The Mental Emotional Health Blog

When it comes to taking care of myself, I admit I take it for granted sometimes. I encourage other people to practice good self-care, find time to relax, find some “me-time”, focus on breathing, or meditate.

And then there’s me. I have noticed that occasionally I fall into the myth that talking and thinking about wellness enough leads me to thinking I don’t need it as much myself. That looks silly to me when I actually write it out.

Today at lunch, I invested 10 minutes to just be quiet and focus on my breathing. I noticed my thoughts wandering quite a bit during those 10 minutes, which tells me I haven’t been giving myself enough quiet time/meditation for a while. So far (after lunch), I feel a little more calm and a little more control of my thoughts. But more than that, I am more aware of myself.

I guess this entry is an example of a therapist admitting his faults, and taking his own advice.

I see people with Anxiety symptoms in my office as much or more than I see people with Depression symptoms. Anxiety is a large category with many different signs, but I’ll put it in the simplest terms I can. With Anxiety, you’re nervous about something specific or everything in general. Mentally, you either have difficulty focusing on any one subject or you feel you cannot help but focus on one subject. Emotionally, you could experience a range of feelings from uneasy to worried to panicked. Physically, you might notice tight muscles, headaches, stomach discomfort or pain, or shortness of breath, or other signs.

So what can you do? Here is a short list to get you started, but everyone has their own methods that tend to work better for them. The important thing here is to use what works.

Tips for Decreasing Anxiety
- Deep breathing (breathe from your belly, not your chest, and a little slower than normal)
- Distracting, pleasurable activities
- Exercise
- Meditation
- Positive self-talk (mentally say reassuring things to yourself)
- Talking to a trustworthy person
- Martial arts
- Eliminating or cutting down caffeine intake
- Training your mind to slow down
- Making preparations instead of just worrying

Change something if you’ve been feeling depressed. Part of depression is that “stuck” feeling that doesn’t seem to go away or change much. So try taking a different route to work, try a new flavor of coffee in the morning, or change the scenery during the day by going outside and taking a few deep breaths.