How to fight Anxiety and Depression

Tips on how to Fight Anxiety and Depression

Introduction

Are you feeling restless and tired always? Having trouble falling asleep? Loss of appetite? Losing hope for yourself and your situation? These are some of the signs and symptoms of Anxiety and Depression.

Due to the pandemic last year. The cases of Depression rise, because of many things that happened. Many people lost their jobs, Some closed their businesses, and some got infected by COVID-19, and some lost their loved ones because of the virus.

Please understand that the following statements are based on my experience and some of the research that I made. Since I also was diagnosed with Anxiety and Depression last year, Luckily I was able to ask for help before this illness consume me completely.

In this article, we will discuss the definition of terms and understand what is Anxiety and Depression are all about. And how this illness occurs, and what are the signs and symptoms that we need to watch out for.

I want to share my experience with those people who suffered from this illness, and I am hoping that you too will have a fighting chance to stand up again and not give up.

Definition

What are Anxiety and Depression? are they related to each other? or are they different from one another? These are some of the questions that we will answer first so that we can have a better understanding of the said illness.

Anxiety

Feeling anxious is expected to occur in our daily lives, it is normal to feel anxious when you are at work, or before taking an exam, or during job interviews. In normal cases, their anxiety will go away once the person calmed down or after the said situation is finished.

However, for people with Anxiety Disorders is not just worry or fear because their Anxiety does not go away, and in some cases, their Anxiety gets worse. As a matter of fact, there are several types of Anxiety Disorders (Click this link for more details about Anxiety Disorders) 

In my case, I experience a type of Anxiety called General Anxiety Disorder. To explain it further here are some of the symptoms that I experienced:

• Feeling restless, wound-up, or on-edge
• Being easily fatigued
• Having difficulty concentrating
• Being irritable
• Having muscle tension
• Difficulty controlling feelings of worry
• Having sleep problems, such as difficulty falling or staying asleep, or unsatisfying sleep

Source:https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders/index.shtml

I experienced no sleep for 3-5 days straight, and if I get lucky to fall asleep it only lasts for 2 hours or less. In some instances, I only get 30 minutes of sleep. Then I will be awake for 18 hours or more and the situation will repeat.

I already noticed that I had this Anxiety Disorder way back before the pandemic occurred due to too much stress on my work-related activities. But because of the series of unfortunate events that happened to me last year this disorder got worse than I imagined.

Depression

Depression is a common but serious mood disorder, which if the symptoms get worse it can affect the way you think and feel, and handle your daily activities such as working, sleeping, and eating. When the symptoms get worse, the person with Depression will experience severe hopelessness, which is dangerous (If you are starting to experience this, please seek help immediately).

Source:https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml

But what causes this illness? Many studies claimed that it was caused by traumatic events in childhood or even in adulthood, Some studies claimed that it was caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. There are a lot of factors to consider, According to an article from Harvard University Medical School, Depression is more than just a chemical imbalance.

Since Depression affects even the decision-making of the person. In this article, it was stated also that Depression may root in the person’s genes, which makes some are more vulnerable to experience Depression.

In my case. These are some things that caused me so much pain, that make it traumatic for me as well.

• My failures in the past and even until now I still continue to fail to achieve my goals in life 
• The recent loss of job (the only source of income)
  
• Still being bullied in the workplace 
• Hearing so many negative comments at work even in our house
• Expectations on me 
• My responsibility to help my mother because she is a single parent. 

When I was diagnosed with Anxiety and Depression, My Psychiatrist said that Depression is caused by both Chemical Imbalance and my recent traumatic experiences such as losing a job, etc. According to him, Anxiety and Depression are related to each other which means if you have Anxiety most likely you have Depression as well.

Tips on how to cope with Anxiety and Depression

Now that we understand the co-relation of Anxiety and Depression, The question needed to be answered is How can we fight it? and What can we do about this illness?

Let me share with you the things I did to cope up with my Anxiety and Depression. I understand that we all have different situations, Therefore, I will do my best to make it general so that the following tips can help you out.

1. Take a break

Your well-being should be your first priority on top of everything else. The reason that you are suffering this much. Because you have sacrificed your happiness too much. Yes, you have your priorities and your objectives.

However, you are still a human being who gets tired and drained with all of the things that you needed to do or you have to accomplish. Regardless if you are the breadwinner of your family, or you have many priorities on your shoulder. You need to take a break.  

Why? Because, if you take a break from all of your usual activities. You will get a chance to reset your mind, you cannot free your mind from stress if you are still in a stressful environment. You have to give yourself time to move out from it for a while. Take a rest, do something fun a little bit until you are ready to face your challenges once again.

