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The methods and tips shared in this article are based on my personal experiences and what has helped me during my journey with anxiety and depression. I am not a professional therapist or mental health expert. Please seek professional help if needed.

Suffering from anxiety and depression is not easy; it really takes a lot of your energy to just do basic tasks like getting out of bed, brushing your teeth, and taking a shower. It does feel like a burden; our brain just wants to be in bed and doesn’t want to do anything.

Our body experiences constant fatigue, and we often feel as though our energy is drowning, leading to feelings of burnout, not to mention the desire to leave work. So trust me when I say I understand how it feels to have been through this phase. I still have not fully recovered, but I try every day.

I understand how it feels when people around you don’t understand what you are going through. Even when they care about you, there is still a gap between you and them. Our mind prevents us from being vulnerable around others, and most of us don’t want to share our struggles because we think that nobody will understand.

We don't want to expose ourselves to vulnerability. Seeking help from the right person can be beneficial. I know it's really next to impossible to trust people, but once you do that, it can change your whole life.In this blog post, I will share with you my 7 personal, useful spiritual and practical tips that have helped me during hardships.

1.Stop listening to sad music

I understand it does feel really good when we listen to sad music, as it helps us to release some emotions, gives us a sense of belonging that some can understand what we feel, or the lyrics feel too relatable. But it is doing more damage in the long term to your mind and brain; our brains are already messed up.

In a study, it shows that when we listen to sad music, it may give us a sense of relief and comfort, but it can enforce negative thought patterns in us and make our depression worse. As it gives us a little dopamine hit, and in depression, our mind's chemicals are imbalanced, and when we listen to sad music while getting these dopamine hits, we suddenly go from being sad to feeling better.

In the book The Power of the Subconscious Mind, author Joseph Murphy tells us the power of our subconscious mind and how it can attract anything, so when we listen to sad lyrics, we attract these types of things in our life, and more and more negative things start to happen.

I personally used to listen to sad music too much, to be honest it was really comforting until I realized that it was actually doing damage to my mind. I was not getting better; on the contrary, I was getting worse. Those sad lyrics used to play in my mind 24 hours, and as I mentioned, our subconscious is listening every time. It does not know the difference between negative and positive; it just accepts whatever comes to it.

So I stopped listening to sad music, and honestly, I felt a lot better after some time. Yes, it took time to get used to it, but it was worth it.I would recommend you at least reduce listening to sad music. I am not against sad music I am just saying that. It can cause more harm than good in mental health struggles.

2.Listen to religious hymns and prayers

It is the most effective method I found and came across. Listening to prayer or hymns not only benefits your mind but also your soul. Imagine if repeating positive thoughts and affirmations can have such drastic and big impact how much impact can religion scriptures and prayers make.

You can do it the following way:

Choose any prayer from your religious scripture and repeat it again and again, when you are doing it, you have to listen to your voice and prayer with the full concentration you can have. When you do it this way, after some time it will reach your subconscious, and once it reaches your subconscious, it starts cleaning all negative thoughts and patterns because it is not just some regular words; it is words directly from God.
A more effective way is to use a audio player, or you can use your mobile phone. Just record the prayer in your voice, or if you have access to any form of audio-recorded hymns, you can check on YouTube from the most trusted channels for prayers and hymns. Just put it on repeat overnight at a volume you are comfortable with; you just have to make sure you can sleep and also hear it.

As we discussed the subconscious mind, sometimes our conscious mind, which operates on logic, prevents positive thoughts from easily entering our subconscious. When you are asleep, your conscious mind also sleeps, but your subconscious mind remains active and listens to everything.

As a result, it directly reaches your subconscious while you are asleep. If you do it for a few months, you will definitely see a difference.I personally tried this method and felt the difference in my anxiety and my negative thought pattern.

Listening to verses that are directly from God on repeat cleanses our soul, mind and our pain. It may take some time, but it definitely will help . You can take any Hymns or prayers from your religious scriptures whichever you like. I listened to this hymn/shabad from Sri Dashm Granth Sahib ji regularly, and prayed. Check this video of Sri dashm Granth sahib ji.

ਰੋਗਨ ਤੇ ਅਰ ਸੋਗਨ ਤੇ ਜਲ ਜੋਗਨ ਤੇ ਬਹੁ ਭਾਂਤਿ ਬਚਾਵੈ ॥

rogan thae ar sogan thae jal jogan thae bahu bhaath bachaavai

He(lord) safeguards from maladies, grief and aquatic animals in a number of ways.

ਸੱਤ੍ਰ ਅਨੇਕ ਚਲਾਵਤ ਘਾਵ ਤਊ ਤਨ ਏਕ ਨ ਲਾਗਨ ਪਾਵੈ ॥

saathr anaek chalaavath ghaav thoo than eaek n laagan paavai

The enemy may strike many a blow, yet a minor injury cannot be inflicted on the body.

