Ten supportive practices for anxiety and depression

Anxiety and depression can impact how we view ourselves and the world around us.

Anxiety can show up as constant worry, a restless mind, a physical feeling of a racing heart, a fluttering stomach and muscle tension. Sometimes there's a good reason; sometimes there doesn't seem to be.

Depression can show up as an absence of emotions, a lack of energy, motivation, or enjoyment in things that used to matter. We might feel disconnected, numb, or overly self-critical. It can feel hard to imagine things changing.

Many people experience anxiety and depression together, and because these struggles are often invisible, it can feel lonely and hard to describe.

If any of this sounds familiar, I'd like to tell you that you're not alone and change is possible. The ten strategies that follow can help support you where you are right now, offering small, manageable steps that can help you feel more grounded, supported, and hopeful over time.

Ten supportive practices for anxiety and depression

I recommend trying these strategies all at one stage, but to start, I recommend choosing the one that feels the easiest to do in your life and do it regularly. Bear in mind, there is a possibility you won’t like it at first; you might feel “weird” doing it. It's totally OK to feel that way! You’re free to go at your own pace and notice whether it offers even a small sense of support over time.

Movement

If possible, consider movement. You choose: fast, slow, strenuous, sedate, with others, or alone. This is an opportunity to have a sensory experience of yourself as a working body. Be in connection with your limbs, your stomach, back, neck, and shoulders. And your breath. Your breath is the motor, the engine, so give it your full attention and let it guide you.

Feel how your body temperature may rise, hear the clicks and cracks of bones and muscles, smell your perspiration, taste your sweat. Your body is helping itself perform, as well as helping to release all manner of chemicals and hormones that might boost your mood. You might even feel a sense of pride during or after.

Light socialising

Quality over quantity here. Make this a routine, if possible, as well as "top up" if you feel you need a boost due to your emotional state. Light social interaction can boost your self-esteem, break the cycle of possible isolation and rumination, but without the stressful overwhelm of attending a huge social gathering. Volunteering can be good, as "chat" is a byproduct of the task at hand, or simply having a brief conversation with a shop owner can help release endorphins and lower cortisol (stress hormone).

Read an autobiography about someone who has anxiety and/or depression

We often feel alone with our challenges, and reading a book, listening to a podcast, or watching an interview with someone who might mention something that resonates with what you're going through can make you feel that sense of belonging and connection.

Connect with nature

Being outdoors, whether it be your local park or up a mountain, gives us perspective. Hearing birds, the wind, the sea, seeing how non-linear everything is; feeling different terrains underfoot, smelling all manner of scents around us, shows us how small we are and how we are at the beautiful mercy of this huge planet, or let’s go even further – the universe! It may bring moments of ease or lightness – and if it doesn’t immediately, that’s OK too.

Breathe 

Try a few exercises and create a "toolkit" for a variety of exercises for a variety of emotions/states. The best thing about using your breath to regulate emotional states is that you always have your breath with you, and it’s free!

Embodiment

Try to connect with a part of your physical body. For example, you may look at your hand, see its texture, its size, its colour, and its temperature. Now close your eyes. How do you know it's still there? You cannot see it, but perhaps you feel it; you are it. Try this with other parts of your body. It reminds us that we are not just a head with thoughts. It may be part of us, but we are also a body that has a huge range of sensory states. This can be a form of meditation.

Connect with the present 

Eckhart Tolle tells us to ask ourselves, "What is the problem right now?" Not tomorrow, not in 5 minutes, not one hour ago. Now. What is wrong with this moment now? It might be that you find there is nothing. Perhaps this is because some worries only exist in the future about the future. 

Be a good parent to yourself

Imagine you are your own parent, and you have one job: to look after you. Would you tell that child to be quiet, to berate them, to constantly distract them rather than listen to them, to give up on them? No? I didn’t think so. Instead, you might listen to every word they say, tell them, “no wonder you're feeling this way,” comfort them, do something nice for them to make them feel safe and loved; you might want to just sit quietly with them, so they know they aren’t alone. 

The best thing about today

Ask yourself this every day, once you’re in bed. It’s good to “cut new paths through the cornfield”, that focus on the good stuff, without feeling the need to journal lists of what you feel you should be grateful for. For some people, those lists can unintentionally bring up guilt or self-criticism when anxiety or depression are present. Just acknowledge the one thing that stood out above everything else. It might be something simple - that you made the best cheese on toast, or you heard a song from your late teens.

Seek a counsellor 

You don’t have to navigate anxiety or depression on your own. Meet with a few counsellors (many offer free consultations) and decide who seems like a good fit for you, and ask yourself why you felt a certain way with each of them. Even taking this step slowly is enough.