Yoga and Self-Help For Anxiety and Depression

Simple anxiety tips (perhaps for depression too) really do work. You may never have had a panic attack, or stage fright, or writer’s block, but all of life is a performance of some sort, and we all could improve how we approach difficult or stressful life situations.

1. Writing, writing, writing. Simply working your ideas out on paper, or writing in a journal, or a list so you aren’t stressing about forgetting. All of it works to reduce all sorts of anxiety, even students find it helps for test performance anxiety.
2. Exercise, any amount, any type, any level. Both as a prevention and a treatment strategy, exercise works; the most studies have been done on yoga as exercise.
3. Mindfulness. One minute, three minutes, or 5 minutes a day of mind-clearing breath work can work. Just doing the breath work on your own is an excellent health strategy, and yet adding in some yoga or aroma therapy to your bath or shower can enhance that time you make to be mindful.
4. Meditation, yes absolutely terrific; however just the simple task of being mindful is a terrific place to start without any particular instruction, outfit, or setting.
5. Preventing anxiety actually prevents depression.
6. Open air = Open mind! Now and then take that workout outside! And don’t forget your sunscreen.
7. Virtual reality? Yes, but where to go virtually, how long to be there, and how it works person to person has not yet been worked out!

You should be doing these simple things to ward off anxiety, however, you should always confer with your health care provider to find out if you actually need more medical evaluation and therapy.