If you are suffering from anxiety, it may be because you are worried, uncertain, or nervous about the future. If you are suffering from depression, it may be because you are constantly dwelling on the past, ruminating about things gone wrong, or thinking self-defeating thoughts. Learning to appreciate the present moment will have a remarkable impact on your life. However, this is no easy feat, but it will help you to separate your feelings from your thoughts.  The best way to stop dwelling on the past or obsessing over the future is to notice when these kinds of thoughts arise throughout your daily life. When they do, then acknowledge them, label them thoughts, and let them fade away. Try to focus on what is happening around you and what your activities entail. Take stock of the people around you and how you feel performing whatever activity you are taking part in. It will help you come out of the past and focus on the present. Keep trying and you'll get to a state of mindfulness. Regular meditation practice has been shown to ease symptoms of stress and anxiety. Mindfulness can also help you feel more connected to other, it can help you gain more control over your emotions, and increase your ability to think about situations in a new light. Consider joining a meditation center or group in your area. Most centers offer free meditation instruction and have weekly open houses. To practice mindfulness and meditate, take a few moments every day to close your eyes, relax your muscles, and focus all of your attention on your breath. If a thought arises, then acknowledge it and let it disappear. The more you do this, the more you will eventually be able to incorporate it into your daily life. Your inner critic is self-defeating or exaggerated thoughts that keep your feelings of depression and anxiety at large. Your inner critic may say things like “I’m a failure” or “There is nothing I can do, and I’m stuck.” Your inner critic may also latch onto one of your worries or thoughts that cause anxiety and then cause a snowball effect of more and more worrisome thoughts. Thoughts such as these keep you from being able to see choices in your life, make you feel incapable or stuck, or perpetuate worries, depression, or anxiety.  Learn to quiet your inner critic to lessen the effect is has on your perspective and your mood.  To quiet your inner critic, practice catching your unproductive thoughts as they come up, and be prepared with a productive counter-thought or mantra that focus on your strengths.  If you think “There is nothing I can do, I am stuck” Test if that is true. Make a list of all your possible options. Change your inner critic to say “Although my options are not the best, I do have a choice, and I choose_________ because….” If you have a thought that pops into year head that triggers a worry, fear, or other anxiety symptoms, be sure to counter you inner critic with a reassuring statement or phrase such as “I know the likelihood of that happening is very low, so I have nothing to worry about” or “Everything is going to be ok, I am fine in this moment and this feeling will pass.” Many people are depressed or anxious because they are holding on to one or more traumatic experiences from the past, and they are going through a significant change, or have lost a loved one. While it is extremely difficult to erase these memories and go through these experiences, there are things you can do to reduce their prevalence in your everyday life.  Grieve when you need to. If you feel the need to cry or scream, then do it. Catharsis is a necessary part of the healing process. You can even look for grief groups in your area for support through your time of grief. If you are grieving, remember that it is a normal process with many emotions involved. You may not feel like yourself some time. However, if you continue to feel symptoms of grief long after losing your loved one, you should contact a therapist or mental health professional. Write out what happened and how it made you feel. There are many feelings involved with traumatic events that often need to be expressed. Many times, traumatic events will get compartmentalized and any feelings associated with the event will get pushed aside. Instead of doing this, which can lead to anxiety and depression, write down exactly what happened in as vivid detail as possible. Write down what you felt and what you still feel about the event. This will help you cope and move on. When you are having issues with depression and anxiety or you are trying to get over a past trauma, describe what happened and how it made you feel. You can do this by journaling or speaking with someone you trust. Getting it out is better than repressing it. Also, think about the contextual aspects of the traumatic event. Remembering other aspects of the day the event happened, such as the weather or who else was there, can help you dissolve some of the negative associations. If you are dealing with memories of a traumatic past, it is essential that you seek professional help to deal with the painful emotions caused by trauma.
تعلم أن تعيش اللحظة. تأمل. هدأ ناقدك الداخلي. تغلّب على الذكريات المؤلمة. عبر عن أفكارك.