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If you're struggling with anxiety or depression the 10 tips below can help you to maintain wellbeing.
Psychotherapist And Metaphysician Michael Millett gives his top 10 depression advice tips to maintain your mental, emotional and spiritual health.
We’ve all heard these recommendations, but few of us actually heed them. Getting seven to eight hours of sleep a night will prepare our minds and bodies for optimal performance in the day ahead. Keep your sleeping area dark and comfortably cool for a good nights sleep. Forget the coffee, instead, have water or green tea. Your body really needs water after its eight-hour rest without hydration. So first things first, drink a cold glass of water. Then replace coffee with green tea which is rich in antioxidants and amino acids and it still provides you with some caffeine. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so don`t skip it. A balanced breakfast will give you the energy you need to deal with all aspects of your day. Aim to eat carbohydrates, like whole grains, plenty of fibre and protein.
Regular physical activity may reduce depression and anxiety and improve mood. Exercising may even be linked with enhancing creativity and imagination. Exercising and stretching energizes your body which can raise the levels of chemicals such as endorphins, adrenaline, serotonin, and dopamine in the brain. Research has shown that exercise may help improve the mood of people who are clinically depressed. Many people who are depressed have low levels of serotonin and exercise can help boost these levels. Exercise and stretching activities that focus on breathing, relaxation and meditation such as Yoga and Pilates may be especially helpful for combating stress, anxiety, and sleeplessness.
Perhaps the most obvious piece of anxiety advice, but effective. Vent if you have to. Shake it off. Walk it off. Tap it away. Holding onto anger or resentment builds emotional toxicity, which ultimately affects your overall health. For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of positivity and happiness.
Look for the hidden message in negative or difficult situations. Learn from them. Take responsibility. We create all the difficulties in our life by our own choices, whatever we are experiencing in life, both the good and the bad, is the result of our past choices and decisions. Experiencing adversity is meant to alert you to something or teach you a new skill.
So be optimistic. Remind yourself that every day is a gift and be thankful for family, friends, your job, a point of view - whatever it is that brings happiness and fulfilment to your life. Remember these things throughout the day to keep stress at bay.
Life is too short, so stay awake for it! We get so caught up in the whirlwind that we forget to live in the present moment. And in those times when we are not caught up in the whirlwind, we're worrying about the future. It's time to slow down and enjoy the now much more.
Mistakes teach us precious, rare lessons that can't be acquired by success. Be willing to change and take a new direction in life positively. When you decide to change, your life changes too. We change ourselves without regretting about the mistakes we made in the past. We don’t regret because we know regretting cannot change the mistake. We just accept and face the reality and move on with life.
Take some yoga classes, learn to meditate for at least 15 minutes every day or incorporate a relaxation technique into your daily routine. Read spiritual and uplifting books. Think about what you read, and find out how you can use the information in your life. Look often into yourself and into your mind, and try to find out what is it that makes you feel conscious and alive and thank the Universe for everything that you get.
As well as keeping your mind active, enjoy art, culture, the outdoors and music that lifts your spirits or try a new gourmet dish. Our senses need to be kept alive too.
Be yourself because nothing important, meaningful, beautiful, interesting, or great, ever came out of imitations. Someone to tell it to is one of our fundamental needs also. Maintain good relationships with friends and family members for much needed feedback, a shoulder to lean on or a different perspective in order to see the forest for the trees. Having an objective pair of eyes and ears can give you a whole new way of thinking.
Don't let complacency or boredom set in. Keep your brain fit by learning something new and challenging, whether it be a language, a new skill or musical instrument. Think positive and develop the happiness habit, by always looking at the bright side of life and endeavour to be happy. If you find yourself thinking negatively, immediately switch to thinking positively. Be in control of what enters your mind. Open the door for the positive and close it for the negative. Your brain is learning throughout the night, so give it something worthwhile and good to feed on. Our brain is not restoring energy whilst we are sleeping it is cutting out the noise and going over the days events and processing it. Give it some great material to process. Happiness comes from within. Do not let the outside world decide your happiness for you.
To speak with Michael for individual life coaching and depression advice, view his profile.
View the full list of experts who can offer anxiety advice here or life coaching.
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