2020 is a tough year in any sense. For many people around the world, every day can be a challenge. That may explain why one in five adults are reporting symptoms of depression, double the figure of last year.
Are you experiencing symptoms of depression?
Your mental health is important. And the easiest way to start caring for your mental health is to ask yourself: How are you feeling? If the answer is negative, or worse, has been negative for a while, it might be a call for more of attention to your emotions and feelings.
Specifically, depression may manifest itself through varied ways. Ask yourself if you are:
· Tired or having little energy;
· Overwhelmed by the failure you experienced before or something you worried so much;
· Absent-minded and having problems concentrating on things;
· Experiencing insomnia or sleepiness, poor appetite or overeating, or sudden weight changes;
· Feeling bad due to a busy routine that lasts for some time
Regain happiness by following the 3 methods
Emotional troubles are complex; to solve them requires professional techniques, and even instructions from a doctor in the case of a clinical depression. But if you are experiencing a temporary low mood and seeking for ways to change the condition on your own, it might be helpful to follow the advice of hypnotist Paul McKenna.
In his new book I Can Make You Happy, Paul reveals several practical techniques for his readers to follow and regain happiness through continued exercises.
Give yourself happy vision
Scientists believe that moving your eyes in different directions can disturb the negative thought processes in your brain and diminish unhappy feelings. Next time when you feel down, try this simple exercise.
- Look up as much as you can and keep this movement for at least 30 seconds.
- Keep your head still and move your eyes slowly from side to side and up to down, 20 times for each.
- Move your eyes in a “figure of eight” for 20 times and do that again in the opposite direction.
- Repeat the three steps until you feel the negative emotions are weakening and you are much better than before.
Find your happiness keys
Happiness keys are things that support your life. Everyone has his/her own keys; they can be health, family, career and love. Find your keys and let them guide your goals and behaviors in everyday life so you can keep approaching and finally achieve them.
Ask yourself every day to check your progress:
- Have I kept to my values?
- Am I closer to any of them?
- Did my life change because of them?
- Do I need to adjust or add another key?
Keep a happiness diary
Each day write down five things that you are happy about or grateful for on your diary. They can be sweet flowers, a great meal, a healthy body, a nice talk with your friends, and kindness of strangers. Keep the diary every day so that it can be a source of your strength and give you a boost whenever you feel down.
It's normal to feel down in the epidemic. And that makes it more important to protect your mental health. Now, start caring for yourself with one simple question: How are you feeling now?
