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how to keep going
what's the best way to keep going and working while fighting depression and anxiety?
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10 answers
Updated
Kim’s Answer
Alessia,
No one should fight depression and anxiety alone. If you have not already done so, please seek medical and counseling support.
In this age of social media, it can be hard to fight depression and anxiety when everyone else is posting positive things about how great their lives are. You need to remind yourself that there is sometimes another side to people that they don't share publicly.
While dealing with mental health, we, as women, are experiencing cyclical hormonal changes that we don't really stop to think about. That contributes to the situation.
The way to keep going? First, try to isolate the "triggers." Are there things that bring on depression and anxiety? Can you control them? Probably not, but, maybe. For example, if being indoors causes depression, and you are working in a windowless office, that's hard. But listening to nature music (streams, birds, etc) could help, as could changing up the type of lighting.
Also, give yourself permission to take a time-out. The rat race is over-rated. Slow down. Exercise and meditation, journaling, etc. . . are all coping tools others have used.
And please, if you need help, reach out!
Kim
No one should fight depression and anxiety alone. If you have not already done so, please seek medical and counseling support.
In this age of social media, it can be hard to fight depression and anxiety when everyone else is posting positive things about how great their lives are. You need to remind yourself that there is sometimes another side to people that they don't share publicly.
While dealing with mental health, we, as women, are experiencing cyclical hormonal changes that we don't really stop to think about. That contributes to the situation.
The way to keep going? First, try to isolate the "triggers." Are there things that bring on depression and anxiety? Can you control them? Probably not, but, maybe. For example, if being indoors causes depression, and you are working in a windowless office, that's hard. But listening to nature music (streams, birds, etc) could help, as could changing up the type of lighting.
Also, give yourself permission to take a time-out. The rat race is over-rated. Slow down. Exercise and meditation, journaling, etc. . . are all coping tools others have used.
And please, if you need help, reach out!
Kim
Thank you so much!
Alessia
Great advice, Kim! Facebook used to be an enormous trigger for me — as an adult, I still rarely use social media at all and am all the happier because of it! 🙂
Alexandra Carpenter, Admin
Updated
Kimberly’s Answer
Hi Alessia,
All of the previous answers are great, but it can be extremely difficult to initiate exercise, healthy eating, etc. when feeling depressed and/or anxious. I see that you are a student; as such you should have access to mental health professionals at your school. Begin there. Everyone is an individual and you deserve an individual assessment and treatment plan. Your PCP can also assist by taking labs and ensuring there are no physical issues affecting your mental health. Please speak to someone! You don't have to be alone.
All of the previous answers are great, but it can be extremely difficult to initiate exercise, healthy eating, etc. when feeling depressed and/or anxious. I see that you are a student; as such you should have access to mental health professionals at your school. Begin there. Everyone is an individual and you deserve an individual assessment and treatment plan. Your PCP can also assist by taking labs and ensuring there are no physical issues affecting your mental health. Please speak to someone! You don't have to be alone.
Updated
Sikawayi’s Answer
Hello Alessia, what I can tell you in order to get thought depression /anxiety it's better to have a plan in order called self-care it help's you put your own plan in place to help you deal with things that might not be on the subject plan for that week. You may find a little get aways for a few days or treat yourself to a spa week end. Just find something to help that will help relive your stress.
Updated
Gouri’s Answer
Hi,
Everyone is different. So methods that work for one might not work for the others. The best thing you can do is to 'listen to yourselves'. What do you need the most at the moment? Also, sometimes we might need help get things sorted. Don't feel pressured or ashamed to seek out for help. You can always reach out for medical assistance, especially now. Because this COVID 19 lockdown had brought up the topic of anxiety and depression to the top than ever before. Luckily more people are made aware of this. We can see that as people open up, most of us had a phase in our lives where we had to fight either of these.
Find time for yourselves. Try to learn more about yourself. Your likes, dislikes. I personally, when I started working, really prioritized my work-life balance. Because if WE don't give importance to our time, no one else will. So for me the first step was to value myself and my time. Try not to overlap your work and ME time.
Appreciate and celebrate the little things in life. I was never a plant parent. But I got myself a succulent, as it was low maintenance. But guess what I have a bunch of them now :) I feel happy seeing them grow healthily. Another (unexpected)hobby of mine is crocheting. I was just scrolling through Instagram and I happened to watch some reels related to crochet. It was new to me, but I found those videos oddly satisfying. I wasn't sure if I could or will do it as it requires some patience. So I just got myself the very basic kit and gave it a try. We will never know until we try. At this moment, I am a not a pro but a proud crochetier :P
So know yourself if possible. You will find a lot of answers within yourselves. The things that will give you happiness could be a plant...or a cat...or a simple chat. Find your happiness. And reach out if you need help finding it.
