Here is the number for the US National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) . It is free, confidential, and available 24/7. If you are not in serious danger, but need an outlet for any sort of issue, I highly recommend calling this hotline. I have called once and the woman I spoke to was very kind. I'm a rather awkward person, so I didn't know exactly what to say, but she asked me questions and filled in the gaps of silence. They will ask you if you're in danger, but they only take action when it sounds like you're really going to do something (e.g. you tell them you have a plan to kill yourself). Trust me, I've talked to my school counselor quite a few times about suicidal thoughts. I'm telling you this because I was skeptic about telling people. I didn't went to be hospitalized for suicide-watch or be forced into an immediate therapy appointment. If you really feel like you need to talk about something, I hope this gives...

When you've struggled with anxiety or depression for a great duration of time, healing can be scary. You may start thinking...

• "This won't last."
• "Something is going to ruin this."
• "Is this the best I'll ever feel?"
• "This doesn't feel real. I'm not actually happy."
• "It's so hard to keep being positive."
• "I keep worrying about falling back into depression/anxiety. So nothing has actually changed."

I've gone through this stage of depression/anxiety many times. I think that accepting it as a stage of recovery is the best thing you can do. Tell yourself, "This is normal. Even if I relapse into my condition, I'm not doomed to be depressed forever." You must accept that while going through this stage, it does not actually fe...

Okay, if you know me - I like reading articles about studies and statistics that involve children because I really want to be a good parent one day. Recently, I read on article about naps. Here's an outline of the article:

• We all have sleep drives - "a psychological urge to sleep when we need a rest." This builds up the longer we are awake.
• Naps, depending when we take them and how long they are, can ruin our sleep drive, thus ruining a good night's rest.
• The article recommends naps be taken in the early afternoon before 3:00 PM from 10 to 30 minutes long.
• You won't feel as groggy waking up and your sleep drive for the night won't be ruined after taking the type of naps the article recommends. It will still give you a boost of energy for the rest of the day.

I have a psychologist that I see every month. I shall share my experiences of therapy with you if you are at all interested in giving it a try or if you know you will have do therapy sometime soon.

What's the first appointment like? I filled out a survey about my symptoms and mental health before my appointment. I went in and sat down on a couch (yes, there's a couch. There better be. Haha). My therapist greeted me and asked a lot of get-to-know-me questions - how big is your family, do you have any pets, what are your hobbies, what classes are you taking in school - and so on. I think we may have briefly touched on what some of my issues were at the end of my appointment just so she could acknowledge what we needed to work on.

What are regular appointments like? Usually she starts by asking how I am. Then she'll look over her notes and ask about things we discussed at earlier appointments. Usually she'll ask if I made impr...

Explaining depression and anxiety to those without it is not necessarily a milestone toward your recovery. But maybe it's important to you. Maybe you want your parent, sibling, a best friend, or someone close to you to understand a little better. You may find it beneficial.

Depression is all about your ability to cope with stress. Here's a drawing of something I feel describes depression perfectly. In a nutshell, the pictures says depression is not about being sad all the time. It's about how a little bit of sadness or stress can be overwhelming, while normal people can cope much more easily and not be so affected by so little stress.

Anxiety . It's mind sabotage. You know how sometimes you think about breathing - how amazing it is that we know how to breathe without thinking about it - and suddenly you need to think about it. That's totally mind sabotage (I'ma trademark that term). A...

The more you think something, the more you believe it. So yes, it is important to fight negative thoughts. Remember, you deserve to get better. You deserve to use techniques that help you feel better.

• Negate thinking "Happiness doesn't last" with "I can experience happiness."
• Do little things that make you feel in control. Tell yourself, "I am in control." Go play a game with your little brother. Wash dishes. Clean your room. Make that dreaded phone call on your to-do list. Start on the paperwork due next week, even if only for five minutes. Don't do everything, just push yourself a little further than you normally would.
• If you can't help but think something negative, think, "Okay. I can only be negative for a moment. Then I have to stop."
• Exaggerate your problems to the point where they're funny. If you're feeling guilty about eating a few cookies with lunch, ...

Depression and anxiety are serious medical conditions. When you hear someone say something like "Just relax" or "Get over it" or "Stop being lazy", don't feel guilty.

