This post is all about how to overcome depression and anxiety.
Let me preface this entire section of my blog by stating that I am NOT a therapist, counselor, psychologist, psychiatrist or doctor. I am solely telling my testimony and past experiences with anxiety, depression and poor mental health in order to help others who feel similar. Please seek professional medical attention if you feel you need help or medical advice. Now that that is covered, let’s hop to the blog!
Mental health regarding anxiety and depression is something that ALOT of people in the world struggle with. But, it’s also something that most people don’t want to talk about.
Over 40 million people in the United States alone have an experience with anxiety and/or depression by the age of 21. That’s fact from the ADAA, Anxiety and Depression Association of America.
Feeling a little less alone now?
Good!!
Alot of people also wonder how to get over depression without medication. Well friends, I’m bringing you three ways I’ve used to overcome depression naturally!
I swear by these depression and anxiety tips, you’re going to love them!! 🙂
What causes depression and anxiety?
Genetic and Environmental Factors
Like I mentioned up top, most depression and anxiety kicks in.
Y’all, that’s when our adult lives are just getting started. Most of us at that age are fresh out of college and starting to experience the “real world”.
Or we’ve been working since the age of 18 and things start to take a toll on our mental health. The stresses that these “adulting” tasks put on us can cause alotttttt of stress and anxiety.
From my personal experience, anxiety and depression stems from a family history. By having parents, grandparents, great uncles/aunts and so forth that have struggled with it, tells me that I’m not the only one to be affected by it.
Family environments, finances, jobs and relationships all have an effect on the way we process things.
Emotions
It takes someone being extremely vulnerable to open up and tell others when they think or know that they have anxiety and/or depression. Struggling with something like this can leave you feeling extremely alone or self isolated.
It can be hard to want to talk to those around you like family and friends because you don’t want those closest to you to judge you. Especially, if they don’t personally struggle themselves. You feel like they may not understand.
We always have the option to go talk to someone externally, per say a therapist or counselor. But some of us shy away from that option due to how outgoing we may be or the fact that we don’t want to explain our entire life history and things that we’ve gone through, to a stranger who knows nothing about us.
What are some ways to help with anxiety and depression?
These are 3 things I chose to do to take action and help myself
1. Podcasts
I LOVE podcasts. They’re easy to find. You can listen to them while doing something else so that you’re able to multi-task and knock out two things at once. I found alot of relief through listening to others advice on how to approach the mental mindset that I needed. There were two podcasts that I really dove deep into and used on a daily basis:
Jay Shetty- On Purpose
You can find Jay Shetty anywhere on the internet. He used to be a full fledged monk and found so much knowledge through that practice.
If you haven’t heard of Jay Shetty, you’re truly missing out. He is amazing and extremely intelligent with what he speaks upon. His podcast is all about wisdom and finding your purpose in life.
Between his own advice, and the advice of guests he has on his show, you can find comfort in giving this a listen. I listened to On Purpose through Spotify.
Grab the Jay Shetty Podcast from his website, here.
The Positive Pants Podcast
Yes, it’s a silly, but quite catchy name. However, this podcast is full of positivity and awareness to keep a positive mindset. I would play this on my way to and from work to learn how to train my brain into thinking less negatively. I found this one through the iTunes podcast.
Listen to the Positive Pants Podcast here!
2. Positive Instagram Accounts
This was huge. Our brains are very visual. I started to incorporate influential instagram accounts into my news feed to give me a constant reminder through a quote or phrase that I can do what I put my mind to or that I’m worth the peace or happiness that I’m striving towards. Two instagram accounts that I still follow to this day are:
Stephan Speaks
Stephan Labossiere is beyond knowledgeable in giving advice tailored to women and men. His account is always putting out scroll stopping content that makes you think and really have confidence in what he is talking about.
He’s a christian and an author. I read his book “The Man God Has for You” when I was struggling with anxiety from a past relationship. It was a short text with seven “tips” that were extremely eye opening. I totally recommend this book for anyone who may be going through depression or anxiety through a relationship.
The Good Quote
Every single day I come across one of their posts that has an inspiring message or quote. I tend to share them on my story because they are that good, literally lol. I choose to keep following them, because no matter what stage I’m at in my life, I know that seeing their content will instantly switch my brain into a more positive mindset.
Follow thegoodquote on Instagram!
3. Self Care Apps
This is HUGE and something that I still have on my phone to this day. I created a “self care” folder on my iPhone home screen and I keep each of these in that folder. We’re human. We can always find a need for each of these apps, I guarantee you.
Sanity and Self App
This AMAZING app is full of quick, motivating pre recorded sessions from counselors based on topics that we ALL deal with in life. They range from relationships, toxicity, confidence, independence, sexuality, post trauma and everything in between. I used to lay in my bed and play these and just take everything in and really apply it to my thoughts and my life. It helped me overcome SO much. You do have to pay for the premium version but to me it was extremely worth it to me. It starts with soft peaceful background music as the counselor begins to speak upon the topic. You’ll love it, trust me.
Download the Sanity and Self app!
Calm App
You can use this for many different reasons. They offer meditation, sound effects and stories to help you fall asleep or step into a mode of relaxation. The people who tell the stories speak in the softest voices and I believe that the way they talk and the tone of voice that they use, helps take my mind to a mental zone of peace and serenity. I’ve used all three sections of this app and I will actually never delete it from my phone.
Motivation App
This app will send you a push notification based on the settings you choose. They send out short one sentence quotes or motivating tips that usually come at just the right time when I need them. It’s an effortless reminder when I’m having a busy or rough day. I can look down at my lock screen and see the uplifting message.
Download the Motivation app here!
Think Up App
Last, but certainly not least, I have used and still use the Think Up app for daily affirmations. Affirmations are positive things you tell yourself to reinforce your brain into a confident and healthy mindset.
This app has a unique feature where you can actually record your voice and play them back. It’s just like when we write something down, we have a better chance of remembering it. Well, it’s the same for when we hear our own voice tell our brain something. You can choose which topic of affirmations you would like and record them on a daily basis.
This is such an uplifting action we can do to be our own reminder that we are enough.
Download the Think Up app here!
Seek External Help
I personally believe that we can only help ourselves so much. It’s good to get our emotions and thoughts out to someone else, so that we’re not keeping these toxic ideas to ourselves.
I chose to seek a therapist in order to talk to someone else and get their one-on-one advice and opinions on how to grow and further my self independency and confidence.
Alot of people actually don’t know that work benefits sometimes include paid for sessions to see counselors or therapists. I was able to use my companies benefits for five free sessions. After those sessions, I only ended up paying about thirty dollars out of pocket after insurance. This will vary based on your coverage and which provider you seek for help.
I used the website Health Grades to look through reviews of providers in my area. You can see what they specialize in, which insurances they take and how actual clients felt after having sessions with them. It was extremely beneficial and I think it helped me grow alot.
Hopefully these three tips can help you tremendously! They surely did for me and like I said, I still all of these apps on my phone and I still follow all of the accounts I spoke of. If that’s not reassurance, I don’t know what is.
Remember, please seek medical or professional attention if you feel it is needed!
This was just a simple way for me to find peace and happiness within myself. I linked all of the apps in their paragraphs for easy access!
This post is all about how to overcome depression and anxiety.
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