The Importance of Self-Care in Managing Psychological Symptoms of Depression, Anxiety and Stress
We have long understood that the health of the body and mind are interconnected. If we are not taking good care of ourselves physically, we are more prone to symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. If we are already experiencing depression, anxiety and stress, we are also more prone to poor self-care. I would argue that good physical self-care habits are incredibly important to develop and maintain for better mental and emotional health.
I believe mainstream U.S. American culture is pretty misguided about what constitutes good self-care, so I will elaborate here. Most of the information I provide here on good self-care does not come from a high level of expertise—my granny would have recommended much of what we therapists would suggest. However, I did consult other health care professionals and health literature over the years, to validate the information.
Physicians and others whom I have consulted variously recommended the following to use with clients. These suggestions all address energy-relevant aspects of sleep, nutrition, and exercise. No matter what challenges we are up against in life, practicing good self-care in these areas will set us up to be more effective. Regarding sleep, health practitioners have advised that we sleep at the same time every night, even if we can’t get the 8-9 hours we should. The restorative functions of sleep apparently improve as we become more consistent in our sleep cycles. Regarding nutrition, the notion of “eating for energy” is helpful, which focuses on foods that will sustain blood sugar at adequate levels throughout the day. Most important in “eating for energy” is eating a breakfast that includes fruit (for quick energy), quality complex carbohydrates (such as whole-grain toast or oatmeal--which will break down into blood sugar over several hours), protein (such as peanut butter, eggs, cheese, meat--which will break down for energy throughout the day), and a small portion of fat (such as butter on the toast--which will break down even more slowly than the protein). Another common recommendation is to eat several mini-meals throughout the day to keep blood sugar stable. (See, for example, www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/040609p20.shtml). Regarding exercise, extensive research shows that regular exercise improves energy and decreases depression, stress, and anxiety symptoms. Mayo Clinic, for example, recommends: “Doing 30 minutes or more of exercise a day, for three to five days a week can significantly improve depression symptoms. But smaller amounts of activity — as little as 10 to 15 minutes at a time — can make a difference. It may take less time exercising to improve your mood when you do more vigorous activities such as running or bicycling.” (www.mayoclinic.com/health/depression-and-exercise/MH00043/NSECTIONGROUP=2). In my experience with depressed and anxious clients, exercise at these levels seems to have the biggest impact. So if there is only one thing you feel up to doing differently, make it exercise. Even 15-minute fast-paced walks can increase energy enough to then feel enough motivation to make progress in other areas.
In addition to good physical self-care, we also know from psychological studies that maintaining connections with others and maintaining activities with some joy or pleasure helps with depression, stress and anxiety. When your energy and sense of well-being are low, make sure you spend time connecting with others who will not demand that you fake a mood you don't feel. Just hanging out together, watching a movie together, can make a difference. On the other hand, if you find that "fake it til you make it" works for you, by all means plan social activities that require you to behave as though you are doing okay--some are able to access the parts of their lives that really are doing okay and provides balance to aspects where they are struggling. Regarding activities, I have found that clients who engage in creative activities--art, music, writing and others--get more energy back from those activities than they spend. Others find that spiritual activities give them new energy, so long as the spiritual activities do not engender shame or guilt.
Good self-care doesn't resolve core causes of depression or anxiety but when good enough self-care is in place, it becomes much more possible to work on the core causes. Based on my experience and reading, I believe that good self-care reduces symptoms of depression, stress, and anxiety better than the best medications available today! This is really good news because these good self-care habits are low cost, and not only do not cause bad side effects but have other beneficial effects. And developing good self-care habits is possible for everyone, providing an important kind of empowerment as well.
I believe mainstream U.S. American culture is pretty misguided about what constitutes good self-care, so I will elaborate here. Most of the information I provide here on good self-care does not come from a high level of expertise—my granny would have recommended much of what we therapists would suggest. However, I did consult other health care professionals and health literature over the years, to validate the information.
Physicians and others whom I have consulted variously recommended the following to use with clients. These suggestions all address energy-relevant aspects of sleep, nutrition, and exercise. No matter what challenges we are up against in life, practicing good self-care in these areas will set us up to be more effective. Regarding sleep, health practitioners have advised that we sleep at the same time every night, even if we can’t get the 8-9 hours we should. The restorative functions of sleep apparently improve as we become more consistent in our sleep cycles. Regarding nutrition, the notion of “eating for energy” is helpful, which focuses on foods that will sustain blood sugar at adequate levels throughout the day. Most important in “eating for energy” is eating a breakfast that includes fruit (for quick energy), quality complex carbohydrates (such as whole-grain toast or oatmeal--which will break down into blood sugar over several hours), protein (such as peanut butter, eggs, cheese, meat--which will break down for energy throughout the day), and a small portion of fat (such as butter on the toast--which will break down even more slowly than the protein). Another common recommendation is to eat several mini-meals throughout the day to keep blood sugar stable. (See, for example, www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/040609p20.shtml). Regarding exercise, extensive research shows that regular exercise improves energy and decreases depression, stress, and anxiety symptoms. Mayo Clinic, for example, recommends: “Doing 30 minutes or more of exercise a day, for three to five days a week can significantly improve depression symptoms. But smaller amounts of activity — as little as 10 to 15 minutes at a time — can make a difference. It may take less time exercising to improve your mood when you do more vigorous activities such as running or bicycling.” (www.mayoclinic.com/health/depression-and-exercise/MH00043/NSECTIONGROUP=2). In my experience with depressed and anxious clients, exercise at these levels seems to have the biggest impact. So if there is only one thing you feel up to doing differently, make it exercise. Even 15-minute fast-paced walks can increase energy enough to then feel enough motivation to make progress in other areas.
In addition to good physical self-care, we also know from psychological studies that maintaining connections with others and maintaining activities with some joy or pleasure helps with depression, stress and anxiety. When your energy and sense of well-being are low, make sure you spend time connecting with others who will not demand that you fake a mood you don't feel. Just hanging out together, watching a movie together, can make a difference. On the other hand, if you find that "fake it til you make it" works for you, by all means plan social activities that require you to behave as though you are doing okay--some are able to access the parts of their lives that really are doing okay and provides balance to aspects where they are struggling. Regarding activities, I have found that clients who engage in creative activities--art, music, writing and others--get more energy back from those activities than they spend. Others find that spiritual activities give them new energy, so long as the spiritual activities do not engender shame or guilt.
Good self-care doesn't resolve core causes of depression or anxiety but when good enough self-care is in place, it becomes much more possible to work on the core causes. Based on my experience and reading, I believe that good self-care reduces symptoms of depression, stress, and anxiety better than the best medications available today! This is really good news because these good self-care habits are low cost, and not only do not cause bad side effects but have other beneficial effects. And developing good self-care habits is possible for everyone, providing an important kind of empowerment as well.