Resilience: How People Overcome Anxiety

Self Help Activities:

1.  Giving. In the Bible, Acts 20:35 the apostle Paul said, “It is more blessed to give than receive”.  This applies to good mental health because helping other people gets our mind off of our own problems and anxieties.  I visit the prison, attend two activity centres, sit on a board to help the homeless, and do crafts, gardening, and play musical instruments.  Dale Carnegie observed,“You can make more friends in two months by becoming more interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get people interested in you”.

2. Animal Companions. Sometimes severe mental illness makes it hard to go outside ourselves and interact with others, but even cuddling a pet can help us become more resilient.  At our house we have five cats and they all comfort us when we are down.  My therapist calls pets his “allies in healing”.

3.      Laughter is therapeutic in overcoming the stress of mental illness too.  When I am depressed I like to watch comedies that tickle my funny bone.

4.       Crafts.  Working with your hands is a way to take your mind off of your anxiety and depression. Painting, needlework, woodwork, and hobbies, physical fitness, etc. are helpful in creating resilience.

              5. Gardening. I love to plant seeds and have them grow into beautiful plants.  To me it is a very spiritual activity and helps build mental health.

               6. Networking.  Getting in touch with people that have similar problems is therapeutic for me. It makes me feel that I am not the only one struggling with mental illness.

               7. Working for a Good Cause.  Donating to those who are worse off than you

gives you a good feeling.  I write to a little girl in Africa who is poor and I make up shoeboxes at Christmas for Samaritan's Purse.  I put school supplies, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and toys in the boxes and they are mailed to the Third World.

8.                Cooking.  I have cooked my way through many crises. It is a way of nourishing yourself and others and it can be making simple dishes or something more elaborate.

It is something you have to attend to and helps take your mind off of your problems.

9.                Friends.   The Bible says, “A man that has friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.” Having friends to talk to and do activities with is very important in resiliency. Some of my friends I have had for over 20 years and they have helped me through many a dark night of the soul.

10.            Spirituality. Having a purpose for your life and believing in a Higher Power is essential for mental resiliency. I pray and read the Bible every day and it helps me survive in a turbulent world.

Healthy Living:

1.      Avoiding sugar and simple carbohydrates like junk food helps avoid an insulin rush that can result in depression.  When I eat too much sugar I am hungry all the time and feel weak.

2.      Eating lots of fruits and vegetables helps us have energy and better health than eating potato chips and candy.  Although I crave potato chips when I’m down, eating healthy is better for my mental health.

3.      Fish oil supplements that give us Omega 3 and Omega 6 are proven to help those who suffer from bipolar disorder.  This can be found in Salmon Oil, Krill Oil, etc..  I have taken this and it does help out.

4.      For improved memory there is a supplement called, “Learning Factors”.

It contains Tuna oil and other oils and if you take it regularly it helps improve your memory, even if you are on medications that impair your short-term memory.

5.      Control your weight by doing portion control and follow a sane diet.  One diet that is simple to follow is the “S” diet.  It says that you are not to eat seconds, sweets, or snacks for five days of the week.  However, on days with “S” like Saturday and Sunday you can dispense with these rules.

6.      Exercising is good for mental health because it helps depression and builds a better body image. I used to be really depressed, but after I went to the YMCA and worked out, I felt a lot better.

7.      Eating foods as close to nature as possible will make you feel better mentally. Ideally, we all should be eating organic food but it is hard to afford it.  However, the two most important foods to eat organically are potatoes and bananas.  Growing my own organic garden has been beneficial for me because I know what I’m eating.

8.      Get enough protein in your diet.  Protein builds muscles and it prevents hunger.  You can mix up Whey Powder shakes or Soy based shakes and put in a banana.   For variety add berries.

9.      Putting sea vegetables into your diet is beneficial for energy and to get your daily share of iodine.  Algae, kelp, and seaweed are very beneficial.

10.  Putting greens and sprouts in your diet will help your energy.  You can take greens as a supplement that you can buy at the health food store or grow your own sprouts.  If you do grow sprouts make sure that the seeds have not been treated with fungicide or pesticide.

