So, how did I find happiness throughout the past few months of intense anxiety & depression? Well I don't think I have completely found it. But I'm working on it. And life has been more consistently good than it has bad. All of these things I am listing helped me at different times in this journey. Somedays one thing would really work and then the next week I had to try something else. It was all trial and error and a lot of times I (or my husband) had to force myself to do these things. Especially at the beginning. But I always just told myself if I wanted to be better I had to be proactive about it and I at least had to TRY.
Here is a list of all the things I have tried in the last few months:
+Apps:
Happiness Wizard- Gives you a list of principles to bring you more happiness and you basically do a self check each day and write down lists in those different categories. I liked it because I felt like it made me think of happier things and I could focus on the good things in my life. The downside is you don't have access to as many things unless you purchase it.
MoodKit- It gives you tools to check your thoughts, your mood, do activities, and keep a journal. I ended up purchasing this app but haven't used it as much as I should! I like the journal sections because it gives you templates of what to write about and helps to teach you how to
Happify- It gives you tools such as activities, posts, quizzes, games, and tasks to do to improve your emotions. I like this one but like the other one, it doesn't let you access a lot unless you purchase it.
+Meditation:
I got the app Headspace and honestly I have REALLY liked this one and found it to be super effective! Each session is 10 minutes and I would go take a hot bath and just relax and meditate. I only have the free version so I could only do 10 sessions. This is all about learning Mindfulness and had a really great science and promising statistics! I honestly have strongly considered paying a monthly fee to get access to ALL of its features! I am a fan of this. It claims to be just as effective as antidepressants and without the side effects.
+Yoga:
I have always really liked yoga but had a hard time making time for it. I also preferred doing yoga at a studio but didn't always make the time to do that and had a hard time getting into the same "zone" at home. But I started trying to do yoga a few times a week, sometimes it ended up only being once a week, but it was nice to just take a time out and to just breathe and be in that moment. Youtube has a good variety and there are also some good yoga apps I used.
+Exercise:
I started going 3-4 times a week and after 2 weeks I noticed such a difference. I feel like my week just ends up being better when I make time for the gym. Not to mention I started feeling better about myself which improved my moods. It was a good stress reliever and was a good way for me to start setting goals and giving me a chance to see progress in my life.
+Medication:
I have been on medication since I was 10 years old because of anxiety. When my anxiety got really really bad at the beginning I went in and she put me on another one and I took it for a few months and now that I have more control over things I am back to just taking 1.
+I made time for myself:
I started making showers more of a "me" time instead of a chore. I would take extra long and afterwards would try and pamper myself a little!
+Pinterest & Google:
I would sometimes spend hours reading articles and posts about being happy, finding happiness, things to improve your mood, how to overcome anxiety and depression ect. Some of them were super cliche but I often found a few things that really helped me!
+Hobbies:
I started doing things that I used to love doing again! It was hard. Because I just didn't care and just didn't want to put effort into things. I knew I wanted to do those things again but I just couldn't get myself to do it. That's wear friends/family/spouses come into play. My husband really encouraged me to get back to doing things such as blogging, posting on instagram, snap chatting, going out of my comfort zone to do things with people again ect. Sometimes I would get frustrated with him, sometimes I just didn't have it in me, but he encouraged me and would tell me certain things I needed to do that day. The first few times I kind of had to fake it, but now I feel like I am so much closer to being myself again and things are so much easier.
+Essential Oils:
I am a believer. And I like things that smell good. Win win. I recently purchased Citrus Bliss and it's a great mood booster. I just put it on my wrists and sometimes under my nose. It smells AMAZING and helps me focus on my breathing and gives me a little boost.
+Gratitude:
Whenever I would get into a "mood" or had a bad day my husband would force me to say 5 good things that happened that day or that i was grateful for. Sometimes it was hard to think of things and sometimes I would get frustrated with him cause I just didn't want to think about good/happy things even though I wanted to be happy. Needless to say, each time it made my mood a little bit better and some times a lotta bit better.
+Asking myself questions:
Do I know what I am thinking is a fact? Is what I'm thinking really happening? Am I in danger? Is there anything I can do to change this situation? What proof do I have about what I am thinking? If I had a friend thinking these things, what would I tell them?
If you guys have any other ideas or things you have tried I would love to hear about them!
xoxo
Bailey
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