Mental Exercises for Anxiety and Depression

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Mental Exercises for Anxiety and Depression

Mental Exercises for Anxiety and Depression

Anxiety and depression are two disorders that can affect the wellbeing of your mental health. You could experience low, gloomy mood levels as well as phobias that take over your thoughts and how you see yourself and the world around you. While it is important to take medication and to talk to your therapist, here are some mental exercises to do at home to help decrease troubling symptoms of anxiety and depression.

One activity that you can do when you start to feel really down on yourself is to make a list of all of your positive attributes so that you can remind yourself how important you are and that you matter. Put this list in a place where you can see it like your desk, computer, door, fridge, pocket, or your bathroom mirror. Write down moments when you have done something that made you feel proud and all of the nice things that people have said about you for the day. Look at this list whenever you feel negative about yourself as we all need a reminder of why we are worth it.

Another activity is to make long-term goals so that you have something to look forward to in the future. It can be to join that new social club that does fun activities every week, getting down to your goal weight, picking a new hobby you look forward to doing every day, or it can be career goals. Whenever you accomplish any short-term goals you create for yourself, you can reward yourself such as eating your favorite meal or going on vacation as a way to motivate you to continue sticking with these goals. Meditation is also helpful in times of stress so you can get out of your negative thoughts and focus on the positive. You can meditate in moments that are most stressful to you like before or after work and before you go to bed so that you can sleep peacefully. Try meditating with scented candles or relaxing music to feel calmer.

Whenever you feel any negative thoughts swimming in your head about yourself such as your personality, strengths, body, or your worth, just say no to those thoughts. You will feel strong and empowered than those self-hating thoughts that bring you down. Complete any of these activities at anytime and anyplace and you will gain a brighter outlook on yourself and your future.

Cottonwood Tucson is an inpatient holistic behavioral health treatment center and addiction rehab. At Cottonwood, certified psychiatrists and master’s level counselors help patients to identify and change maladaptive attitudes, behavior, attitudes and beliefs that can undermine their ability to produce a calm, happy mood. For more information, call us today at (888) 727-0441.

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