Life Skills
5 Tips to Help You Fight Depression and Anxiety
Having a mental illness is hard, but there are more things we can do to face them than we might think!
During a time in high school, I woke up every morning more exhausted than when I had gone to sleep the night before. I struggled to stay awake during classes, and I was often reprimanded by my teachers, which made me feel even more like a failure.
Unfortunately, I didn’t recognize that I was exhausted because I was struggling with depression. That’s the challenge of mental health challenges—sometimes they aren’t easy to spot.
Eventually, I was able to identify my symptoms and find helpful treatments to overcome my depression. But when I started college, I started to experience symptoms of an anxiety disorder and I often felt overwhelmed while trying to graduate, get a job, and live on my own. And I was back to square one with finding solutions to my mental health struggles.
Sister Reyna I. Aburto, former Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, recently spoke about the importance of recognizing signs of mental illness, taking them seriously, and finding professional help from therapy, doctors, or medication when needed.1
Through my own experiences with anxiety and depression, I have learned to not feel ashamed of my struggles with mental health, and along with professional help, I have also found a few ways to manage my symptoms and experience joy in my life:
Turn to the Lord in Prayer
Never underestimate the power of prayer. Seek the Lord for help. He knows us and can guide us to the best solutions for our circumstances.
President Ezra Taft Benson taught, “From simple trials to our Gethsemanes, prayer can put us in touch with God, our greatest source of comfort and counsel.”2
Facing mental illnesses can definitely feel overwhelming and like more than we can bear at times. But we can always turn to the Lord. Even when we don’t know what we need or what to even ask for, He knows, and He can help us. I have felt Him help me as I have consistently turned to Him in prayer.
Pursue Your Passions
Finding a hobby or interest that you are passionate about can have healthy benefits on your mind. Personally, I love to read. Reading takes me to another world and helps me destress. Another example is engaging in service that implements the activities and hobbies you love to do. The app, JustServe, has loads of service opportunities at your fingertips. Whatever righteous passions you have, Heavenly Father wants you to pursue what brings you joy (see 2 Nephi 2:25), because when you are filling your life with good hobbies and wholesome activities, especially those that share the Light of Christ, you can better invite the comfort of the Spirit into your heart.
Keep a Healthy Diet
Keeping a healthy diet can be difficult, especially as a poor college student. But eating well can improve your mental health so much more than you might think! Our brains and bodies are connected, and when we are providing our body with good fuel that helps it perform at its best, our bodies and our brains feel better. Consider what small changes you can make in your diet to help you improve your overall health (see Doctrine and Covenants 89).
Exercise
When struggling with depression and anxiety, just getting out of bed can be a struggle. But if you pray for the motivation to move your body every day, you will be well on your way to improving your mental health. Exercise naturally produces chemicals in your brain that help make you happy. Personally, the thought of going to the gym to work out gives me anxiety, but when I remember how much better I feel after exercising, I have the courage to go. And remember, a simple walk, bike ride, or a short swim—whatever you do to get your heart racing will help make a difference in your life.
Love Yourself
Heavenly Father’s second great commandment is to “love thy neighbor as thyself” (see Mark 12:31). And although we might be doing well at loving our neighbors, if we don’t love ourselves, how can we truly follow that commandment?
Consider what in your life could be making your mental health worse and love yourself enough to make small changes and adjustments to improve your life.
If social media brings you down, love yourself enough to take a break from or get rid of it. If someone in your life is being unkind to you, communicate your needs or establish boundaries in your relationship. If you “don’t have the time” to take on a new hobby or to serve others or even to go on a quick walk each day, make the time for yourself. Consider what may not be improving your life and ask Heavenly Father for help in making changes.
You are a unique child of God who loves you, and He wants you to love yourself and to show yourself love too.
Life is complicated as a young adult. On top of trying to graduate, get married, and deal with the other challenges of life, it’s no wonder many of us are struggling with mental health.
But Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ, know what we are going through. We can seek Them and Their divine help to help us overcome our struggles. God loves us and as we continue to seek Him, even if our challenges aren’t completely removed in this life, He can make our burdens light and give us hope and joy each day.