How to Ease Worry & Depression

The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) cites that approximately 14.8 million adults in the United States experience major depression yearly. Further, depression is responsible for more than two-thirds of the 30,000 suicides in America each year. One of the greatest contributors to depression is worry, which can be triggered by many factors, such as finances, marital issues, work, and general stress. To avoid becoming depressed, it is important to learn how to curb the destructive habit of worrying.

Instructions

Easing Worry and Depression

• 1

  Tackle the source of your worry. For example, if you are worried about losing your job because of the declining economy, you may dread going to work, fearing you will be "let go". You may be losing much sleep over this fear even though your job may be quite safe. Worrying about a situation that is out of your control is self-defeating. Accept that you cannot change the inevitable and work on changing what is possible.

• 2

  Perform relaxation techniques to ease your turbulent mind. Breathe in and count to six; pause; and breathe out while counting to nine. If possible, keep your mouth closed and breathe completely out of your nose. Breathe using count levels that you are comfortable with. For example, if counting to six or nine is too exerting for you, lower the count but ensure you are slowly breathing in and out. For a meditative effect, close your eyes while performing this breathing technique.

• 3

  Stop blaming yourself for things that went wrong in your life. Depression causes feelings of guilt and hopelessness. Understand that life is challenging and ups and downs are normal---they happen to everyone. Even if you caused certain mishaps in your life, do not dwell on them. Learn from the past, adapt to the present, and plan for the future.

• 4

  Do something valuable with your time. Worrying is a time-consuming habit and depression can overtake you for long periods of time. This is valuable time being used in an unproductive manner. Consider volunteering for a local charity or broaden your career possibilities. Whatever you are passionate about, as long as it is positive, enhance it.

• 5

  Do not isolate yourself from others. A key symptom of depression is isolation, which increases feelings of loneliness and the risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior. Regardless of how depressed you are, talk to someone you trust, such as a friend, family member, or join a support group (see Resources for the DBSA's online support groups). Escape from your negative thoughts by socializing with others, which will refresh your mind.