I know this is a while back but if you see this, I hope it helps.
I've suffered from depression and anxiety for a long time and I think treatment does work for a lot of people but it shouldn't be the FIRST option. Exercise, diet etc all help as they help to balance the chemical imbalances that may be present. Some are physical (i.e just there), others are dietary or caused psychologically.
The way I beat it and handle any episodes I have was by learning about body language, studying people that I admire and are confident and learning their postures, gestures, modelling behaviour of theirs that I really liked that would make me feel confident. I used Robert Downey Jr, Derren Brown, David Tennant, Benedict Cumberbatch and others. I'm not saying pretend to be these people but take on aspects of heroes you have that you would like to have and model them. Learn about social dynamics and the way we interact on a metasocial level. I.e learn about status, small gestures, good language. It takes a bit to make it feel more natural, at first it will feel very forced but you get great benefits from it.
Body language is more important than you realise, changing it can change almost everything. Of course it's not permanent and not a complete strategy alone but learning about it is a powerful weapon against both anxiety and depression. Think of it as a gun, it's a great tool but it needs ammo.
Take note of the way you talk to yourself internally and stop and study ANY negative thoughts such as: I can't...I hate...I wish...I don't. You say these things to yourself a lot (lots of people do) but if you take them apart and ask yourself: Why can't I...? What if I tried...? Maybe if I asked...? Who can help me with this? What do I need in order to be able...?
Asking yourself better questions, especially ones that assume that you can do X, Y or Z, you can find yourself with answers and solutions that weren't there when you just said: I can't do it or something like that. Seriously, this will tackle a lot of subconscious patterns and thoughts you have. It really helped me a lot.
Your diet and sleep pattern will make a big difference. I know I'm having an episode or about to if my sleep starts going or I stop eating as well. No matter how confident I am, sleep and good food are the fuel for dealing with anxiety and it nearly always comes back if I ignore it.
Lastly, I'd say treatment is very helpful and has direct effects but it can also have nasty side effects or be overkill for some patients. I think it really depends on the issues involved, the physical problems involved and other genetic factors. That said, I think treatment is a last resort when nothing else can help or the physical/genetic factors are too strong and should not be a blanket treatment for all depression/anxiety. It's too prevalent and it's damaging.
-Experience: 4 years confidence coaching. Also trying to get body language taught in schools to help students have better social skills and more confidence.
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I know this is a while back but if you see this, I hope it helps.
I've suffered from depression and anxiety for a long time and I think treatment does work for a lot of people but it shouldn't be the FIRST option. Exercise, diet etc all help as they help to balance the chemical imbalances that may be present. Some are physical (i.e just there), others are dietary or caused psychologically.
The way I beat it and handle any episodes I have was by learning about body language, studying people that I admire and are confident and learning their postures, gestures, modelling behaviour of theirs that I really liked that would make me feel confident. I used Robert Downey Jr, Derren Brown, David Tennant, Benedict Cumberbatch and others. I'm not saying pretend to be these people but take on aspects of heroes you have that you would like to have and model them. Learn about social dynamics and the way we interact on a metasocial level. I.e learn about status, small gestures, good language. It takes a bit to make it feel more natural, at first it will feel very forced but you get great benefits from it.
Body language is more important than you realise, changing it can change almost everything. Of course it's not permanent and not a complete strategy alone but learning about it is a powerful weapon against both anxiety and depression. Think of it as a gun, it's a great tool but it needs ammo.
Take note of the way you talk to yourself internally and stop and study ANY negative thoughts such as: I can't...I hate...I wish...I don't. You say these things to yourself a lot (lots of people do) but if you take them apart and ask yourself: Why can't I...? What if I tried...? Maybe if I asked...? Who can help me with this? What do I need in order to be able...?
Asking yourself better questions, especially ones that assume that you can do X, Y or Z, you can find yourself with answers and solutions that weren't there when you just said: I can't do it or something like that. Seriously, this will tackle a lot of subconscious patterns and thoughts you have. It really helped me a lot.
Your diet and sleep pattern will make a big difference. I know I'm having an episode or about to if my sleep starts going or I stop eating as well. No matter how confident I am, sleep and good food are the fuel for dealing with anxiety and it nearly always comes back if I ignore it.
Lastly, I'd say treatment is very helpful and has direct effects but it can also have nasty side effects or be overkill for some patients. I think it really depends on the issues involved, the physical problems involved and other genetic factors. That said, I think treatment is a last resort when nothing else can help or the physical/genetic factors are too strong and should not be a blanket treatment for all depression/anxiety. It's too prevalent and it's damaging.
-Experience: 4 years confidence coaching. Also trying to get body language taught in schools to help students have better social skills and more confidence.
February 14, 2013 - 1:29pmThis Comment
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