ਰਾਖਤ ਹੈ ਅਪਨੋ ਕਰ ਦੈ ਕਰ ਪਾਪ ਸੰਬੂਹ ਨ ਭੇਟਨ ਪਾਵੈ ॥

raakhath hai apano kar dhai kar paap sanbooh n bhaettan paavai

He holds out his hand to protect and hampers the multitude of sins from approaching.

ਔਰ ਕੀ ਬਾਤ ਕਹਾ ਕਹ ਤੋ ਸੌਂ ਸੁ ਪੇਟ ਹੀ ਕੇ ਪਟ ਬੀਚ ਬਚਾਵੈ ॥

aar kee baath kehaa keh tho saa s paett hee kae patt beech bachaavai

What else need I mention to you about other matters, He even protects (the embryo) in the membrane of the womb (of the mother).

3.Be with people who are close to God

Being around people who genuinely love God and spread God's message can make a lot of difference. Because they would never make you feel that you have a problem or that you are a problem inside, they would accept you and help you also spiritually evaluate you and understand you and your feelings. You can gently feel when someone is a person of God.

In a TED talk, Dr. Lisa Miller shared how depression led her to spirituality. She said that depression and spirituality are like two sides of the same door. Her research showed that people with lifelong depression who have a strong sense of spirituality had healthier brains.

Their brains were thicker in certain areas, and they had a type of brain activity called alpha waves, which are linked to calm and meditation. This suggests that spirituality can help people with depression grow and heal, offering a new way to think about mental health.

4.Don’t act or believe everything your mind says

In the book The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, the author said, "Your mind is a wonderful servant but a terrible master." Being in depression, your subconscious is programmed with negative thinking patterns. But being around positive people will challenge these negative patterns, as you are influenced by your company, so being around people of God is beneficial.

Just realize you are not your thoughts; you are the one who just notices them. Don’t feel bad when you have some weird thoughts; just let them pass. Don’t hold them, because if you hold them or focus on them, they will amplify themselves. I understand it's really easier said than done, but trust me, you can do this.

5.Eat healthy

Even if we talk about it in general, eating healthy is really important, and yes, it does make a difference. I know it's difficult to do anything sometimes, but it is really worth the time, and it does make a difference to balance our hormones and help our brain to work properly.

Personally, I used to eat a lot of unhealthy food, but since I started eating healthily, I felt a difference in my body; it doesn’t feel tired and stressed as much as it used to.

6.Get into nature.

As they say, Mother Nature is one of the biggest miracles and beauties, and being out in nature gives you a feeling of calmness; it calms your body. The sound of birds and the rustle of leaves can evoke a sense of calmness. Five elements make up our bodies, and being in nature gives us a sense of belonging as we experience the life and love of God.

When I experienced panic or sudden anxiety attacks, I would personally go to places such as parks, small woods, or even lakes near my house. In the rain, it actually felt so light, like it was sorting something out of me. The burden and the heaviness were gone.

7.Get professional help.

I know everyone recommends this, but it is really worth it. Asking for help does not make you weak; it shows your courage to be there for yourself, and you tried this even though it doesn't feel like the right thing to do.

It was really challenging for me, but I assure you that it was worth it, and you have the freedom to choose any type of therapy you desire. There are different therapies: cognitive behavioural therapy, humanistic therapy, or therapy for addiction. You matter here, and I want you to get better, so please do this.

Conclusion

I want you to try these methods, and I really hope you found even one of them useful. I am so proud of you , If you have reached here, you took the step to improve. I know it's hard, and you want it to be over. Trust in God, you will get better sooner rather than later. You belong here, and you are not the problem. Don’t stop, just keep on trying..You got this, I pray for you. ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਜੀ ਮੇਹਰ ਕਰਿਓ

References

Millgram, Y., Joormann, J., Huppert, J. D., & Tamir, M. (2015b). Sad as a Matter of Choice? Emotion-Regulation Goals in Depression. Psychological Science, 26(8), 1216–1228. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797615583295.

The Power of Your Subconscious Mind: Murphy, Joseph: 9781936594238: Books - Amazon.ca. (n.d.). https://amzn.to/3WVy2t5.

TEDx Talks. (2014, July 24). Depression and spiritual awakening -- two sides of one door | Lisa Miller | TEDxTeachersCollege[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7c5t6FkvUG0.

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: A Remarkable Story About Living Your Dreams eBook : Sharma, Robin: Amazon.ca: Kindle Store. (n.d.). https://amzn.to/3AcOQTf.

Mangal Dhillon Channel. (2020, April 2). 214. ਕਿਸੇ ਵੀ ਅਸਾਧ ਰੋਗ ਦੇ ਇਲਾਜ ਵਾਸਤੇ ਹਜ਼ਾਰਾਂ ਦੇ ਅਜ਼ਮਾਏ ਸੱਤ ਇਲਾਹੀ ਕੈਪਸੂਲ, ਅਵਧੀ: 25 ਮਿੰਟ[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjmbnbvJ3Qk.

Dasam Granth - SikhiWiki, free Sikh encyclopedia. (n.d.). https://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Dasam_Granth.

7 Practical and Spiritual Tips to Manage Depression and Anxiety