Anxiety and Depression. These subjects are among the more serious ones. In our society having or admitting to yourself that you struggle with anxiety and or depression can sometimes be seen as weak. There are so many negative connotations surrounding these subjects, it is hard for one to talk about these subjects and come out of the conversation feeling better than they started. Whatever the reason may be that you have ended up here reading this article it is not by accident.
It is either time for you to help yourself or for you to offer helpful resources to someone in need. I am here to talk about the ways in which I have overcome my own anxiety and depression, in hopes that regular everyday people who read this won’t struggle as much as I did. This being said, I am not a doctor, nor do I claim to be.
The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical decision.
Becoming Aware
One of the first steps to overcoming anxiety and depression is to become consciously aware of when it is overtaking you. Through this awareness, you will notice when you are no longer in control of the thoughts of your mind. You will then be able to reel them back in and regain control of your own thoughts. This is easier said than done at times, which is why I will discuss ways in which this can be accomplished later on in this article.
In order to become consciously aware of when anxiety and or depression is overtaking you, you must be aware of the common signs or symptoms. Below I have listed some common signs of anxiety and depression.
Anxiety
- Excessive Worrying
- Feeling Nervous, Restless, or Tense
- Fatigue
- Difficulty Concentrating
- Trouble Falling or Staying Asleep
- Having Irrational Fears or Thoughts
- Panic Attacks
- Upset Stomach
- Sweating
Depression
- Lack of Energy
- Feelings of Indifference
- Prolonged Sadness
- Crying Spells
- Social Withdraw
- Thoughts of Self Harm
- Changes in Sleeping or Eating Habits
- Feeling Helpless, Hopeless, or Worthless
- Trouble Concentrating
Turning Away From Self Harm
Once you are able to acknowledge that you may be suffering from one or more of the symptoms of anxiety and depression, you are one step closer to overcoming it. As you begin to realize these things that you probably endure on a daily basis, you will eventually grow tired of these feelings.
Sadly, when some people decide they do not want to live with these feelings anymore they turn to thoughts of suicide. If it feel like there is no other way out, I am here to say there is always another a way forward. While suicide is a permanent solution for your bodily and worldly issues, your soul will never die. Your soul will come back again and again, just as it has up to this point. Suicide only prolongs the development of the soul. If you are truly looking for a way out, you must think past your bodily and worldly issues and find ways to help your soul thrive.
If you already having these thoughts of self-harm, I understand it is hard to consider any other possible ways to live. You may even think that no one would notice if you were gone. I can tell you, people would definitely notice, and people do care. There are people like myself who would and do care what happens to you. If you are in need of someone to speak to without fear of judgment, please feel free to call or text this 24/7 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (988). Every life has the opportunity to progress further along the journey as a soul, and this does include you.
There Is Only One Way Up
If you are truly wanting things to change and get better in your life, you have to look at yourself as part of the problem. The way you look at things plays a huge role in the way things turn out for you. Once you begin to change the way you look at things, the things you look at begin to change. There is not anyone, anything, or any place that can fix the way you feel, except for yourself. The solution must come from you, and you must be ready to change.
Your life will continue to be miserable, only for as long as you decide it to be. The moment you decide to give up your state of misery is the moment things will begin to change. You may be thinking, well Erin, you make it sound like we are purposefully holding on to our own misery. Yes, my friends, this is exactly what I am saying.
Although you may be doing so unconsciously at times, you are holding on to all the things, thoughts, ideas, and people that you are allowing to make you miserable. While it is much easier said than done, you must let things go or your soul will never grow.
“Pain is Inevitable. Suffering is Optional.”
This is a wise quote from an unknown origin. Perhaps Buddhist, perhaps not. Either way, what this means is there will still be those painful situations presented to you sometimes, but you do not have to suffer through them unless you choose to do so. There were some wise words spoken that explain that suffering is an emotional response to a situation. Emotional responses are our reactions to certain things, and a reaction is something we can control.
It may be a strange idea if you have never encountered this concept before. We are able to choose how we respond to things. It is only our mind’s suggestion when it is overruling the decision-making process that tells us we can’t control the way we respond. You absolutely can choose whether or not you wish to suffer through something. Albeit this is a difficult decision, as you must do so consciously.
The Unconscious Mind
For the majority of us, we float around life letting our unconscious minds drive our emotional responses. For a reference point, it is helpful to see things like the Map of Consciousness. This map of consciousness was created by Author/Doctor David Hawkins. It explains where you are in terms of your own conscious awareness, through association with feelings. Books like Truth vs Falsehood explain in more depth how these levels of consciousness can be measured with anything in the world (ie. people, places, events, theories, and ideologies.)
Now in order to choose whether or not you wish to suffer through something, your conscious awareness must be at a level where you can identify this decision. If you are not at a point where you can consciously make these decisions, don’t fret. You have the power to raise your own conscious awareness. This is the same concept as raising your vibrations.
