Depression, Anxiety and Me

Depression and anxiety are easier to tackle when you know something about yourself. I think I had the hardest time with it when I was younger, because I didn't know what I was going through and didn't know how to deal with it. We certainly know a lot more about depression and anxiety now than I did when I was in my twenties, and knowledge is power.

My first serious brush with depression and anxiety occurred right after I first moved away from home to be closer to the college I was attending, although at that point I was experiencing more anxiety than depression. I was overwhelmed by the prospect of being on my own and having to make my own decisions. That only compounded after I graduated and faced the myriad of career decisions that awaited me. There's nothing like being awake at 2:00 a.m. in the morning and utterly convinced that you're going crazy. I felt as if I had no one to call - not because I didn't have great friends (I did), but I didn't even have the vocabulary at that point to explain to them what I was going through.

I tend to lump depression into two types - that which is situation-dependent, like the one I suffer from, and that which is organic in nature. Situational depression is triggered by outside events and one's subsequent reaction to them, and the organic type is triggered by God only knows what -- lack of serotonin, Vitamin B, pregnancy hormones - whatever. If you're suffering from depression so severe that you can't function, or that you're thinking of harming yourself or others, please see a doctor immediately and try and figure out what's going on. There is no wiggle room here. If you're suffering from situational depression you have a lot more options, and I can tell you how I've dealt with it over the years.

The best tools I have found for dealing with my depression and anxiety are cognitive-behavioral therapy and neurolinguistic programming. Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps to deal with behavioral issues that stem from deep-seated fears and phobias. It's useful for people who suffer from depression and anxiety because it challenges the sufferer's longstanding beliefs and opinions, and sheds light on whether or not they are appropriate or accurate. Neurolinguistic programming is a tool that helps the sufferer to take a look at his or her inner dialogue and rewrite the portions that are damaging or self-limiting. If you'd like to read more about either of these, I have attached some links below.

Whenever you encounter any situation in life, there is a substantial amount of inner dialogue that goes on along with it. If it's a problematic situation, these could be anywhere from, "it's not that bad; I can deal with it" to "my life is over - I'll never get past this." How effectively you deal with any situation depends completely on how effectively you talk to yourself about it, so it helps to do it well. The best resource I have found so far on how to do this has been Tony Robbins. His book Awaken the Giant Within has helped me through many tough situations and I would recommend it to anyone. It's a handbook on neurolinguistic programming, basically. He has also created numerous DVD series and videos that are very helpful. His voice is very reassuring in and of itself -- if I'm pressed for time, I can listen to a CD for about fifteen or twenty minutes and I'll feel a lot better, often for the rest of the day! If you don't feel like spending that kind of money just now, go to YouTube and type in "Tony Robbins." There are short videos from some of his presentations there, and that will give you an idea of the kinds of material he presents.

Another great resource is Lucinda Bassett, whose book From Panic to Power: Proven Techniques to Calm Your Anxieties, Conquer Your Fears, and Put You in Control of Your Life should be on the bookshelf of anyone who suffers from either anxiety or depression. She is the President of The Midwest Center for Stress and Anxiety, and she brings a lifetime of experience from struggling with depression and anxiety to her work. She is honest and generous in her approach, and it's reassuring to read her books.

There is so much I could write on this topic that I've had to be selective in terms of what I present. There are obviously many more approaches to tackling anxiety and depression than those I've listed. Some other effective approaches are studying nutrition, physical exercise, meditation and developing a large social network. Volunteering is another great approach, too. It gives you the opportunity to meet many worthwhile people you would never come across in your day-to-day life, and see how they're handling their problems. And helping someone else is often all it takes to feel really good. Whatever approach you choose, I wish you great success with it, and I hope I've helped point you in the right direction.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_behavioral_therapy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurolinguistic_programming

http://www.amazon.com/Awaken-Giant-Within-Immediate-Emotional/dp/0671791540/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258913178&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Panic-Power-Techniques-Anxieties-Conquer/dp/0060927585/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258913586&sr=1-1

For more on Lucinda Bassett: http://www.stresscenter.com/mwc/