Are you ready to take self-control back?

How You Can Bring Yourself Out of Anxiety, Stress, and Dark Thoughts

by Sophie Letts, September 20, 2022

We all feel down and out sometimes. However, your mental and physical health can take a turn when you continually feel like you can no longer cope with things like rejection, unemployment, and grief. It is common to suffer from depression, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts at dark times. However, there is hope and many ways to bring light into your life.

Create a Safety Plan

If you have felt suicidal, you can give yourself a safety net by creating a safety plan. This should include information on deciding if you might be getting close to a crisis and a list of mental health professionals in your area. Although a concerned friend or family member often writes a safety plan, you may feel better knowing it is in place.

Focus on Personal and Professional Growth

For many of us, finances are a huge source of stress. But, we often get scared of moving forward because we fear failure. Don’t let your reservations stop you. If your job doesn’t meet your needs, it might be time to consider a career change. You can even go to school online and avoid the crowds to earn a degree in a field you’re passionate about. Working toward personal improvement in a comfortable environment can help you achieve your goals without duress.

Foster Close Friendships

Social isolation is often a trigger of loneliness, depression, and even suicidal thoughts. But even if you feel entirely alone, you likely have a more extensive network than you give yourself credit for. Don’t be shy about nurturing friendships with both old and new people in your life. Friends can help you deal with traumatic events and may improve your physical and mental health.

If you live in an area with a high walk score – meaning you can walk to various shops, restaurants, and businesses – try walking to meet up with friends. Stop into a few shops and make it a point to chat with one person. Even small social interactions can help lift your mood; you never know who you might meet.

Pay Attention to Anxiety Triggers

Many people with anxiety disorders also tend to experience suicide ideation. This can get even stronger if you often experience panic attacks or overwhelming anxiety. Although you may not be able to prevent every instance of a panic attack, if you are cognizant of your triggers, you may be able to control your response to some degree. Anxiety triggers might be as mundane as daily traffic on a particular route to work or could stem from an unhealthy and toxic relationship. Look under all the proverbial rocks, and make changes to your life and home that minimize exposure to stress and unpleasant situations. Simple changes like decluttering and adding indoor plants to your home can help reduce stress.

Focus on Your Physical Health

Diet and exercise are your two greatest weapons when it comes time to battle depression. While you cannot eat and exercise your way to a perfect life, keeping your body healthy with fish, green vegetables, and nuts gives you the fuel you need to be your best. Exercise also goes a long way here, and the healthier your body, the less likely you are to live with chronic pain, which can be a huge contributor to depression.

You can also make small changes in your daily activities, leading to a healthier lifestyle. It’s not about completely changing your life overnight. It’s about making small steps that make you feel healthier mentally and physically. For example, try walking to appointments or taking the stairs instead of the elevator. And swap out some of your go-to unhealthy snacks in your kitchen for a healthier option.

Your Decisions are Your Control

Your life is made up of the decisions you make each day. Make choices that put you in control, and you may better cope with issues that bring you down. Remember, small changes can add significant mental and physical health results. And if you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, please seek help immediately by dialing 988 or visiting Talk Suicide. There is only one you, and the world would not be the same without you.

 Anton Leadership Psychology encourages you to seek professional help if you are experiencing suicidal thoughts. When you regain your footing and are ready to push yourself into positive discipline and leadership growth, we are here to help.

Clinical Findings

Pills or skills? For decades research has suggested that the efficacy of therapy and medication is similar. Remembering to take a pill can be considered a skill, but that’s a stretch. Learn a skill and skip the pill.

Understanding is straightforward. I have found that the easiest and most helpful way to understand “Anxiety and Depression” is to imagine them on opposite ends of a continuum. Title the continuum “energy states.” If our particular energy state gets too low, we move toward feelings related to depression. Alternatively, as our energy state gets too high, we move closer and closer toward anxiety states. The most practical therapeutic response is to take matters into your own hands.

Practice Your Skills

Consider these facts. Consider that, for now, your problem is this uncomfortable “energy state” of anxious or depressive feelings. For the immediate moment, forget about the situation that caused you to feel this way. Situations are often beyond our control. Focus on where you have control, on this continuum of feelings.

Relax without judging your feelings. Do not judge or analyze them in any way. Although this may sound very similar to “meditation” or “mindfulness,” it is, in fact, a psychological practice that will assist you into “the zone” or “the flow.” The more you practice getting into the flow, the more you may notice how life seems to flow smoothly and effortlessly. Try it.

Let’s say you’re in an over-excited state of anxiety. What should you do? One option always open to you is closing your eyes and practicing responsible “deep breathing.” Practice meditation if you know how to do so. Aim to reduce stimulation in your mind and body. Sit very still, and quiet your mind as well. Doing this is likely to make your state move in the direction of thinking and feeling calm. Make sense?

When you find yourself on the other end of this continuum, practice an activity that will move your energy in the preferred direction, say, going for a walk or a run. Psychologically, this is referred to as “self-regulation.” The practice of self-regulation is a skill we’d all be wise to integrate into our lives.

Let’s Fight Against Anxiety & Depression!

We live in a fast-paced world, where most of our time is spent on work hours and getting through the day. This leaves individuals with less social time and more isolation, which leads to overthinking and stress. It’s okay to feel sad sometimes, to overthink, and even to be anxious once in a while. What’s not okay is when we start getting down more often than not. We lose hope and start to think we can’t control what’s happening to us. Trust us when we say this, “You are not alone!”

This isn’t to say that your problems and suffering are unnecessary, but rather an indication or a ray of hope that you can work it out. You can take control of your life and be happy. You deserve to be happy, and at Anton Counselling & Psychology, we help you fight against your mental health problems and hope to shine a ray of light in your dark times. Our issues and feelings are unique to our experiences, so it is hard for us to open up about them.

Maybe you are struggling with your career or lost a loved one recently and can’t seem to make sense of everything. In any case, Anton Counselling & Psychology is here to help. Our therapists have worked with entrepreneurs, athletes, individuals, and businesspersons to help identify the cause and suggest proactive approaches to counter the effect. Our Calgary anxiety counseling sessions can be booked for both in-house and online through our Virtual-Psych program. You can also book our depression counseling Calgary session through the same procedure. Let’s fight against anxiety and depression together!

Anxiety and Depression

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