7 Ways to Fight Feelings of Depression, Anxiety, and Worthlessness

Summer is here and maybe you’re not exactly where you feel you need to be whether its relationship wise, career wise, or just life in general.  Summertime has a way of exposing some darker emotions that we feel we cannot share because after all, most wait the whole year for Summer to come back around to go out more, travel more, and become socially engaged, so why should you express your sad mood?  It’s okay to take care of yourself first, at the end of it all, you are going to your own worst enemy.  Here’s to fighting the summer blues.

Becoming your own company

Summer is a perfect time to start on a new project.  Doing things yourself and creativity will help you feel accomplished even if it is a little task.  It might be a good time to clean out your closet or junk drawer.  Redecorating your personal space is always a fun task that can help purge your environment from anything that might be causing you gripe.  Maybe you want to experiment with new food and drink recipes, summer is a perfect time to try anything new.  Even if you don’t necessarily come out a winner, it would be a good summer memory to reflect on during the duller winter months.  There are also a lot more events and happenings during the summer months thanks to school being closed.  Free concerts and shows are a great way to get you in a happy mood.  It is also a great tool for drowning out those negative voices in your head.  Solo beach visits and trips to the pool can also provide a good Summer relief.  You should not stop yourself from having fun just because it's a party of one.

Practice mindfulness

You don’t have to go on an expensive yoga retreats or travel to Bali to learn and practice mindfulness.  There are tons of video content on Youtube and Facebook that can help guide you to a more present state of being.  When you meditate you are eliminating the worry, for that specific time, and you are able to become more clear headed.  Sound meditation is helpful.  Exploring mindfulness, different forms of mediation, and positive thinking will help you feel calm in moments of anxiousness.  It can help you to reevaluate your purpose in life.  Reaching out to instructors and those in the wellness field might also be an option.  There are so many ways to access information these days, your solution might be one Instagram DM away.  Allow yourself to be open this Summer and try new methods of self-healing.  When you feel powerful the world takes notice.

Try Not To Keep Up

So many are complaining about the FOMO effect and how social media is disastrous in helping us feel like we should be anywhere else but where we are.  FOMO is the acronym for the fear of missing out.  Well, what exactly are you missing out on? You should work on finding things that make you feel focused and energized over people, places, and posts that leave you feeling like crap.  This Summer might be a good time for a social media cleanse.  We have to abandon the idea that just because we are not sharing or engaging does not mean that we are alive, happy, and healthy.  It might be fun to start a photo blog instead where you chronical your Summer and share it sometime in September.  Stepping back gives you time to pace yourself and to truly engage in the World that makes you feel your best.

Dance It Out

You don’ t need to take a professional class or try to learn choreography from Youtube.  You can just dance it out! Putting together a good playlist, or two, will help you fight Summer depression and blues.  Music can be like medicine.  It is also a good time of year to expand your music library by checking out new artist and new genres.  There is bound to be a feel good song that excites you and makes you feel like you are on top of the World.  Dancing provides a release.  Full body movements help combat the feeling of being overwhelmed by thoughts.

Reminder: You Are Deserving of Love

Meeting new people that can be potential love interests is how some people spend every Summer.  We want the Summer lovin’ that Danny and Sandy sing about in the opening scene of the musical Grease.  And why shouldn’t you? The feeling of falling in love and being in love has become underrated.  We are living in a world where we overthink the future so much that we forget to live in the moment.  That is love.  If you were hesitant to join that new dating app, well get to swiping.  Don’t expect every date to lead to a potential marriage proposal but you should try to be open minded and adventurous.  Confidence is key.

Abandon The Fear of Failure

You remember when the professors would say to us “there are no wrong answers” during classroom discussions.  Well, the same goes for your life.  There is no right or wrong way to live life.  Don’t beat yourself up about firstly, the things that are completely outside of your control.  Negating your feelings will only cause more harm than good.  Living in the moment, reflecting on your accomplishments, and paving a path towards your future looks different to everyone.  Every person that has been successful has encountered failure, a lot of failures, before they reached their goals.  Remember that life is temporary and as morbid as that may sound, you are not going to get another one any time soon.  Taking a chance on yourself and on others can force you to focus on new goals and in shaping a healthier perspective on your life.  Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you wiser.

Talk To Yourself Nice

The phrase talk to me nice has become a funny way we are able to demand a higher level of respect from our peers.  The real question should be, are you talking to yourself nice? You need to take yourself out of the negative loop and practice positive thinking.  This starts by changing the words you use when describing both your emotional and physical states.  The “I AM” mantra gives your voice a powerful uplift.  I am great or I am not so great is much healthier than I am a loser or I am an idiot.  The words we use affect how we feel.  Keeping positive quotes and sayings in your eye view will help to engage your mind in motivating thoughts.  Inspiration is an important factor in feeling purposeful.  No matter how dark our World seems, if we dig down deep enough, we will find the spark that we have lost.