First of all – take the idea that all people fit somewhere on a bell curve. For many different things. For example, let’s take the ability to feel physical pain. You have receptors for that. Well, there’s people who have waaaay too few receptors. Sometimes there’s something wrong with the pain receptors themselves. Ever hear of congenital analgesia or congenital insensitivity? Where people can’t feel pain? Well, something in these people’s nervous system is whacked up. “There are some cases where the condition is caused by increased production of endorphins in the brain…”

Endorphins are just one kind of neurotransmitter – a chemical with a message for...

This technically falls under Tips & Tricks For Fighting Negativity, but this deserves its own list. Well. Box.

The whole "I'm awkward" thought is self-projection. It's "the character and valence of one's situational, objective, or public self-awareness." Basically, it's what you think of yourself. That doesn't mean others think what you think. One of the things with anxiety and depression is that you have to learn to accept you can't read minds. No, you are not Snape. If you feel someone is judging you, think, "I can't read minds. It's time-wasting guesswork. I don't need to know what other people think of me anyway."

With my anxiety, I've avoided making phone calls. I feel awkward asking for help or requesting information. College and job application processes have had me on my feet constantly though. I have to make phone calls. I've noticed that there are so...

I found something really helpful the other day on Yahoo!Answers. When depression or anxiety tries creeping back, we may get so worked about it. We don't want to relapse. We don't want to think we've failed in getting better.

Here's what a Yahoo! user says about it:

"You may have developed what is called an intrusive thought. It is what I refer to as brain garbage. You know its not what you want, yet it pops up. It is leftover from a former reality. What I've found best in dealing with it when it happens to me is to label it. Say to myself "Oh there is that intrusive thought again" and then let it evaporate. It is only distressing when we attach meaning to it. It may be helpful to see if there are things triggering it that you need to deal with like stress, but it may just be a garbage thought.

Because part of what is happening can be ...

Benefits of Yoga

• Stress reduction
• Lowers blood pressure
• Decreases heart rate
• May help with conditions such as insomnia, depression, and anxiety
• Decreases risk of diseases like heart disease
• Speeds recovery and reduces risk of injuries

I like doing yoga right after I wake up. It's refreshing and energizing. I noticed I have less physical symptoms of anxiety when I'm out in public if I do yoga every morning. My routine is fairly gentle and I spend 10-15 minutes doing it.

My Routine (explanations below)

• Start with Corpse Pose; work on "loud" deep inhales and exhales
• Alternating Knee to Chest

That's right - the benefits of depression. While we're all so busy looking at the bad side, let's look at the green side.

Ever notice how it seems so many of "The Greats" were depressed? Monet, Van Gogh, Michelangelo, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Abraham Lincoln, Princess Diana, Elton John, and so on.

Being critical of ourselves means also being critical of our work. We see all the negative aspects of our work. We want to be truly satisfied with our work. Sometimes, we do find the negative parts and fix them, going above and beyond. It's just that... sometimes we find parts that have nothing wrong with them and pass on the criticism to ourselves. We think more about our work than others would think of theirs, which increases the chances of creating high quality work. We, because we have depression or anxiety, are more likely to be introverted. Sometimes we prefer a...

Exciting stuff you guys! Studies are showing that probiotics can help with anxiety and depression. Typically, people take them to ease digestion, bloating, gas, etc. I personally take probiotics before I have milk because I'm lactose intolerant and they have "good" bacteria that digest the lactose for me. They're over the counter and I've never read or felt any side effects on them.

Here's some reading on it:

• "Rao and Bested believe that probiotics "crowd out" the more toxic stomach bacteria linked to depression and other mood disorders. “Bifidobacteria appears to increase levels of tryptophan in the brain, a chemical that "helps people feel better." Patients taking the probiotic also showed a marked improvement in their digestion, experiencing less bloating and gas and a reduction in inflammation. The findings are "huge," Bested said. "The subjects ...

Confidence

You are the number one person you have to deal with everyday of your life. Because you are you. Make sense? Consequently, of course you will have worries about your life and how "good" it is. For this reason, we all have our own "magnifying glasses". We all want nice lives, haha! We all look closely with our magnifying glass to improve different aspects of our lives. However, sometimes our magnifying glasses are too large. Or we hold them too closely to our flaws. Then, we see ourselves in a way that no one else around us does.

