1. Unload Your Schedule
Focus on the things that needs to be done in the here and now through prioritizing. This is a quick way to de-stress life!
2. Laugh More
Laughter is a good mental therapeutic and enables the brain to release certain feel-good hormones like serotonin.
3. Reduce Alcohol Consumption
Alcohol side-effects are like a depressant. It slows things down and clouds the thought process during the time of feeling buzzed, but when the high starts to wear off all potential stressors and life situations are still the same…
4. Be Mindful of the Positives
Remember past victories and triumphs of the past. The situations where you have overcome, and victory has been won, think on them. It is not always about the size of victory but the believability for victory!
5. Maintain a Healthy Diet
It has been researched that various vitamins and nutrients, like omega-3 fatty acids, can change the brain chemistry that affects your mood. So, eat healthy and exercise to help stabilize the mood level.
6. Cope with Grief or Loneliness
It is important to stay mindful that death is a part of living. The driving motive needs to be to cherish the day and enjoy knowing that each one is a special gift that can never be gotten back after it has passed. It is one thing to be alone but another to be lonely. It is very beneficial to get out and meet new people and/ or do something that you have never done before. Be adventurous.
7. Try Alternative Approaches
Experiment with natural treatments or approaches to help boost your mood or feelings:
Aromatherapy
Breathe in and soothe your mood with aromatherapy using concentrated essential oils from plants. Common ones like clary sage, bergamot, geranium, lavender, lemon, and rose are noted to be quite helpful. Some individuals dilute them with vegetable oil and massage into the skin.
Massage
Rubbing and kneading of the skin and muscles are good relaxants. Massages can also help the body to return to homeostasis.
8. Pay Attention to your Symptomatology
To help evaluate that you are not severely depressed, if so, go see a doctor if at least six of the following 10 symptoms persist longer than 3 weeks uninterrupted:
- Feelings of sadness, anxiety, or emptiness
- Decreased appetite and weight loss
- Insomnia, waking up early in the morning or sleeping late in day because of being up all night
- Restlessness
- Lethargic
- Feelings of hopelessness
- Feelings of worthless, helpless, or excessive guilt
- Loss of interest or pleasure in once-enjoyable activities
- Difficulty concentrating, remembering, and making decisions
- Suicide ideations
9. Talk to a Doc
If you are persistently feeling overwhelmed or feel like you are losing your grip on life, talk to your doctor immediately!
10. Talk to a confidant or go to Counseling
It is always a good thing to vocalize your concerns to someone that you trust. If there is a person that you trust, is level-headed, and unbiased share your thoughts with them about how things are going. Also, seek out a compatible and vetted counselor to share your thoughts for sound recommendations and suggestions.
God Bless – A Note From The Counselor’s Corner,
Dalton Kornegay, PhD
