How to Cope With Anxiety and Depression?

Depression and anxiety usually go hand-in-hand. Everybody deals with these conditions to some degree throughout their lives. However, if your symptoms are severe enough to be interfering with your ability to function normally on a daily basis, then it's important that you find a treatment. If your anxiety and depression are intense enough that you have to alter your daily activities a great deal, you should seek professional help. If your anxiety and depression are milder, there are many things you can do to learn to cope with anxiety and depression.

Exercise regularly. Not only does regular exercise reduce the likelihood of heart disease and other illnesses, it has also been shown to treat both depression and anxiety. There are various explanations for why this occurs. First, exercise releases endorphins, a feel-good chemical in the brain that improves mood. It also reduces certain immune system chemicals that cause depression and raises the body temperature, which promotes relaxation.

• Regular exercise also helps you get in shape and improve your overall appearance, which for many people, is enough to rid them of their self-doubt.
• Endorphins help to inhibit your body’s stress response, which lowers your risk for feeling anxious or developing symptoms of panic throughout the day.
• Some studies show that exercise helps to alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety just as well as medication. Even just 10 minutes of physical exercise can help alleviate anxiety and depression symptoms as much as a 45-minute workout.
• Exercise can lower your baseline anxiety or the level of tension or anxiety you experience daily. If you experience a high level of anxiety symptoms daily, exercise can decrease the number or severity of these symptoms that you experience.

Switch to decaf. The high levels of caffeine that are present in coffee can worsen anxiety symptoms in both the short and long run. Caffeine is a stimulant which makes your body and nervous system wired and alert, which increases your risk of worsening or developing depression and anxiety throughout the day.

• By limiting your caffeine intake, you can help control over your body’s physical response and prevent experiencing anxiety symptoms throughout the day. Consider switching to decaf, or drinking tea instead. 
• Some tea, such as green tea, still contains some caffeine, but won't have the same extreme effects of coffee.

Reduce or eliminate nicotine. Nicotine, much like caffeine, is a stimulant and can produce many of the same effects on the body associated with other stimulants, such as feeling wired. Nicotine is in tobacco products and is also in non-tobacco products such as nicotine gum.

• Realize that quitting smoking is a difficult task and should only be taken on during non-stressful times. However, doing so could greatly reduce your symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Structure your day. Depression is a painful experience which affects your mood, but also energy and motivation. If you are depressed, it may be difficult to focus or you may be tempted to stay in bed all day. You may be anxious if you don't know how your day will go. Try to continue your regular routines as much as possible, and avoid letting your moods dictate what you do and what you get done.

• If you normally don't have much structure, it may benefit you to begin to structure your days. Plan out your days, making sure they are full but not overwhelming and stick to the schedule so you can continue to function in your daily life.