Expanding Conscious Awareness
To expand your consciousness is the same as raising your vibrations. If you are unsure of what this looks like, refer back to the map of consciousness. The higher you go on the scale of consciousness the more at peace you are with yourself and the world around you. This is one of the main goals of overcoming anxiety and depression.
Meditation
One sure-fire way you can raise your vibration is through meditation. When you meditate you are making a conscious effort to clear your mind and exist in the present moment. In the present moment, everything just exists as it is. You do not have to make decisions about feeling one way or the other about something when you are being present in the moment. You can and should just allow things to exist as they are. This removes a huge burden off your back, as you are no longer allowing yourself to get caught up in your own negative thoughts.
Once you are able to realize this is what you are doing, you have taken the first step towards making a conscious decision not to involve your mind in things. You can then make decisions not to suffer through situations. To learn how to start meditation click here.
Exercise
If you think meditation may not be for you, that is A-okay. Don’t force yourself into something you are not ready for. Alternatives to meditation practices are things like exercising and yoga. It is already well known that exercise is a natural treatment for anxiety and depression. It definitely helps relieve stress, and ease symptoms of depression and anxiety as you are naturally ridding your body of toxins through sweat.
What many people are unaware of is that through exercise, you often find yourself breathing more deeply, simply from being out of breath. This deep breathing is essentially the same that is practiced in meditation. Breathing deeply helps you connect your mind, body, and soul one to another. This is how you can raise your vibrational frequency and therefore your conscious awareness through exercise.
Nature
Another way you can help raise your vibrations is by spending time in or around nature. Specifically by being surrounded by plants or moving water. Plants and moving water naturally produce negative ions. Being immersed in an environment where negative ions are abundant help recharge our own energy. This is why I choose to have house plants in my home.
If you are feeling bogged down, it could be that you have too many positive ions in your environment. This is why it’s important to freshen the air in your home every so often. Check out this article on natural air freshener alternatives to learn more about how your environment could be affecting your mood.
Self Help Books
In my personal experience, reading books like The Power of Now, Stillness Speaks, and Conversations with God proved very beneficial in expanding my conscious awareness. None of these books I mentioned are based on religions, despite the titles. These books have taught me how to not allow my thoughts to control me. By not allowing my mind to overcome me, I have since been able to exist in a more peaceful and happy state of being
My Personal Journey
There was once a time when things were not well in my life. I think it is important to mention that I too went through a prolonged period of self-loathing, misery, pain, and suffering. Why should you trust the advice of anyone who doesn’t know what you’re going through, right?
My Depression and Anxiety
At the time, I had just begun my second year of college in architecture school. I was so incredibly stressed by the workload and expectations that had been placed on me, I had tears uncontrollably just running down my face nearly 4 times a day. I suffered along for another year or so, and then just when I thought things could not get worse my world just collapsed. The main support system in my life had just decided to leave.
When my significant other at the time decided to remove themselves from my life completely, I became very withdrawn from the world. Anytime I was by myself for about the next 8 months I would just quietly sob to myself. In the car driving, in the shower, walking down the hall at work, taking notes in the back of the class, and when I would go to sleep I was just overcome by my own tears.
I was so caught up in my own state of misery I did not allow any goodness to shine through in my life. This was absolutely the lowest point in my life. After having been in this position for so long, I just got tired of it. I was tired of always being cooped up, tired of always hiding my face, tired of feeling sorry for myself, and just tired of feeling not good.
Beginning the Healing Process
I decided to try and help myself. Instead of allowing myself to cry myself to sleep every night, I began to listen to guided meditations on the Headspace App which is free to join. After doing this for a few weeks, I began to read stillness speaks. Little by little I became more appreciative of the little things in life. This book specifically helped me realize that truly there was not anything wrong in this present moment (which the present moment is really all there ever is.) The only thing that was wrong was my own perspective and my own attitude.
I was so focused on my own negative situation, there was not any room in my mind for positive thinking. As I began to switch my thought and rebalance my life view, things started to change drastically. I started enjoying life again for the first time in about 4 years. I opened myself to love, and in came Jessy into my life. There were positive thoughts of where I wanted to be and look at me now. I live in a beautiful home with a good-paying job. The bottom line is, it all had to do with my own self-image and how I perceived things.
I learned how to be happy in life, simply by connecting back to my soul. Ultimately this is what helped me overcome my anxiety and depression.
More Resources
For more resources check out the posts listed below or take a dive into a good read. For a low-pressure commitment, sign up for our free 5 Day Self Care Challenge below to start taking steps toward a healthier and happier life. Comment down below with what has helped you overcome your anxiety and depression.
Disclosures
Affiliate Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I personally use and trust, or think my readers will find useful. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Medical Disclaimer: Listen, folks, I am not a doctor, nor do I claim to be. The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical decision.
