4 Key First Steps To Treat Anxiety And Depression

No, I don’t get up at 5 am and go for a run. I am a night owl.

No, I don’t have a morning routine or an evening routine.

No, I don’t read self-help books on mental health issues to straighten my brain.

All of the above is far easier said than done. People who preach them hardly practice them. Doctors smoke, lawyers lie, and writers paraphrase. Don’t they all?

I am going to give you the first steps to manage your stress, anxiety, and depression.

About me

I am an introverted person who likes to go to work and get back home. I have social anxiety and depression. It’s a gift from my parents. I don’t blame them. They are also suffering, but they are stubborn enough not to accept it.

I’ve had these issues ever since I was 16. I am 36 now. For a long time, I didn’t know what I was going through. Despite the suffering, I did my schooling, graduation, and post-graduation. For a few years, I worked as a biotech researcher. This is what you would call “high-performing anxiety and depression,” where a person excels in most things despite having issues.

I followed the steps explained in the next section and was able to treat and manage my social anxiety and depression to a large extent. I hope you will find this article useful.

Enough about me, let’s get into what I wanted to say.

1. Go see a doctor

The first thing you have to do is go see a doctor.

I did not, for many years.

I resisted.

I was ashamed.

Don’t do that.

Let everything be discreet. Don’t tell anyone. Find a nice psychologist in your city, book a visit, and go tell the doctor everything about you and your problems.

This is the most important step towards everything good that is to happen in your life.

If your doctor prescribes an antidepressant, go for it. It will either be an SSRI or an SNRI. These medications treat both anxiety and depression. You may experience some mild to moderate side effects. It’ll all be good. Don’t worry.

This is the brutal truth. For those who suffer from moderate to severe mental health issues, no amount of self-help or other life hacks would be of any help.

Trust me, I’ve tried them all — meditation, getting up early, going to bed early, running, jogging, gym, and spiritual practices like Reiki, crystal healing, chakra stuff, and a few more, I don’t recall.

The reason is simple. One needs to have the motivation and general well-being to stick to these and make them a habit.

When people with no mental issues struggle to form a habit, how could it be expected of people with mental health issues?

It’s simply impossible. I am helping you save a big chunk of your precious life after wasting a big chunk of mine that I will never get back.

The neurochemical imbalances that are considered the root cause of anxiety and depression don’t let us stay motivated for most things.

The beauty here is that our brains are, as a matter of fact, helping us stay alive and carry on having a life. If the brain senses stress, it suppresses motivation so that some sort of harmony is maintained across the body.

When you take your antidepressant, your anxiety symptoms go down to some extent. This will allow you to step out of your brain fog, probably for the first time in your life. That was the case for me. You will have more focus and fewer thought-loops and sleep better than before.

So, go for it. Don’t hesitate. Trust yourself and your doctor. Educate yourself about your pill. Inform your doctor if you have any other concerns, such as high blood pressure or organ problems.

2. Acupressure mats

Muscle pain in the upper back, shoulders, and neck is very common for people with anxiety issues. If you are one of them, then try to grab one of these mats.

Just lie on it for 10–20 minutes every day. If you choose to meditate when you lie on your mat, guess what? You’ve hit two mangoes with one stone. I do this every day.

Within 5 minutes, you will begin to feel relaxed and your muscle pain will completely disappear. You will start to sleep better. Together with your medication, meditation, and mat, you will feel very well-rested the next day.

Alternatively, you may also go for neck massagers.

3. Go Keto or Carnivore

Cutting down carbs and eating more proteins and fat will help you big time if you have IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I had it for a good part of 15 years and suffered a lot. I did everything to cope with it. Many people who suffer from GAD or social anxiety also suffer from IBS.

Get yourself checked for carbohydrate intolerance. There are tests available. Plants have anti-nutrients that cause many gut issues in some humans. Recent research has shown the involvement of plant lectins in Parkinson’s disease.

I cut down on all plant foods that produce gas in my intestines, such as peas, lentils, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and all types of beans. This reduced my IBS symptoms to a large extent.

Then, I did Keto, but still, my choice of plant foods kept giving me a hard time.

I started the carnivore diet a few months ago, where you give up plants completely and eat only animal foods. It was life-changing for me. My IBS was cured within two weeks. For many decades, we’ve been eating the wrong kinds of food. If you watch YT videos by the specialists that I’ve mentioned below, you will know what I am talking about.

As I said, I only ate animal foods — all kinds of meat, eggs, cheese, and seafood. You may choose to eat select plants as well. Educate yourself and give it a go. You might be surprised.

People I like and follow are Dr. Ken Berry, Dr. Steven Gundry, Dr. Jason Fung, and Dr. Paul Mason.

Below are YT videos on the keto diet, the carnivore diet, and the plant antinutrient lectin.

4. Reduce coffee and alcohol

When you start following the keto or the carnivore diet, you will have to quit or almost quit alcohol. I’ve been sober for two years now and feel awesome. I still drink coffee moderately though.

Don’t change your diet and quit alcohol at the same time. It will not end up in your favor. One step at a time. Change your diet first and reduce your alcohol intake. Then you can gradually quit drinking.

Final Thoughts

If you choose to take medication, don’t change anything with regards to your lifestyle or diet. Well, you must not drink, I hope you know that. Let the medication start working. It may take a week to five weeks.

Once you start feeling better about yourself, you will also start having the motivation to get out and live your life, start a new hobby, or restart an old one. At this time, say 6 months into taking the medication, you may start doing the stuff I mentioned at the beginning — running, getting up at 5 am, yoga, meditation, and other related well-being practices. You’ll definitely stick to one or two of them this time. Good luck.

Thank You for reading.

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