Mental Fitness:

1.      Visualization can help you relax when you are stressed out.  I visualize myself at the beach lying in warm sand with the surf coming in, and it is a very pleasant experience.

2.      Doing mental fitness puzzles help our brain get its exercise which in turn helps it function better.  The old adage is “if you don’t use it, you lose it” is true.  Crosswords, Sudoku, Rubik cubes, and games may help our brain.  Personally, I like to play a peg game where you jump pegs until you have only one left.

3.      Preventing crises before they become a huge problem helps everybody concerned.  It helps to know your warning signs and start stress reduction exercises.  Talk to a trusted friend, do deep breathing exercises, and take the pressure off of yourself.

4.      Make a budget and stick to it.  I find that I stress myself by buying things at the Thrift Store and then having more month than money left.  Financial stress can lead to a mental health crisis.

5.      Have a binder where you have emergency numbers written down.  You will need the mental health clinic’s number and other numbers such as the electrician, plumber, fire station, ambulance, vet, doctor, power company, snow removal, etc. .  Also, for your peace of mind learn how to turn off the water and power. I am working on getting these numbers in one place, so that when a household crisis happens I can handle it.

6.      Decluttering your house helps you feel better about your environment and let you have company over.  A messy house, apartment, or bedroom can be stressful because you can’t find things and you get into interpersonal conflict over it.  On the Internet FlyLady helps people declutter their houses and get their lives in order.  I am currently working FlyLady’s program. Her Internet address is: http://www.flylady.net/.

7.      Having all your important papers in one place helps organize your life and reduce stress. You need the deed to the house, your will, insurance policies, passport, tax information, photo ID, etc. easily accessible. This prevents searching the house for them.  I have my will and some essential information in a metal file box.

8.      Learn how to deep breathe.  Psychologists tell us that shallow breathing from the chest creates anxiety, whereas deep breathing from the abdomen calms people down.  The website: http://www.authentic-breathing.com/deep_breathing.htm instructs people how to breathe properly.

9.      Ask yourself, “Will this matter in 100 years?”  If you are worrying about a petty problem asking this question may put it into perspective.  Often we fuss about something small and insignificant, I know I do.

11.  Another technique to mental fitness is not spending $1,000 of emotion on a $.50 problem.  In other words, “Don’t sweat the small stuff”.   We get in the habit of holding grudges; worrying about insignificant issues, and getting ourselves into a rut, so if it’s small potatoes, don’t allow yourself stew about it.

Tobacco Free Living:

1.      Talk to your doctor about giving up cigarettes. There are new lozenges, patches, and medications that can help you quit.

2.      Be determined to kick the tobacco habit. You can’t give up any long-term habit, unless you really want to quit. Cigarettes are expensive and rob your health.  They can cause a number of cancers, lung problems, and even heart problems. 

3.      Consider the impact on other people.  Smoking can trigger headaches and allergic reactions in the people around you.  Some people that have been exposed to second hand smoke even develop lung cancer even though they have never smoked a cigarette in their lives. I am allergic to cigarette smoke and dread people smoking around me.

4.      The smell can never be removed when people smoke cigarettes.  We bought a computer that smelled of cigarette smoke and no amount of cleaning could get the smell out.  Cigarette smoke can permeate your clothes, your hair, and your environment. I especially don’t like having my hair smell like smoke when someone has smoked around me.

5.      Set a quit date and stick it.  This is advice given by the Canadian Lung Association at: http://www.lung.ca/home-accueil_e.php.

6.      If you fail try, try again.  It is normal to fall off the wagon when trying to cope with an addiction. The website http://whyquit.com/ gives reasons why you should quit.

7.      Join a stop smoking clinic or antismoking group and get some support.

8.      Ask your non-smoking family and friends for support.  Don’t try to quit alone. There is strength in numbers.

9.      Don’t overeat as a replacement for smoking.  Many people gain weight as a result of stopping cigarettes, but if you follow a sensible diet and get something else to do with your hands such as a hobby you should be alright.

10.   Accent the positive aspects of quitting cigarettes.  Put the money you would have spent on smoking in a jar or separate bank account.   You soon will

acquire quite a bit of extra money to spend on a spa, massage, new hobby,

musical instrument or purchasing something you have always wanted.