3 Self Care Activities to Pair with Therapy

There is no real cure for depression. However, various treatments, activities, and exercises can improve depression and relieve anxiety greatly. If you struggle with depression or anxiety, you should seek professional help as soon as possible.

But many times, despite the medical treatments, people don’t see significant progress in their symptoms. If you struggle with depression or anxiety despite seeking professional help, making room for the activities below can help.

All the activities listed below have helped various people cope with their symptoms. Performing these self care activities and receiving regular professional help also enhances the chances of successful treatment and reduces those of relapsing. 

Without further ado, let’s take a look at these activities:

Yoga

Practicing yoga was considered an effective PTSD treatment in ancient eastern medicine. Monks and Buddhists still credit performing yoga and meditation on high mountains for their enlightenment. 

While meditation can be too stationary for those suffering from anxiety and exercise can be too demanding or exhausting, yoga perfectly balances mindfulness and movement. 

Since it focuses on breathing and feeling grounding within oneself, it can significantly help improve self-esteem and build self-confidence. Over time, yoga also helps strengthen muscles while improving flexibility, enhancing self-esteem and self-image. 

If you suffer from social anxiety, joining a yoga class after becoming comfortable with performing yoga alone can greatly help you manage your anxiety symptoms. For those suffering from depression, joining a yoga class can help get out in the world and lessen loneliness. 

Learning a New Skill or Language 

Learning a new skill or language is one of the most exciting self care activities. Learning something new triggers your brain to become more active and activate the parts that depression and anxiety symptoms try to shut down. Once you become invested, mastering the new skill or language can bring a sense of purpose to your life. 

People suffering from depression and anxiety silently struggle with various things, and one of the most disheartening of these is hopelessness and purposelessness. However, learning something new can help remind them of other purposes that they had in life. Accomplishing small goals can also help restore their self-esteem and renew their confidence in their abilities.

Instead of choosing to learn online, we highly recommend you take classes in-person to learn the new skill or language that interests you. Being in a class with people who share your interests can help you with your social skills. In-person communications with the mentor and being a part of a group can also help. 

Read and Write

Reading and writing are similar self care activities, but in their unique ways, they can help greatly manage depression or anxiety symptoms. Reading is like learning. It engages various parts of your brain and keeps it active. It also strengthens your brain and improves your memory. Reading with attention can help improve your focus, learning, and even cognitive abilities.

Reading also directly improves your communication skills, leading to better conversational and social skills. Reading stories can also enhance your EQ, which can help you understand yourself and others and better control your depression and anxiety symptoms. 

On the other hand, writing freely or journaling can help you articulate your thoughts. It can improve mindfulness and work as an emotional catharsis by transferring your problems, worries, and fear on paper. Journaling regularly can help you better understand your own emotions and help you gain control over them.

It can also allow you to track day-to-day symptoms and identify triggers. Those who have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD can especially benefit from self-identifying their triggers. Coupling daily journaling while seeking PTSD treatment can provide meaningful progress to their condition.  

Following the rule of positive self-talk while journaling can also help you empathize with yourself. Sometimes, we can be our own biggest critics. Long-term anxiety and depression symptoms can also negatively impact the internal monologue. However, journaling and later understanding one’s written feelings as one would with a stranger can increase self-empathy and help turn the negative self-image into a positive one. 

Finally, if you face difficulty regularly performing any of the above-mentioned activities, don’t worry about it. Mental health issues can be physically draining, and sometimes you may not find the energy to perform these activities even if you want to. As long as you have the will to improve, you will get there one day. Until then, please keep reaching out for professional help as much as you need. The understanding professionals at the Sand Treatment Center can help you work towards betterment.