Mental and emotional health are similar to physical health. There are illnesses that aren’t readily apparent but can wreak havoc on our systems if left alone to fester. Just as you might feel a toothache and ignore that for some time, only to find out that you need a root canal. There’s a level of mental and emotional awareness and maintenance we must do to stay healthy.
As we come upon National Anxiety and Depression Awareness Week, it’s incumbent upon us all to check in with ourselves to see how we’re doing regarding mind, emotion, body and spirit. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), it is “estimated [that] 19.1% of U.S. adults had any anxiety disorder in the past year,” as shown in Figure 1 below from the NIMH website.
Source: Figure 1
Prevalence is even higher among adolescents with an “estimated 31.9% of adolescents [having] had any anxiety disorder” in the past year, shown in Figure 3 below from the NIMH website. If you’re a parent or guardian, or work with young people, it’s even more important for you to pay close attention to them to see signs that they may not be able to identify for themselves. Anxiety is the most common mental illness in the United States today, so we should learn the telltale attributes for quick action.
Source: Figure 3
Furthermore, the numbers are pretty stark for major depressive episodes (which debilitate life activities) with nearly 7% of US adults and 9% of adolescents suffering from major depression.
But, while things may feel hopeless for the individual suffering, they are usually far from that. By tuning your emotional hygiene, you can notice the coming waves of an anxiety or depressive episode. And, there are techniques, apps and resources available to you, now more than ever before, to fight back against these pernicious emotional phases of life.
Noticing Signs of Anxiety and Depression
Of course, if you have any indication of onset or relapse, you should seek out a qualified mental health provider. As stated above, if you realize you had a severe tooth pain, you’d seek out your dentist to remedy the matter. So, it stands that if you feel that kind of emotional pain, you should seek out medical attention for that as well. Below are ways to notice when you are suffering.
Our thoughts and feelings cause physiological responses, which eventually cause physical ailments. The simplest way we can identify anxiety and depression is that we feel physically uncomfortable because of something going on emotionally. Do you notice any sensation, feeling or thought that is unpleasant or a feeling of being “off” about yourself lately?
For many people, when you feel the sensations in your chest, or discomfort in your stomach, (and they’re not heartburn or another digestive problem from spicy tacos for dinner!) it’s a good time to check in with yourself. You might decide to journal about what’s making you feel this way.
A good exercise when you feel stuck, anxious or low mood, is to think about the person, place or thing that is coming to mind when you feel these ways. Close your eyes and put yourself in a room with that person or thing, or in that place, and describe to yourself what you see. Try to identify how you feel about that circumstances. As therapist Susan Heitler describes in her TEDxWilmington talk, Lift Depression With These 3 Prescriptions- Without-Pills, a clear sign that you’ve identified your issue is that you feel smaller than the instigating factor for your anxiety or depression.
Once you’ve identified your issue, it’s much easier to combat the anxiety or depressive episode.
Ways to Combat Anxiety and Depression
Stephen S. Llardi, PhD, writes in his 2009 book, The Depression Cure: The 6-Step Program to Beat Depression without Drugs, about a six-step program for combatting depression. From the book description, Dr. Llardi notes that, “[i]n the past decade, depression rates have skyrocketed, and one in four Americans will suffer from major depression at some point in their lives. Where have we gone wrong? …Dr. Ilardi prescribes an easy-to-follow, clinically proven program that harks back to what our bodies were originally made for and what they continue to need.” Remarkably, managing anxiety and depression both can be helped by this program.
Here are the basics of The Depression Cure Program steps outlined:
- Get physical activity (and he recommends 30 minutes of walking per day, three times per week);
- Eat your recommended daily portion of foods with Omega-3 fatty acids (or take a supplement);
- Expose your skin to just 10 minutes of sunlight for Vitamin D per day;
- Work on good sleep hygiene (i.e., devices off a few hours before bedtime, no caffeine in the afternoon, use beds for sleep and sex only, and get approximately 7-8 hours per night);
- Engage in activities that keep you from ruminating; and
- Seek out social connection.
Here’s Dr. Llardi explaining his theory on the cause of depression, anxiety and other ailments and his research that has borne these principles and techniques, in his 2014 TEDx Emory talk below.
The best part of Llardi’s work is that you don’t need to be depressed or battling with an anxiety disorder to benefit from following the six steps he provides. These simple self-care practices can help stave off anxiety and depressive symptoms and episodes.
If you want to cope with your anxiety specifically, Olivia Remes, a researcher at University of Cambridge, outlines several coping skills for managing anxiety. Watch the TEDx talk above and see which of the anxiety-coping skills resonates with you, or check out some of the resources and app below for further self-help with anxiety and depression.
Apps and Resources for Help with Anxiety and Depression
There are so many new apps coming onto the market that can help with anxiety and depression, that it’s tough to select the wheat from the chaff. Here are some of the best options, and why:
- Talkspace – This is a next-level counseling and therapy mobile app, available on iOS and Android. You answer a few questions and are paired with a liaison who helps match you with the right counselor or therapist with the specialties you need to treat your issue. They offer chat and video-based services, for one affordable weekly or monthly fee.
- Self-Help Anxiety Management (SAM) – Available for Android and iOS also, this is also a mobile app but it facilitates behavioral interventions (psychology-speak for activities and exercises) to help you counteract the symptoms you’re facing with anxiety.
- IntelliCare suite of apps – According to its website, “[t]hese apps are part of a nationwide research study funded by the National Institutes of Health,” and each one provides a specific remedy to anxiety and depression-related symptoms. (Currently only available for Android.)
- University of Michigan Depression Center’s Depression Toolkit – This Depression Toolkit is a project of “the professionals at the University of Michigan Depression Center, the nation’s first ever multidisciplinary center dedicated to depressive and bipolar illnesses.” It contains 12 sections of strategies for managing depression. It’s comprehensive and written in language that’s very accessible.
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While anxiety and depression are heavy and complicated topics, there are things each and every one of us can do to help. From bringing compassion and information to those suffering, to noticing we’re experiencing anxiety or depression and ferreting out the cause so we can take back control, we all have the power to move the needle in a positive direction when it comes to anxiety and depression. Hopefully these strategies and resources help you bring a little more harmony and peace of mind to your life and the life of your loved ones.