What lifestyle changes helped you with depression and anxiety?

[helpmeplease25]

I suffer with anxiety and depression and can be am very up and down. I am currently feeling pretty low about everything - constant negative ruminating thoughts coupled with anxiety and feeling hugely overwhelmed about everything - which isn’t making for a particularly fun time at the moment.

I am on 50mg daily of sertraline and have been for nearly 4.5 years. I’ve made an appointment to speak to my GP this week to discuss potentially increasing my dose but also I want to get some blood tests done as I’ve previously had extremely low vitamin D levels which I know has an impact on depression, and also I feel like I may have a hormone imbalance.

Anyway, the point of my post is what lifestyle changes did you make that have helped you? I am not talking about therapy/CBT but things like better diet, more water (I do think I am very dehydrated too) etc etc? Also, did you have blood tests done which showed a deficiency that was having an impact?

Gardening - it soothes anxiety, gives me hope & brings me joy.

Eating well - although depression & anxiety drive me to eat badly, making sure I eat nutritiously every day makes a huge difference to anxiety the day afterward.

Thinking, "how am I supporting my mind & body today?" Helps to make sure I look after myself properly, from eating a simple meal to making my bed.

Low vitamin d will be impacting you - every adult in the UK ends up deficient over the winter without supplements, and it's the end of winter so I'd be really unsurprised if you're lacking.

My friend swears by knitting for anxiety - gives his hands something to do, focuses the mind without taxing it, and he says because its creative it never feels like wasted time.

1. Exercise. Just a walk a day will do. Somewhere you love, eg the sea or woods
2. Vit d, zinc and b12 are my mainstay vits. Challenge the fatigue.
3. "Healthy habits". I have lists of things I must do every day - make the bed, wash up, tody up before bed. I have to do them. I feel better when they're done.
4. Silly things. Watch Paul McCartney We All Stand together on YouTube. Read stupid buzzfeed lists. Anything that makes you giggle.

Good luck xx

A minimum of 2 litres of water every day

Exercise (running for me), dog walking, reduce alcohol (this one is big for me - i realised my mood is very sensitive to it). Things that would help but not cracked - better sleep and less caffiene

Only talking from an anxiety point of view (although I was utterly miserable and crying every day but wouldn’t say I was depressed).. I feel like I have completely flicked a switch on how I felt a year or two ago to now. I just completely changed my job. For pretty much my whole adult life I felt like I did what you’re ‘supposed’ to do. I went to uni, I stayed away from home, I got into teaching and got a permanent teaching job. On the face of it I was sorted, but the entire time inside I was feeling worse and worse. It was like my body had been telling me for years that it was uncomfortable with who I was trying to be and eventually I just crumbled and it manifested itself as anxiety. I was having panic attacks at work, having more anxiety about trying to hide them, taking beta blockers throughout the day, constantly felt like I was on the verge of a heart attack and just wanted to sprint out the building to make it stop. I eventually went off sick and then left. It was spilling over into my every day life and I just had full scale social anxiety. I remember meeting friends for lunch and just praying they wouldn’t ask me any direct questions and put the focus on me because it was almost the same reaction as stage fright if I was being asked to speak infront of hundreds of people.

I went for therapy and I’m not sure how much it helped but I did feel better after it and he pointed out the fact it was just a job and the people from HR chasing me when I was off sick were just ticking a box and didn’t actually care whether I was coming back or not, they’d hit the button to pay me regardless. It helped see sense.

I thought I needed an SSRI but actually avoidance (what they say you shouldn’t do) was exactly what transformed me. I’ve avoided ever going back into that job. I avoid certain situations where I might need to be centre of attention (made my wedding low key to avoid dreading it) and the transformation just subconsciously spilled over into my whole life and I now meet friends without considering I’ll have a panic attack mid-lunch. It’s the weirdest thing. I didn’t tell a soul about it though, didn’t even tell my husband I went for counselling. Just said I was off with stress from work. Opening up probably would have helped at the time if I had

Propanolol - game-changer for managing anxiety.

Therapy - a lot, with a very good counsellor. Both for unpacking a lot of what was at the core of the way I felt, and for learning ways to manage my emotions; also learning to really understand that I am not my feelings or emotions. Knowing myself.

Getting enough sleep. Making my bed, and bedroom, a good and safe place to be. I've also got a small stash of melatonin for when I need some help with dropping off.

Movement. Exercise I like - for me, weightlifting and yoga, with the occasional dance class. Getting outside for long walks. When I'm feeling the mood coming on, doing something - anything - around the house like the dishes or hoovering, to get out of my brain and into my body. Not spending time on my phone. Doing sensory things (agree with the comment about perfume above - I have loads of samples!)

Spending time with people I love and care for, and who love and care for me, especially if we're just hanging out or doing fun silly stuff. Even just texting with folks is good. When I feel a black mood coming on, all I want to do is hide myself away and actually it's far better to be around people then - it's taken a very long time to to put that into action.

On the other side - having a handle on the people/places/etc that will bring my mood down. Setting boundaries. Learning to say no.

Eating well. Staying hydrated.

One of the most useful books I've read recently which has helped was 'Know Your Self Worth' by Anna Mathur. Most of what I've described above comes down to treating myself with worth, as someone worthy of love, respect and care. Depression tells you otherwise, but you are worth the world and should treat yourself gently and with love.

To add, in agreement with PP: it's really worth thinking about what parts of your mental health are being affected by situational factors, and where/if you can change them. One of the biggest improvements to my depression/anxiety in recent years came from quitting a truly soul-destroying job - all of the meditation and yoga and walks and sleep wasn't going to fix that.

I find being ‘busy’ helps me. (Is that a lifestyle thing?)

