Proactive Strategies for Anxiety and Depression

Anxiety and depression are different sides of the same pain coin. Having an episode of either can produce suffering that affects you and the people you care for. Here are some proactive strategies to help prevent or reduce the intensity of an episode.

Awareness

Awareness is the most important tool you have in your proactive arsenal. Most depressive/anxious episodes, with the exception of heavier cases fueled mostly by biological factors, begin as small negative repetitive thoughts. It will not take long for these thoughts to snowball into larger more emotionally charged ones that can trigger an episode. These negative thoughts are like roaches; they live and thrive in the dark. Awareness is a shining light that will make the negative thoughts scurry for cover and lose some intensity.

You Can Only Think One Thought At A Time So Make It A Positive One

Right now try to sing two songs in your head at the same time. It is impossible. Your mind can only think one thought at a time. You can use this to your advantage when trying to prevent a negative episode. When you become aware of negative thoughts building up, replace them with a repetitive positive thought. Some people develop mantras comprised of a single word or a saying that they will repeat over and over. You can even use an uplifting song or your favorite quote. Repeating a positive thought will bump the negative thought to the back of the line and someday may even ask that thought to leave the club. It takes time to reprogram your mind to do this, so don't be surprised if the depressive/anxious thought keeps coming back. In the end repetition is the mother of new habits and you can create new conditioning.

Create Space and Build Hedges Against the Night