5 Ways to Deal with Anxiety and Depression: As told by the Recovering
Jessica Richardson
A familiar face walks by and smiles, but I bury my head in my book and let my hair fall in front of my face as if it’s an invisibility cloak. The familiar face looks questionably at me, shakes her head and walks away.
I breathe in for four, hold for seven and breathe out for 8.
I clasp my fights so tightly together that my nails dig into my skin until I feel like they might actually cut me. The images of students blur by as I walk into my classroom and take a seat in the front closest to the door. I do not look at my fellow classmates, my eyes stay glued to the floor as I sit there patiently waiting.
The teacher walks in. It is as if anything she is saying is in a different language. Then suddenly she calls on me and I dig my nails further into my hand.
I breathe in for four, hold for seven and breathe out for 8.
Before the professor can even finish her everyday sentence of dismissal, I walk out the door head down and headphones turned up. I make my way to my car so fast that I do not even know which direction I came from or who I have passed.
I sit in the driver’s seat of my car and close my eyes. My heart is pounding, my hands are shaking and for me it feels as if a thousand tiny pin pricks are going into my skin simultaneously over and over again. I close my eyes and I want to cry. I hate moments like these.
I breathe in for four, hold for seven, breathe out for 8, and repeat until my mind finally tells my body that I am going to be okay.
An occurrence like this is not strange for me. Sometimes it seems like I experience an anxiety attack like clockwork. Every morning I wake up and I do the same routine. I breathe in through my nose for four seconds, hold it for seven seconds, and then breathe out my mouth for 8 seconds.
What I find most disheartening is the stigma that mental illness receives and that people are afraid to share their diagnosis. In fact, I used to be one of those people. But for those of you out there that are afraid, I am going to start.
My name is Jessica Richardson and I have been learning to deal with anxiety and depression for what is now a year this month. A year ago I was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) due to a traumatic experience sophomore year of college.
When it first happened I was afraid to get help because I believed in the stigma that many feel about mental illness. I know how hard it is to get help, so I wanted to share a few things I have learned whether from therapy or my own research about ways to help when you are feeling depressed or anxious.
- Breathe.
Try to learn different breathing techniques to figure which works best for you. My go-to is breathing in my nose for four seconds, hold for seven and breathe out my mouth for eight. This is known as the Relaxing Breath and is proven to help people almost immediately calm down.
- Write.
I love to journal, whether I’m having a good week or a bad week I try my best to journal at least once a week. It helps to get out your frustrations, relive your happy moments or just a relaxing thing to do. Something I suggest is “Three Things.” Every morning write three things that you are looking forward to for the day and at the end of the day write three things that you are grateful for. The trick is that you can’t repeat the same thing in the same week.
- Find something you enjoy.
For me, anyone who truly knows me knows that I am obsessed with animal videos, especially puppies. I literally watch videos every morning of puppies. Watching videos or finding something you enjoy can help you relax and get your mind off of the things that are causing you depression or anxiety. For me, puppy videos remind me of my own dog, JD. He truly saved my life. He came into my life when I was in my deepest depression and anxiety, but whenever I would hold him or pet him it made me believe that everything would truly be okay. Find something that reminds you everything will be okay.
- Acceptance.
Accept that you cannot control everything. Personally this was one of the hardest things I had to learn. I felt as if what happened to me was my fault and that I was not a strong person for not being able to deal with it. What you have to do is accept that you cannot control everything, learn what triggers you have and just do your best.
- Last but not least, stay healthy.
This is actually something that is a hard thing for me to do right now. Staying healthy can truly boost your mood. Exercise releases endorphins which trigger a positive feeling in the body. It also will just make you feel good and accomplished. Eating healthy and eating well-balanced meals will also help you stay focused and feel energized.
Try these few tips if you are someone who deals with anxiety or depression. Also never be afraid to go talk to someone whether that be a friend, family member or a professional. The stigma behind mental illness needs to be a thing of the past and the only way that can happen is if we all start talking and sharing.
For more tips on how to deal with mental illness try these sources: Anxiety and Depression Association of America, Mentalhealth.gov, Mental Health Resources Inc. or talk to a health care professional.