I do a lot of what has been mentioned eg drinking water, eating sensibly, vitamin D. I read The Gut Makeover and have given up caffeine, I eat a banana every day, no alcohol, reduced carbs/bread. I had a course of vitamin B injections. I have been doing regular exercise for nine months having not worked out for years. I don’t feel any benefit to things like that! Not to say there hasn’t been, I just don’t feel any different.

I am much happier if I have been productive during the day (I don’t mean stressed out busy rushing around) and been out and about with things to do and mixing with people.

Boot camp exercise classes and COD liver oil with omega 3.

Eat enough.
Avoid having work days off.
Walking the dog in all weathers.
Trauma therapy.

Meditating really worked for me. I have the balance app and it has daily 10 minute guided meditations. Also has others you can do in addition to your daily ones to help with all sorts of things. Helps regulate your nervous system by regulating your breathing and calming you down physically. Very helpful I found with anxiety in particular.

I actually feel that rather than a ‘new’ wholesale lifestyle change, do the - is it atomic? - habits thing. Just change one tiny thing but do it consistently for a few weeks.
When you feel stronger do something else, ad infintitum.
Time passes anyway and one small improvement every three weeks leads to massive changes over a year.
You know the things you need to do; water, exercise, sleep, nutrition, inspiration.

Me:
Leaving a high control coercive environment and giving myself time to heal.
Taking Omega 3's (high EPA) supplement
Getting outside every day I can
Minimising news/ social media

Dc:
Getting diagnosed with ADHD and getting treated for it

Things that helped me get from miserable, crying, unable to get out of bed some days and regular panic attacks:

• cutting back from drinking a bottle of wine alone a couple of times a week, to only drinking with friends when out. About twice a month.
• gave up smoking
• starting a hobby, which I love and met great people
• divorce
• therapy
• increased walking and exercise at least twice a week
• eat better. Cooking from scratch, mainly plant based. Not at all expensive
• sleep better. Read in bed instead of being on phone
• training and now do a job I love

It took me 4 years, some easy, some really difficult. All worth it!

The biggest one is having good people around you. Having company (that doesn’t mean you have to interact with them, but just that they are close by) throughout the day is so important.

Gardening is very amazing. Even just watching allotment vlogs helps me a ton.

I second PP - fresh air.

On my CBT course they had a phrase about “action before motivation” ie you have to take the action rather than just wait to be motivated and / or not depressed! I now try and avoid overthinking e.g this morning it was sunny, so I didn’t spend hours overthinking when to go out, I just got dressed and went. Ditto when I get home from work etc or I have something to do, I never sit down, just get going. Basically trying to train my brain to not think, just do.

Also colouring with my eldest, I find it distracts me from the constant thoughts buzzing around

As others have said get outside in the morning and exercise. I find mindfulness exercises helpful such as this one https://www.zerotothree.org/resource/five-senses-exercise/
Take omega 3 and a multivitamin.
Distraction when your brain is spiralling -watching a funny TV programme like Brooklyn 99, listening to an audiobook (I find listening to an audiobook very helpful at night to distract a racing mind)
Putting some music on and dancing
Write down three (or more) things you achieved at the end of each day. They can be small things like 'had a shower' or bigger things.
Ring up and chat to a friend
Hope you feel better soon.

Second this.
Meat protein daily stopped the sugar cravings dead.
Certainly goes along way ti elevate depression

Gardening - there something about being outside and nurturing something and watching it grow as well as being aware of how the garden changes through the seasons, plus making plans for what you can do next, what you are going to plant - it’s an exercise in hope. There are also lots of lovely gardens to visit and soothing programs like Gardeners World to watch.
Going to sleep listening to podcasts was also a game changer for me in terms if anxiety. When my brain is going into overdrive at bedtime I stick something on entirely unrelated to my life/current affairs and drift off. Sports podcasts are very good for this.

My first GP appointment for anxiety (took me many years to build up the courage) she asked me about exercise. It was a game changer for me. I started running that week having never run before. Mid 40s, overweight, allergic to any kind of jogging. I have never looked back. I don't get the endorphin rush people talk about and I am convinced it is as simple as being outside, come rain or shine and being active.

Try to get yourself out for 30 mins a day to walk, jog, whatever. Deep breaths, look around, try to connect with the world around you.

And then as others have said, stay hydrated, decent food and sleep. Make yourself a promise that you'll stick to those basics over the course of a week. A day here or there slips it's fine but try to keep on top of them.

And then as I got older HRT.

I'm on sertraline (given after my third GP appointment I think) Was on 50mg for a few years then upped to 100mg after a significant traumatic bereavement and now back down to 50mg and aiming to wean off.

Still overweight and very slow but still feel the benefits of regular, outdoor exercise.

Good luck and take care.

Getting sober

My best time was when I didn’t look at my phone either after 6 or first thing in the morning, I slept amazingly and my eyes felt and looked rested. Wasn’t able to keep it up (as you can tell!)

After 40+ years of depression the only thing that's worked is everytime I start negative thinking I say no to myself and keep saying that until it stops. I was surprised how quickly the habit stopped.
For me I think I'm prone to feel sorry for myself so I loved to dwell.
Hope you find something that works.

Therapy
working - worked with Occupational Health and initially built up the hours slowly before returning to work FT
Set myself a personal goal we have a hill near us so slowly over time I wanted to walk the top without stopping
Joined the local gym and weight training and swimming
Stopped drinking alcohol - was never an issue but wanted clear head while on medication
drink water
structure - going to bed. Even on a rough night still got up and showered at 6:30
spent time outside - just sitting listening to birds, cut the grass, weeding etc