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?

That sounds like a really good idea. I agree that routines are helpful. And also finding things to do you enjoy. I like knitting and doing jigsaws. Not so keen on walking but I agree getting out in the fresh air on a sunny day is a good thing.

A very small, broken down and easy routine. I woke at 7, did the same 11 minute yoga video, made a tea and breakfast, and sat and read 1 chapter of my book in the garden. It's a good way to start the day and feels satisfying and achievable.

I found that once I nailed a month of that, I was often wanting to do more yoga or extend it to a workout. The basic building blocks of being awake early, exercise l, eating well and staying offline are a really good way to set the mindset for the day to be good.

Cutting out alcohol made a huge difference for me, and I started walking every morning before starting my day. I also began journaling at night to get thoughts out of my head. When supporting a friend going through it, I found https://mentalhealthhotline.org/helping-someone/depression/ really helpful—it gave me clear advice on what to say and what not to say, which made those chats a bit less awkward.

It’s always interesting to hear what makes people better - but it’s also interesting to know what makes it worse. For me, it’s scrolling on my phone and iPad. I try to limit myself to purposeful browsing and definitely no screens (apart from my kindle) the hour before bed

I love MN, but I have to limit that too!

I record myself and playback my voice like a cheapo lo-fi counselling service. It helps with self compassion and context!!

Healthy diet (tricky when you can’t be arsed to cook or prep food, I realise).
Getting gentle exercise outdoors.
Gentle yoga before bed.

Cardio - which unfortunately is the exact last thing you feel like doing when in the depths of depression.