felt better but after a few days, my mind continued to wander.  So, I’d find shorter and shorter meditations on YouTube to try.

I almost gave up but I was talking to a massage therapist / yoga instructor once and he said that even a mediation for a few minutes is beneficial.  He was very wise because he also said that we all have thoughts and those thoughts will be there.  So what?  Let them be there.  Let them come.  Just notice them and don’t worry about it.  When he said that I thought, “Ahha!  It doesn’t matter – just do it.  If the thoughts come, so what?”  And, after that, I would meditate and saw that I was having progress.

So, let’s beat depression and anxiety by changing your brain!  I promise you you will start to realize you aren’t that bad at it.  And, if you don’t believe me, check out this article written about Big Bang Theory star:   Mayim Bialik. She admits to having anxiety and that meditation helps her.

Day 18 of our 30 Day Self Confidence Challenge

Sit for 3 minutes and just focus on the area between your eyes (often called the 3rd eye).  If your mind wanders, bring it back and I don’t care if it’s 5 times you have to bring your mind back or 3,000 times.  It really doesn’t matter.  Just sit for those 3 minutes.

Alternately, light a candle and stare into the flame.  This has helped me sometimes because it gives me something to focus  on and gaze into.  (If you have a fish tank, stare at the fish.)

Best gifts for depression

1. A hug!  But, if you’re looking for something in addition to that…
2. What crystals are good for depression and anxiety?  There are a few crystals for depression anxiety you can try.  You can try amethyst as it’s been said it helps with opening the 3rd eye and anxiety!

So beat depression and anxiety – I know you can do it!  Find what makes you happy and go with it – because happiness is the key!