Always remember, there is no magic cure, time will help you heal. How slow it might take, what matters is your progress to get better.

2. Do something that you are passionate about

People who are experiencing depression are struggling to do their usual activities. Most of them sometimes distance themselves from the community that they are part of because of the fear of being judged or that people around them will not understand their current situation. However, even if you are experiencing Depression you can still do the things that you are passionate about. 

If you are into writing, write something about anything you wish. If you love to cook dishes, practice new recipes. If you are a gamer, try to stream and play with people in the gaming community.

When you do the fun things that you passionate about, You will feel satisfied and fulfilled because your brain produces hormones called Dopamine which is also known as the Feel-good Hormone, Endorphins are also known as the Happy hormone, And the most important hormone to reduce Depression, The Serotonin.

If you want to learn more about the factors behind the production of Happiness 

click here >> Happiness

3. Do not be afraid to seek help

You may find it difficult, however seeking help is the most important thing to do when you are starting to experience Depression. Whether if it’s your doctor or a professional. Regardless, seeking help is your first step to do for you to fight depression. They will help you express your struggles, and even prescribe you the medicine you need to take to help you cope up with this illness. Always remember it is never too late to ask for help.

4. Acceptance

This is the most difficult thing to do for a lot of people. Regardless, if they are experiencing depression, a person who made a mistake, or a person who failed. However, this is your key ingredient for you to get well. We, who experienced depression we cannot accept certain situations or we are afraid to accept the things that are happening with our life which is adding to the burden that we are already carrying in our lives. 

For example, in my situation. During the time I am experiencing depression, I am struggling to accept the reality of what the future holds for me since I lost my job, and all of my plans and dreams got crumpled in an instant. I was afraid that I have to take another road that I will be taking and what if that road leads to nowhere. 

Importance of Acceptance

Acceptance is a very important factor to cope up with depression. It is not your fault if you cannot accept the reality just yet. It is okay, Acceptance is a learning phase. The truth is, we cannot do it overnight. Acceptance takes time. Let me share with you the things that I accepted which changed the way I am thinking right now. And how it helped me cope up.

1. Acceptance of the truth that I failed once again
2. Accepting the fact that I lost a job and I have to start over with my plans
3. Acceptance of the reality regarding my situation
4. Accepting that I made a mistake
5. Acceptance that I experienced Depression
6. Accepting that there are things we cannot control
7. Acceptance that sometimes life is not in our favor
8. Acceptance that sometimes there is nothing we can do but move on
   

It took a while before I was able to accept all of these. However, After accepting it. I can say it really changed the way I’m thinking right now because acceptance is never an easy task for every individual. Because we always deny our failures and the reality that things we do not want to happen just happened to us.  Let me share this post with you. And I hope this will help you accept things that are happening in your situation.

Depression – An open letter to someone struggling

Conclusions

As much as I wanted to share with you the prescription made for my depression. Because many people are insensitive thinking that my Depression is not real. I will not show it here for privacy and security. Anyways, this article is not for those insensitive people. I made this for the people who are just like I experienced Depression and for those who are experiencing Depression. 

Life was never gentle to some of us. Sometimes there are things that happened and will put us on our lowest point in life which makes us almost wanted to give up and surrender completely. However, I wanted you to know.

That you are not alone in this world, Your family is always there for you. Your loved ones. Your friends. They are always around in case you needed help, do not be afraid to reach out. I understand it might be difficult, but please do not give up just yet. 

This world even at times is harsh to us. There is still the beauty in being alive. We may experience these struggles, and I pray that you will eventually overcome all of this and survive all your difficulties in life. 

I may not know you personally. But if you are reading this I want you to know, that I am hoping for you to get better and I hope that you will have the strength to stand up again and keep on moving forward. I am hoping that you will make it through this hardship, just do not give up yet. And let us hope together for a better future that is waiting in front of us.

Dedication to those people who helped me

I want to share with you the persons who helped me get through my depression. My mom, Mae David, looked for the doctor who helped me get through this. And Dr. Julien V. Guiang, The Psychiatrist that even during the pandemic, monitored me remotely via Viber and Text to make sure that in case I needed help. His phone line is always open, and he is available to hear me out. 

And to the person who is always there for me no matter what, the only person that I didn’t hear any negative comments even I failed many times. The only person who helped me find the track during the time I was lost. 

Thank you han!

If you want to know the contact details about the doctor who helped me feel free to message us here or on our Facebook page

or you can contact the National Center for Mental Health hotlines which are open 24 hours daily: +63917 899-USAP (8727) / +632 79898727