Learn Something New
by Susan
Learning something new is one of the best ways to battle depression and keep our minds active. Senior citizens, like myself, need to do everything we can to keep our minds sharp. Our mental health is improved by the sense of self esteem and accomplishment we can feel as a result of trying and learning new things.
Anxiety is sometimes a road block to trying new things. I know I am out of my comfort zone when I go new places and try new things. However, if we take baby steps in attempting to learn, I believe we can manage to reach our goals. After the holidays I was able to stop taking my anxiety medication and I'm doing fine. I am also trying to learn to use a new computer with the Windows Vista operating system. I'm reading the "Windows Vista for Dummies" book and exploring the new computer. I'm having fun but am also experiencing some stress. Therefore, I'm taking it slow and not pushing myself to learn it all in a day.
Self help is an important part of coping with depression and anxiety. For those of us who suffer from problems with both depression and anxiety, we need to balance doing things to help us with our depression without triggering too much anxiety. Sometimes it really is a balancing act! When I get overwhelmed or stressed out while working on this computer, that's when I need to take a break and do something relaxing so as not to trigger anxiety.
See if you can learn something new. It might just help you with your depression. Just make sure to take it slow.