Lifestyle Tips for Managing Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Depression

For many people with anxiety or depression, every day can feel like a struggle. Fortunately, there are many lifestyle changes you can make to better manage generalized anxiety disorder and depression. While it’s always important to seek the help and guidance of a therapist, following the practices below will help you to live a more productive and fulfilling life:

Build and maintain a social support system.

In many cases, loneliness is one of the biggest triggers of anxiety and depression. Building a strong social support system is crucial for getting through your toughest days. You can create social outlets by maintaining relationships with close family and friends who care about your well-being and want the best for you. For example, making time each week for dinner with your parents or a gym session with a friend can help you better cope with problems or struggles that you’re going through, lifting your spirits and giving you emotional support when you need it most.

Identify areas of stress in your life.

It should come as no surprise that any major form of stress can worsen feelings of anxiety or depression. While a certain level of stress is part of life, it’s important to take a close look at your stress levels and determine where you tend to have the most stress in your life. For example, do you have a job in which you’re expected to work late each night, affecting your work-life balance? Do you have a friend who constantly creates toxic energy around you? Are you juggling too many responsibilities at home? You’ll want to look at these types of situations and figure out how to reduce or eliminate these stress triggers.

Commit to healthy habits.

Believe it or not, the quality of your physical health can have a great impact on the quality of your mental health. Eating a nutritious diet, engaging in regular physical activity, and limiting alcohol intake are all part of achieving optimal health and well-being. By adjusting your eating and exercise habits, you can improve your moods and energy levels, and most importantly, counteract feelings of anxiety and depression.

Are you struggling with anxiety or depression? Working with a therapist will allow you to get the help and treatment you need. Get in touch today with Joseph Montaldi, LCSW, based in San Antonio, Texas, at (210) 722-4714.