Practicing Self Care in a Modern World
Written by Isabela Romano
Graphics by Dana Dang
Prior to COVID-19, about 264 million people worldwide were reported to be living with depression while 284 million people were reported to have an anxiety disorder. As we continue to emerge from a global pandemic, these numbers have climbed even higher. Although these conditions are common, many of us who struggle with mental illness are ill-equipped with the necessary resources that can bring back our quality of life.
As I come to the end of my undergraduate career, I’ve found myself feeling more burnt out and depressed than ever. As someone with a background in neuroscience, I ventured to figure out why I’ve been feeling so low and what I can do about it. After doing some research, I identified a few important questions that everyone should ask themselves when feeling this way.
Important Questions to Ask Yourself
First, what are your stressors? How frequently do you experience them? For instance, what things trigger you to get stuck in the cycle of negative thinking? Additionally, what is your routine like? Is it consistent? Do you find it difficult to do everyday tasks? By answering these questions, you can better understand what changes need to be made.
Fortunately, many symptoms of stress and depression can be managed by making minor changes in your daily activities. Over time, these changes can help alleviate the symptoms of chronic stress and depression, even if you don’t have access to a mental health professional.
Establishing Routines & Habits
One of the best ways to ease the symptoms of burnout and depression is to reestablish your routine. Humans are creatures of habit, so it only makes sense that we feel off when our routine is off.
The first thing to tackle is your sleep schedule. Establishing a regular sleep routine, especially during weekdays, is a relatively easy way to reintroduce structure into your life. Though it seems simple, resetting your circadian rhythm can be a shock to the body at first, so it’s best to gradually adjust your schedule by a half hour until it becomes a habit.
For those who have trouble falling asleep, avoid looking at any screens for at least an hour before going to bed. Caffeine and alcohol should also be avoided in the hours leading up to bedtime. If you still find yourself wide awake, you can do things that put you in a relaxed state such as reading, journaling, meditating, or stretching. Sleep hygiene looks a little different for everyone, but the key is to be consistent with your bedtime and number of hours you sleep each night. Sticking to a regular sleep schedule can help balance hormones, regulate eating habits, and improve your health in general.
Once you start feeling energized, you can begin tackling other parts of your routine. When it comes to creating new habits, it’s best to start small and work your way up. An easy way to do this is by adding a small task to an already existing habit, which will eventually become part of your routine. For example, if you need to take medication every day, place your meds next to your toothbrush and take them when you brush your teeth. Ideally, you’ll brush your teeth twice a day, and therefore, you’ll have two chances to take your meds. Eventually, this will become part of your routine, which will reduce the likelihood of missing a dose. This method can be applied to other habits, such as setting your clothes out as you get ready for bed. You’ll find that it becomes easier to create more habits, but be careful not to overdo it to the point where it stresses you. These habits are meant to relieve your stress by providing stability and consistency in everyday tasks.
Nutrition & Exercise
In recent years, researchers have identified a relationship between the gut and brain. What they found is that our gut is home to the enteric nervous system, which behaves similarly to the central nervous system. The enteric nervous system controls digestive processes, but also contains neurons and neurotransmitters that are responsible for mood and cognition. Essentially, you are what you eat. If you find yourself experiencing acid reflux, heartburn, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, nausea, and/or diarrhea on a regular basis, there’s a good chance that your gut does not agree with what you’re eating. Studies have also found that dysregulation of the gut is linked to psychological disorders like depression and anxiety, as well as some autoimmune diseases and chronic inflammation.
In order to figure out which foods are impacting you, it’s helpful to track what you’re eating and how you feel afterwards. After a few weeks of tracking your diet and symptoms, you should be able to identify which foods make you feel worse. From there, avoid those foods and replace them with healthier options your body can agree with. Getting into the habit of meal prepping each week can also help you eat better, as it reduces the worry of figuring out what to make for each meal while encouraging you to be more conscious of what you’re eating. Likewise, taking the time to enjoy your meal and relax afterwards can also reduce some gastrointestinal symptoms.
There are many foods that can improve your mental health, especially if you’re considered to be deficient. The most common nutrient deficiencies include fiber, vitamin D, vitamin B12, iron, iodine, omega-3, and magnesium. To ensure that you’re getting enough of these vital nutrients, stick to a diet containing a variety of greens, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and small amounts of eggs and meat. If you follow a stricter diet, be sure to supplement as needed. If you’re not sure what’s lacking in your diet, common blood tests can check for vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Exercise can also boost your mood by stimulating the release of feel-good hormones and neurotransmitters like endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, and a healthy amount of norepinephrine. Exercise doesn’t have to be high intensity in order for it to have a positive effect. Endurance activities, such as running or biking, are usually the most intense, but there are lower intensity activities that focus on strength, balance, and flexibility. Whether you prefer to lift weights or do yoga, any type of physical activity can help promote neural connectivity, reduce inflammation, and distract you from negative thoughts and worries.
Mindfulness & Social Interactions
Taking the time to be by myself and reflect is personally one of my favorite ways to decompress when I’m feeling anxious and stressed. Mindfulness can look like many things, but for me, I like to write down my thoughts in order to make sense of them, especially when I know my thoughts are becoming irrational. Putting my thoughts on paper allows me to step back and recognize toxic thinking patterns, though it does require a considerable amount of effort. It can be a challenge to get into the habit, but journaling on a regular basis can be another useful addition to your routine, and the amount of time you spend can be up to you. If you find writing to be tedious, doing breathing exercises or meditating can be a more relaxing way to turn off the outside world and tune in with yourself.
Though it can sometimes be difficult to find the energy, I’ve also found that spending time with my friends and staying in contact with people is much better for my depression than isolating myself. I’ve come to realize how toxic and fake social media is, and it distorts my perception of reality. Of course, it provides some kind of entertainment, but it’s hard not to fall into the trap of comparing yourself to every other person or situation you see. Instead, I’ve been trying to engage in real social interactions with people I trust to be honest, kind, and pleasant to be around. These interactions almost always energize me, and I owe a lot to those who were there for me at my lowest.
Modern life often forces us to give until we reach the point of sheer exhaustion. With so many things to juggle and pay attention to each day, it’s no surprise that depression and anxiety rates are at an all-time high. Admittedly, there are a lot of things to worry about in our world, but most are out of our control. By practicing these forms of self care, we can at least regain control over our own lives, and that should never be understated.
Sources:
Bjarnadottir, A. (2019, May 21). 7 Nutrient Deficiencies That Are Incredibly Common. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-common-nutrient-deficiencies#TOC_TITLE_HDR_7
Global Burden of Disease Collaborative Network. (2017). Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME).
Naidoo, U. (2018, December 07). Gut feelings: How food affects your mood. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/gut-feelings-how-food-affects-your-mood-2018120715548
National Institute of General Medical Sciences. (2021, January 21). Circadian Rhythms. Retrieved from https://www.nigms.nih.gov/education/fact-sheets/Pages/circadian-rhythms.aspx
Robinson, L., Segal, J., & Smith, M. (2021, April 19). The Mental Health Benefits of Exercise. HelpGuide. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-living/the-mental-health-benefits-of-exercise.htm#.
Suni, E. (2020, August 14). Sleep Hygiene. Retrieved from https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene