#just sucks to have those anxieties affirmed whenever i try to overcome them

[elkkiel]

.

got brave and shared sleep token with my dad, ya know, because it's important to me and he likes looking for new music. immediately comes home after listening to tmbte on his commute + goes off on how it's neat on a surface level listen, but it's actually super cheesy and inauthentic when you look into it/fundamentally fails at what they claim they want to do with the music and artistic approach to the story they want to tell. Just overall very very critical, esp after I shared why I like them a lot (emotional connection from my own mental health + abuse, etc.) so that kind of sucked

smh my head dude can't have shit in Detroit

(I am never sharing a hyperfixation again lmao I can't do this shit, the rsd is coming in with a steel chair and I'm just trying not to cry because it feels really fuckin dumb to be so upset, but that's the funky thing about rsd lol)

[redroses79]

17 Ways to beat depression and anxiety immediately

Suffering from anxiety and/or depression is actually quite common, regardless of what age you are. There can be so many causes of this dis-ease, but when you really look at it, it is mostly due to fear - which is a part of us that creates a plethora of self-sabotaging behaviours (such as worry, doubt, low self-esteem or confidence, etc).

Being a sufferer of this dis-ease myself, I’ve learned to accept certain things in my life and also letting go of some. I understand that we are all vulnerable in so many ways, and by accepting our vulnerability is a strength in itself and something that can allow us to open up to a new level of understanding of how life should work which can be an antidote to both anxiety and depression. At first, I thought that being vulnerable is a sign of weakness and that I have to do everything that I can to overcome it. But I was wrong. Instead we should accept it, welcome it, and learn from it. Look deeper into it and you can find the solutions.

Over the years, I’ve done certain things to make myself feel a lot better whenever I’m “down in the dumps”. They do work, some to a bigger extent as life-changing (if you are open to it, that is). So, here I offer you the 17 ways (as far as I have done) to beat depression and anxiety immediately.

1) Reading 

I find that reading books that are uplifting, inspiring, and motivating can change your life and make you feel better instantly. It can give you plenty of ideas and be more creative in your life. Make an effort to read a book or two a month, or a chapter a day to help you through. I can’t emphasise hard enough how powerful reading a good book can be. 

Here are some book titles (to name a few) which I find so inspiring and life-changing:

“The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho

“The Courage to be Creative” by Doreen Virtue

“The Autobiography of a Yogi” by Paramahansa Yogananda

“You can heal your life” by Louise L Hay

2) Listening to an audiobook

This is a great alternative to those who don’t like to read. I like to do both from time to time, and listening to an audio book is just as powerful. Some books do come in an audio version that you can buy or download online. Sometimes when you’re out for a long drive in the car, or a ride in the bus or train, you can just pop on your ipod/iphone and listen to an inspiring audiobook to pass the time.

3) Do something fun (and silly, once in a while)

You can’t simply rule this one out. It can be difficult at most times to get yourself out there and do something that’s wildly fun (okay, it doesn’t have to be wild) but it does take the mind off of things that are stressing you out. It can be as simple as going to the movies or hanging out with family or friends, setting up a barbecue, going parasailing or diving, and so on..whatever you can think of that would be fun. I know I like doing makeup from time to time, and sometimes I’d just play with makeup, do my nails, and watch youtube tutorials just for fun, if I wanted to do something different that is. I like to switch things up. It could also be fun dressing up at home too! Don’t be afraid to do something like this once in a while. And don’t forget to take up fun cooking or arts and crafts classes.

4) Connecting with nature

I find this to be one of the most powerful ways to uplift your energy. It is one of the most refreshing things. It is so important to connect with nature at least once a week, like going to the beach, or out for a walk, listening to the sound of birds chirping, the wind blowing, or even breathing fresh air! It will lift your energies up instantly. Connecting with nature will also remind us to connect with ourselves. 

5) Exercise

Exercising lifts your mood and energy up instantly. Take a walk or get on a treadmill (at home or at the gym) at least for 20 to 30 minutes a day. Or perhaps even doing some yoga stretches at home for 15 minutes will definitely do the trick. I find that doing a yoga headstand once in a while gets you into a good mood as you’re allowing the blood and oxygen to flow to your brain. Whatever it is, you just need to get up and get your body moving.

6) Sleep

Getting enough sleep is key to a healthy and balanced lifestyle. It allows your body to heal and repair itself. Therefore giving your body enough time to sleep and rest is important. Get at least 6 to 8 hours of sleep each day, and if you’re feeling tired during the day especially in the afternoon it wouldn’t hurt to take a 15 to 20 minute power nap. Taking power naps can be refreshing and will give you a boost of inspiration and new ideas.

7) Music

I have a secret to feeling better every day. I remember crying in the shower when I was feeling depressed. In all honesty, the bathroom is a place that can either suck your energy out or it can bring you pleasure, the choice is yours. It can deplete your energy because when you are in the bathroom alone, all you can think about is your pain! So, my secret to making bathrooms (or showers) a place of pleasure is listening to music every time you’re in there! Trust me, it works. I listen to lovely soothing music while I’m taking my morning and evening showers, and it gives a boost of lovely and uplifting energy. However, listen to only soft instrumental music. It will put a smile on your face and will encourage you to love yourself even more. Your body will also love it. Just try it for yourself.

Generally, listening to soft and gentle music everyday, wherever you are, is good for your body, mind and soul.

8) Retail therapy

Okay, I know you’re probably thinking ��YES!”. Who doesn’t love shopping, right? I know I do. However, it is only a temporary solution, but it does help to lift your mood and energy while it lasts. Having said this, I don’t recommend to go overboard on your spending as you do not want to feel regret having to spend too much and end up feeling depressed about it! That certainly beats the purpose. Make sure that you only spend WITHIN your budget, and DO NOT use a credit card! Decide how much you want to spend and what you want to spend on that can only make you feel better, such as going for a spa massage, or buying a good book or a calming incense kit for your home or an ipod to play music wherever you go, or something that you can keep your mind occupied on and make you feel better.

9) Children

Having kids has been a pleasure to me and up until now I can’t begin to express my gratitude how lucky I am to be able to have children. Spending time with my own kids has given me so much inspiration and they are simply one of the reasons why I must keep moving on with my life and becoming a better person every day. If you don’t have kids, find a way to surround yourself with children once in a while. Perhaps volunteering to look after your nieces or nephews or babysitting your friend’s children. Being with them will give you a sense of joy and happiness and wonder. Children are full of love and happiness. They just have so much of it and they’ll gladly share it with you too.

10) Detox

Detoxing your body is also one of the most powerful ways to clear your mind and body of negativity and toxicity, which thereby can lift your energy higher and your body feeling very light. Once in a while, you need to detox your body in order to feel realigned with yourself again. Eating heavy meals and meats every day throughout the day can be so acidic and take a toll on your digestive system, which can take up too much energy to digest rather than spreading that energy throughout your body and mind. 

Going on a juice cleansing detox for 2 or 3 days a month or a week (whichever makes you feel good) can be powerful, and so is fasting. On this note, taking up a healthy alkaline-rich diet by eating clean food or even eating the right foods the right way can help with balancing your hormones and keeping your mind clear of negativity. I highly recommend reading good books on how to keep your body healthy through detoxing and have a balanced lifestyle. My recommended title for now is the “Beauty Detox” by Kimberly Snyder.

11) Calming incense

This is also one of the great ways to feel relaxed and calmed immediately. Lighting up an incense stick, made from essential oils such as Lavender, Ylang ylang, or eucalyptus to name a few, is very effective in calming the nerves. It brightens up your mood and helps to clear the negative energy away. You can do this in your bathroom while you’re taking a nice bath, or anywhere in your home where you spend your quiet times the most.

12) Create goals

Have a goal or some goals in your life. Creating goals for yourself can get your mind activated and encourage you to think of new refreshing ideas about what you can do to go out and about. It can be a short- or long-term goal, whatever it is, have some. Without goals, life is meaningless. Having goals mean having a sense of purpose in life, and it gives you reason to move on and serve for the greater good.

13) Art

People usually think that you need to be born to be creative and create art pieces instantly without learning. Well, I think that’s bull****. I believe that everyone can be creative in so many ways, we just need to make an effort to learn some things. In this instance, art is a beautiful way of connecting with yourself in a much higher level. It is so meditative and gives you a heightened sense of peace and joy from within because you’re in touch with yourself on a deeper level. Being a self-taught artist myself, I know this to be the truth. Even if drawing or painting circles or a straight line is all you know, that can be a great start to channeling your artistic-self and getting to know yourself better. Take on an artistic endeavour, and you won’t regret it. It just means that you’re giving yourself a chance to shine. Most of the great minds, thinkers, and inventors who have ever lived before were artists too.

14) Positive affirmations

Make an effort to remove all negative self-talk that simply is nothing but a self-sabotaging act on yourself. Speak to yourself every day in the most positive way that you can come up with. Your body wants you to love it, and that begins with speaking in a loving and positive tone. Say “I love you” to yourself and give yourself either a pat on the back or a big hug. Affirm to yourself that “I deserve to be happy and wealthy in every way” or anything that you wish to say to yourself. Do this every day in front of the mirror and watch how your life will change. Positive affirmations can change your life as it alters every cell in your body and lifts your energy for good.

15) Energy Healing

There are several healing methods out there that you can do to realign and rejuvenate yourself, and increase your energy levels. The Chinese often call this energy “Chi”. It is so important to keep this “Chi” energy flowing smoothly in our bodies to keep us balanced and healthy. Sometimes when your body goes through some kind of trauma or even an illness, it also means that you may have blocked energy somewhere in your body.  The simplest solution to this is of course finding the right healing method for you to unblock that energy. Some of them that I know are such as Reiki, Crystal and Chakra healings. There are possibly more types of healing methods out there that can shift and unblock your energy. I have never personally tried Reiki before, but I have done some classes on how to do both crystal and chakra healing on myself previously and they do work. 

Energy clearing is so important for the health of your body, mind and soul, because wherever we go and who we are with, we are always absorbing the energies of our surroundings and of the people that we hang out with, thereby affecting our own energy levels too. If no clearing has been done before, the accumulated energy within your body can be blocked and remain stagnant over time, which can also in turn affect the health of your physical body. So, find ways to clear your energy once or twice daily or once a week, or however much you feel you need to do so.

16) Praying

I know that sometimes we may feel that praying doesn’t work no matter how much we pray, but it gives us all the more reason to keep praying. Praying does work, providing that we pray entirely from our hearts and souls. The emotion and energy that we give to praying is so important as God listens more to how we feel. If we feel that we aren’t being given enough, then we would always feel insufficient in life. But if we feel that joy is naturally inherent within us and that we are always taken care of, then that is what we will always attract, joy and abundance. Pray from your heart and your prayers will eventually be answered. Don’t underestimate the power of prayers. 

17) Meditation

Alongside praying, I also believe in the power of being in silence. It gives us a chance to reconnect with the power that we have within us, and getting to know ourselves better. Spending some time in quiet solitude every single day will give you a sense of power and self-discovery each time you do this. You will see how capable you are of focusing on the task that you do, and how much fresh new ideas and inspiration that you can gain by being in silence. Do this at least 10 to 20 minutes (or more) twice a day, and watch how your life will change from the way you think to the way you behave. On a bigger scale and over time, everything about you will change for the better. Your mood and energy levels will be higher as you keep yourself aligned with your higher purpose everyday. You will find yourself doing things that you have never done before or were once afraid of doing. Being in silence does take practice and patience, but you are worth the time to do this. 

So there you have it! The 17 ways to healing yourself from anxiety and depression. By doing at least a combination of a few of the ways I just described above can certainly help you to overcome your struggles and uplift your energy levels. In most cases, and certainly the most important thing is, having a sense of gratitude for life itself can overcome all challenges in your life. Always be grateful for what you have now and continue to harness that gratitude so you can attract all the good things and people into your life. 

Live and love life!