Have you ever complimented someone and they rejected your compliment because they didn't think it was true? People do it all the time. I watched it in my math class once. A girl told her friend, "Your hair is always so perfectly straight!" The friend said, "No it's not! It's always friz...

"Strange, but true, statistics say making your bed every day allows your brain to start functioning in an organized manner. You are accomplishing a goal immediately as you rise, and it will set the tone for the rest of your day."

"There is also a connection to happiness; it makes me feel more "on top of things" and more organized which probably bleeds into other parts of my life. I think this ritual gives you the feeling that if you can stop and do that one small thing that may seem tedious, you can take the time for other organizational tasks you might be inclined to put off. You will realize it's not so bad to just do it, and it takes a mere minute or two... It also definitely makes your bed a more inviting place at the end of each day."

Want to read more of the article?

I came across this article when I was looking at a pin suggesting children should ...

Here's what it stands for: Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response

Now let me put that into context. Do you like having your hair brushed or cut? Do you like massages? Are these relaxing or pleasurable to you? Do you feel sleepy when people whisper to you?

ASMR "...is a physical sensation characterized by a pleasurable tingling that typically begins in the head and scalp, and often moves down the spine and through the limbs." Different people may experience for different reasons and triggers. This ASMR concept has started to take a foothold on YouTube, where video makers whisper into the camera and talk to the viewer. Often, ASMR video-makers role-play situation in which they are talking to you. One video-maker may be doing your make-up or cashing you out of the store. Their goal is to trigger ASMR in individuals who experience it. ASMR has been linked to reducing stress and anxiety. Its fan base is ...

Studies have shown that listening to music can decrease heart rate, lower blood pressure, and reduce stress . If you have any songs that you feel have helped you with either depression or anxiety, please comment with the title and artist. I will add them to this list.

Songs that are Calm & Soothing

• Track of flutes, bird chirping, & water ...

Songs with Relatable Lyrics

• Pieces by Red
• Face Up by Lights
• Invisible by Disciple
• Dear X (You Don't Own Me) by Disciple
• Life Is Beautiful (Accoustic Version) by Sixx A.M.
• The Walk by Imogen Heap
• Have You Got It In You? by Imogen Heap
• Lifeline by Imogen Heap
• Illuminated by Hurts
• Nothing In My Way by Keane
• Crystal Ball by Keane

I'm going to amuse you. Because laughing reduces stress. Make it a goal to find something hilarious that you can revisit at least once a week for some more laughs.

★--★--★--★--★--★--★--★--★--★--★--★--★--★

This is my Pinterest board called Funnies. I dare you to look through my pins and not laugh or smile at a single one. That's a challenge. You can also search "funny" on Pinterest and turn up hours worth of results.

★--★--★--★--★--★--★--★--★--★--★--★--★--★

I extend YouTube video recommendations to you as well. If you aren't watching Ryan Higa (nigahiga) or Dan Howell (danisnotonfire), then there's a very good chance that your life is not complete. If those two aren't your cup of tea, I'm sure there are comedians somewhere out there meant to be laughed at by you. "Fluffy" is great. There's a guy with puppets. Ever watch...

I've realized that not being able to obtain "happiness" is a root of my depression. I defined happiness. I made it so that if I was happy, it meant that I was drawing and writing everyday, earning perfect grades at school, being really thin, and so on and so on. When the way you live is dictated definition, it doesn't make for an enjoyable life. There's something to learn from the quote, "Have no expectations and you'll never be disappointed."

Happiness is happiness. Nothing else. Keep that in mind.

"Not only do pets help relieve stress, but they can also improve your mood, control your blood pressure, reduce loneliness, and provide social support—all of which are important for health and well-being, and for avoiding stress and depression that can lead to relapse." Want to read more?

• That being said, try spending more time with your dog, cat, horse, etc. Make time for it. If you don't have a pet, find an animal shelter and volunteer. One of the great things about volunteering is that you can specify what you want to do e.g. only walk dogs, only feed cats and clean cages, etc. You're in control! Another option is visiting a pet shop.

❝Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened.❞ -Anatole France