Good Luck ^_^
Everyone is different. So methods that work for one might not work for the others. The best thing you can do is to 'listen to yourselves'. What do you need the most at the moment? Also, sometimes we might need help get things sorted. Don't feel pressured or ashamed to seek out for help. You can always reach out for medical assistance, especially now. Because this COVID 19 lockdown had brought up the topic of anxiety and depression to the top than ever before. Luckily more people are made aware of this. We can see that as people open up, most of us had a phase in our lives where we had to fight either of these.
Find time for yourselves. Try to learn more about yourself. Your likes, dislikes. I personally, when I started working, really prioritized my work-life balance. Because if WE don't give importance to our time, no one else will. So for me the first step was to value myself and my time. Try not to overlap your work and ME time.
Appreciate and celebrate the little things in life. I was never a plant parent. But I got myself a succulent, as it was low maintenance. But guess what I have a bunch of them now :) I feel happy seeing them grow healthily. Another (unexpected)hobby of mine is crocheting. I was just scrolling through Instagram and I happened to watch some reels related to crochet. It was new to me, but I found those videos oddly satisfying. I wasn't sure if I could or will do it as it requires some patience. So I just got myself the very basic kit and gave it a try. We will never know until we try. At this moment, I am a not a pro but a proud crochetier :P
So know yourself if possible. You will find a lot of answers within yourselves. The things that will give you happiness could be a plant...or a cat...or a simple chat. Find your happiness. And reach out if you need help finding it.
Good Luck ^_^
Updated
Scott’s Answer
Something simple to try is breathing exercises which you can find on Google. It has helped me a lot! There will be tough times but you can get through it! You're not alone!
Updated
Volunteer’s Answer
In April, because the Covid-19 lockdown, working from home for two months, there will be some anxiety, my way is, as well as daily work on time every day sleep, get up, cook, in a state of nature, day off, relax, see some like movies, do some exercise, let your body can rest, don't think too much don't have to worry about a thing, Just do what you have to do.
Updated
Sikawayi’s Answer
Hello Aleissa, thank you for your question. First and for most if you are showing signs of depression that's not you need to try and fight through it. The same thing goes for the anxiety symptoms you mentioned fighting your way it but I want you to know that there is help out there for you. Go online and look up your doctor if you have one or a local mental health care provider near you. Good luck
Updated
Priya’s Answer
Hi Alessia,
Everyone is different but one advice can be to find what fuels you every day and do it as self-care! Whether that is a hobby or something you really enjoy, it can add more energy in your life that can help you deal with the "oomph" of life when it happens. Also try and engage in counseling or with another mental health professional if possible for additional support. Remember, if you do not feel supported, find a counselor/therapist that suits your needs and personality. Find the things and/or people that lift you up and help support you and try your best to include those things/people in your life. Good luck--you are not alone!
Everyone is different but one advice can be to find what fuels you every day and do it as self-care! Whether that is a hobby or something you really enjoy, it can add more energy in your life that can help you deal with the "oomph" of life when it happens. Also try and engage in counseling or with another mental health professional if possible for additional support. Remember, if you do not feel supported, find a counselor/therapist that suits your needs and personality. Find the things and/or people that lift you up and help support you and try your best to include those things/people in your life. Good luck--you are not alone!
Thank you, Priya for the advice.
Alessia
Updated
Amanda’s Answer
Hey Alessia,
I have chronic depression and anxiety and while I am medicated and see my therapist every 2-3 weeks, some things that have helped me to navigate my demanding professional life are:
- Communicating with my manager to help me "modify" my approach when I need to work smarter, not harder
- Make lists or write things down when you're tasked with action items then you can see the challenge and handle it head on
- When your body is telling you that you're tired, REST when you can; this can be literal rest like sleep, or rest like doing something fun
- Most people will probably say this, but breathing exercises are helpful and you can do them before meetings
- Journaling has also helped me, but I didn't take to it right away; now, I can use it to decompress and plan solutions to things in my life
The biggest thing I can recommend is that you start to get in tune with the things that trigger your anxiety and depression. Once you recognize when you're going to enter into that headspace and can recognize the signs that it's happening and what's put you there, it can be easier to anticipate, navigate, and manage in the workplace. For example, back-to-back meetings just really tanks me emotionally, and I often become frantic after hour four if not moving from my desk, especially when meetings and small talk, in general, are energy "zappers" for me since I'm introverted and not socially energized.
