tips for reducing anxiety & depression

[ethnobot781]

Breathe! Breath control and awareness has been literally a lifesaver for me on occasion. Breathe deep & slow to calm down, medium fast with brief holds to energise. This ties in to the meditation and smoking quittage points above. Meditation because breath control has been a staple of many schools of meditation down the ages. The smoking thing because smoking dramatically reduces the oxygenation of the blood both by reducing lung efficiency and by producing carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide will bind to haemoglobin in blood cells intended for oxygen transport but binds permanently, deactivating the haemoglobin and actually reducing the oxygen capacity of the blood.

I may be able to think of more later but my concentration sucks right now.

Peace, ethnobot

 

[herbavore]

^ This is such very good advice. Another thing that I have done over my life (more for enjoyment than anything else) is sit and observe. You can people-watch or observe everything about the natural world that you find yourself in; you can be a human wide angle lens and take it all in or you can be a macro lens and look closely at something you have never bothered to look at before. It is incredible freeing to stop observing yourself and turn your gaze outward. Over time I found that this practice consumed more and more of my waking time and my anxiety was diminished noticeably.

 

[Pagey]

Be creative/artsy. Force yourself to continue whatever creative pulsions you used to have - drawing, painting, sculpting, playing music, writing, even cooking...you probably won't want to at first (since depression sort of makes any interest go away) but if you force yourself, in the long run it really helps. It's always great to see that we've added something material to the world.

 

[silentcowboy]

I have had anxiety and depression since birth. Tried the drs meds. But never really helped. Xanax always made me tired and i always took opiates. Opiates help the best. But now im on suboxone to try and quit opiates. And even though its still early. I think this is my cure im where im supposed to b. i no this is addicting. But. Maybe ill commit to it for life. The same way people commit to paxil or lithium or prozac

This really reminds me of myself a few years ago, I have found that Kratom can help when you get really down. The only thing is it can be addictive and being in the state of mind your in is kinda setting up for failure, but if you could replace your opioid habit with kratom your quality of life could be so much better. I was using OC and kratom was the only thing i could substitute for it, after a while i started to prefer the kratom buzz, its much more natural feeling, it kept my head straight (no ups and downs), and it was a cheaper then OC. Now im depression free and im so much less anxious, it helps tons with social anxiety also.

 

[RobotRipping]

i find little tasks help out a lot. When i was feeling even worse than i do now i couldn't do anything around the house. Slowly i started adding tasks. I started out with doing dishes, even if it was super hard, then i moved up to light cleaning, now i have a routine and although it may be difficult i ultimately feel a shit load better when I am done. I get a sense of accomplishment along with something to do and get to enjoy the benefit of being in a clean environment.

Another important thing is self-care, do things for yourself that make you happy. Sometimes when i feel shitty, i will trim facial hair, trim nails, and other things that generally make me feel better about myself.

 

[silentcowboy]

Very true, for me i started skateboarding again. I can tell you that if you can find a hobby that also gives you a good workout you'll feel tons better. I thing I can actually feel the endorphins after I get back from skating, its weird because i never noticed it before. Either way, it can be REALLY hard to force yourself to get up off your ass and do something, but afterwards you feel better for the entire day. After a few good days, it will turn into a few good weeks, then months, ect. Slowly but surely you will start to feel better.

 

[Condumbpope]

I've struggled with anxiety and depression for quite some time as a result of my chronic illness.

The things that work the best for me are legal, OTC supplements... As suggested by a medical specialist.

-Lithium Orotate
-B12 Sublingual + Folic Acid in large doses throughout the day (literally like putting out a fire in your mind.. eases the CNS I believe)
-Magnesium Malate (high doseage)
-Dwarf Skullcap (hard to find)
-Passionflower

Give em a try.