Looking for Self-Help Techniques for Depression and Anxiety

I enjoy having a morning skin routine and night one. One sets me for the day and helps lower any morning stressors at mind and then at night a good lavender mist and my lavender honey tea helps me sleep well.

I think for me, its been about looking for moments of gold in a sea of dark. Like the little things that make you happy, you note and whenever you need a boost, you revisit those moments or recreate them. Example: walks at sunset, reading a new book, having something comforting, etc. Another way that I manage my panic attacks has been with work outs or simply pacing. Like if I feel anxiety overwhelming me, I walk away from the situation and walk for a bit or do some form of low impact stretch or workout to release some energy and redirect my thoughts. It helps me in public settings to walk far distances like walking across the complete mall or climbing the stairs in a parking lot. But this depends on your personal feelings and if you feel to weak for this then I would not choose this.

Yes, so many! Therapy is important but it often takes many tries to find the right therapist for you. It's important to swear off suicide jokes and negative self talk. They seem like innocent coping things but they're really bad for you. If you don't love yourself, try to act like you do--treat your body with the care you wish your most beloved people treated theirs. Like, keep clean, eat regularly, drink water, and wear clothes you feel good in. For me one of the most crucial things in my depression recovery was that my mom forced me to be busy all the time. I didn't have the motivation on my own, but she took me with her on shopping trips, made me cook dinner, gave me chores, etc and when I started to feel productive, I gradually felt less powerless. So maybe recruit a friend to make you stay somewhat mentally/physically active. I also stopped listening to sad music when I felt sad. Instead I forced myself to listen to happy music so I didn't go down the sadness spiral as much. Those are the big tips I have.

I try to do daily Christian affirmations and guided meditations. Writing in a book about peaceful prompts helps too. I found my favorite ones at 5 and Below. Prayers!

I personally try to let myself have opportunities for self care. Taking private time for me helps rebalance a lot of my stress. I also make sure to get plenty of sleep and drink lots of water. One last thing I do is make sure to tell others when I’m having a hard time! Wether that be a therapist, friend, or my phone (lol), it’s good to throw my thoughts out there so they’re not weighing me down.

Not sure what your faith is, but connecting with God is the most helpful thing. There's nothing He can't help you do.

I take CBD in the morning and at night. I also take the hour before I go to bed to shut off all electronics and decompress/meditate. I always thought meditation was a load of crap until I started. No it doesn’t take the anxiety away I just try to rationalize and do grounding techniques to chill myself out