Now, on days when my calendar is busy, I try to give myself 5-10 minutes when scheduling between meetings so that I can refresh my coffee, run to the restroom, take a breath, stretch, or whatever else I need to re-center my mind for the next event. This stuff helps me pace myself so that even when I'm feeling overwhelmed and crummy, I'm still able to be a reliable employee and continue to show up for my team even when I don't feel my best.
This was a very personal experience for me, so I would only recommend it if you feel psychologically safe in your working environment and/or with your manager, but I found a lot of liberation in sharing with my direct manager and HR partner that I was working with my physician to try behavioral therapy and medication options and that I really wasn't sure how it was going to go.
They were supportive, I had the peace of mind that I had a "team" together that I could contact if things "went sideways" during this period of change for me, and then I found that I could seek support from them on days that were especially difficult in the sense that I could communicate like, "hey, I'm just not my best today" and we could work together to find ways to get back on track later in the week and I learned methods for working productively and in a way that doesn't take me from "bad to worse" when I'm feeling crummy.
It can be debilitating to manage, for sure, but one step at a time - you've got this! Happy to chat more about this if you happen to see this and have any other questions.
I have chronic depression and anxiety and while I am medicated and see my therapist every 2-3 weeks, some things that have helped me to navigate my demanding professional life are:
- Communicating with my manager to help me "modify" my approach when I need to work smarter, not harder
- Make lists or write things down when you're tasked with action items then you can see the challenge and handle it head on
- When your body is telling you that you're tired, REST when you can; this can be literal rest like sleep, or rest like doing something fun
- Most people will probably say this, but breathing exercises are helpful and you can do them before meetings
- Journaling has also helped me, but I didn't take to it right away; now, I can use it to decompress and plan solutions to things in my life
The biggest thing I can recommend is that you start to get in tune with the things that trigger your anxiety and depression. Once you recognize when you're going to enter into that headspace and can recognize the signs that it's happening and what's put you there, it can be easier to anticipate, navigate, and manage in the workplace. For example, back-to-back meetings just really tanks me emotionally, and I often become frantic after hour four if not moving from my desk, especially when meetings and small talk, in general, are energy "zappers" for me since I'm introverted and not socially energized.
Now, on days when my calendar is busy, I try to give myself 5-10 minutes when scheduling between meetings so that I can refresh my coffee, run to the restroom, take a breath, stretch, or whatever else I need to re-center my mind for the next event. This stuff helps me pace myself so that even when I'm feeling overwhelmed and crummy, I'm still able to be a reliable employee and continue to show up for my team even when I don't feel my best.
This was a very personal experience for me, so I would only recommend it if you feel psychologically safe in your working environment and/or with your manager, but I found a lot of liberation in sharing with my direct manager and HR partner that I was working with my physician to try behavioral therapy and medication options and that I really wasn't sure how it was going to go.
They were supportive, I had the peace of mind that I had a "team" together that I could contact if things "went sideways" during this period of change for me, and then I found that I could seek support from them on days that were especially difficult in the sense that I could communicate like, "hey, I'm just not my best today" and we could work together to find ways to get back on track later in the week and I learned methods for working productively and in a way that doesn't take me from "bad to worse" when I'm feeling crummy.
It can be debilitating to manage, for sure, but one step at a time - you've got this! Happy to chat more about this if you happen to see this and have any other questions.
Updated
Rebecca’s Answer
Thank you for your question. In our life, it is normal to have up sand downs. We have different emotions (e.g. Happy, Sad, Angry, Anxiety, Joy, etc.) from time to time.
There are different things that triggers our emotions, e.g. stress, other people, what has happened on us, etc. We have to face our emotions and have a way to release it. When we face stress, we may to learn how to manage it and relax.
I suggest you can keeps regular exercise like 3-5 time every week starting from 30 -45 min every time. You can extend longer when you get use to it. Exercise can help to release endorphin which can you to manage your depression and anxiety. Also, you should have sufficient time for sleep & rest. Put some 'me ' in your schedule for reflect and relax!
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
There are different things that triggers our emotions, e.g. stress, other people, what has happened on us, etc. We have to face our emotions and have a way to release it. When we face stress, we may to learn how to manage it and relax.
I suggest you can keeps regular exercise like 3-5 time every week starting from 30 -45 min every time. You can extend longer when you get use to it. Exercise can help to release endorphin which can you to manage your depression and anxiety. Also, you should have sufficient time for sleep & rest. Put some 'me ' in your schedule for reflect and relax!
Hope this helps! Good Luck!