by Tiffany Solecki, BA Clinical Intern / in Active, Anxiety, Depression, Healing, Self Improvement / tags: anxiety, depression, Self Improvement
Challenging Anxiety and Depression: A Few Tips
As someone who has struggled with anxiety and depression, both experiences can be incredibly tiring and alienating. While they may at first glance seem like opposing conditions, I’ve learned from experience that anxiety and depression are actually more like “cousins.” Both tend to involve negative self-talk with anxiety being a state of insecurity and fear in response and depression being the result of paralyzation by belief. Thoughts such as “I’m unintelligent,” “I’m unattractive,” or “I’m unlovable” come to mind when I think about my own internal dialogue on particularly rough days.
While I recognize that the experiences of others may not mirror mine, I wanted to offer a few practical tips on how to challenge such negative feelings and thoughts.
- Avoiding Projection
Let’s say you’re attending a social event for work and had a lot on your mind so you weren’t as outgoing as you wanted to be. You may self-deprecate, telling yourself something like, “I wish I could have let go and had a good time. Everyone probably thought I was socially awkward.”
The projecting lies in the last two thoughts, in which you assumed that others agreed with you in your own negative self-assessment.
Imagine if someone else, such as a friend or family member, was in your place. If they had been quieter than usual one day, would you have automatically assumed that they were rude or socially awkward? I wouldn’t have.
Given that you likely would not respond so negatively to others in similar situations, ask yourself this: Why then, should you respond to yourself that way?
- Do something for yourself each day.
Self-care is crucial in challenging negative thoughts, so it’s a good idea to find something you enjoy doing or a task that you are determined to complete each day. This can be something as simple as doing laundry to as specific as making progress on a project or task you’ve had on your mind. Regardless as to what you choose to do, make sure it is something that is important to you, and try not to set overly high expectations for your completion of it. Since negative thought patterns often stem from the belief that we are incapable or lacking in some way, doing something small for yourself each day can serve as a reminder to the contrary.
- Connect with God.
If you’re like me, you probably cringe at the cliché response that if you “prayed or trusted in God more,” you wouldn’t be feeling anxious or depressed. Let me challenge this with Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
While many of us may feel as though God has abandoned us in our struggles with mental health, we can rest assured that such an assumption is contrary to Scripture. While worrying and thinking negatively are often tied to a lack of trust in God, its important for us to understand that God loves and cares for us in our suffering, whatever form it may take, and is not waiting for us to call on Him so he can point out our flaws with bitterness or contempt. Rather, as His children, He welcomes us into His presence with outstretched arms. He desperately wants to connect with us our rawness and vulnerability.
If you are struggling with depression and/or anxiety and want to request an appointment to see a therapist, click here.
About the Author: Tiffany Solecki, BA Clinical Intern
BA Clinical Intern
