How to Feel Better When You Are Anxious & Depressed

If you are fighting anxiety or depression, and you want some tips on where to start so you don't feel so overwhelmed, start HERE.

If you are feeling overwhelmed with anxiety or depression, and you don't know where to start, but you know that you want to feel better and that you want to change your life around, this blog post is for you.

I've worked with some of the highest performing athletes in the world for over 21 years now. I can't believe it's been that long, actually! Over the past two decades, I've also run a private practice that has helped thousands of people beat anxiety and depression, so that they can move on with their lives and create meaning and fulfillment in their personal lives, their work lives, and their most important relationships.

So, I know a little bit about where you need to start if you want to get past years of anxiety, stress, and/or depression.

To make it more simple, and because, if you're like me, you love lists, I'm going to give my recommendations for how you can start feeling better and conquer anxiety and depression quicker.

1. Sit down and make a list of all the pain that your anxiety and depression has caused in your life. This is a crucial step, so overlook this step at your own peril! List all the potential problems and distress you've experienced because of your anxiety or depression. For example:

-how has it affected your career?

-what problems has it caused in your relationships?

-how big is the gap between where you thought you'd be at this point in your life and where you are now?

Once you make this list, you'll really feel the pain and negative consequences that your inability to properly manage your stress has caused you. If it becomes painful enough, you'll want to move away from it, once and for all.

2. What obstacles have stopped you from seeking help in any form for your anxiety and depression? Is it because you need more education about how mismanagement of stress leads to anxiety? Is it because you need help understanding the family patterns that pass down depressive habits and behaviors? Or is it because you tend to give up on yourself? Have you had problems pursuing therapy help because you don't have much money? Or, maybe you don't know where to start?

Make another list of the biggest obstacles that have prevented you from attacking your anxiety and/or depression.

3. Now, once you know the obstacles and roadblocks that have affected your mental health and wellness, I want you to focus on brainstorming some solutions. For example, if you don't know much about how anxiety can be passed down from parents to children, maybe you need to start reading about the biological basis of anxiety and depression, or about how stress affects us on a physical level. Conversely, maybe you need to know how to change your thinking so that you don't make your life more anxiety-filled, or suffer from those recurring bouts of depression. I actually did a video on this topic previously, and you can see it here:

4. SO, if you have done the first three steps, I applaud you! What a great start to feeling better. If you haven't, make sure you go back and complete these steps, as they are crucial steps for you to start feeling better and overcoming anxiety and depression in your life.

The next step for you is to begin to gather all the resources you can to help you on your journey to wellness! These resources can include:

* YouTube videos

* Instagram accounts

* Books to educate you

* Powerful, happy, educated, supportive people to encourage you along the path!

* Nutritional resources (healthy foods that can assist you to feel better physically and improve your mood)

* Supplements that can assist you along the way

* Alternative treatments that can help you BATTLE and beat back anxiety and depression and stress, such as Cold Immersion, Intermittent Fasting, Saunas, Mindfulness and meditation, etc.

5. Once you've gotten this far, the fun begins! Today, starting immediately, I want you to begin to construct a life that is filled with things, habits, and people that BUILD you stronger, make you HAPPIER, and reduce stress and its impact on you. Take massive action here. Choose one resource, for example, and start taking massive action. If you choose YouTube, start watching videos on how to overcome stress and depression in your life. One quick example I did is here. The most important thing you can do today is ANYTHING that changes your pattern and past behaviors, since those patterns and behaviors always lead you to feeling anxious and depressed. Start today with these five steps, and let me know how much momentum you create in your life!

Categories: Mental Health