Are you coping with depression and/or anxiety? If so, you are not alone. Many individuals suffer with these issues. The question is, “What do you do about it?”. Perhaps you have tried several different ways of coping with anxiety and depression, but none of them have done the trick. There is a good chance that the methods you are using to beat depression and treat anxiety are just ineffective. Don’t get caught in an unproductive cycle! Sometimes it helps to know what not to do. Let’s explore a few of the ineffective methods of dealing with depression and anxiety.

Self-Medicating

Are you trying to self-medicate in order to beat depression? I’m not talking about pharmaceuticals, but attempts at trying to mask or forget about your problem. When we’re trying to figure out how to treat anxiety or beat depression, we often use unhealthy means of “escape”. What are some of these typical means of escape?

•Alcohol

Consuming too much alcohol is a typical mistake people make when dealing with anxiety or depression. While consuming alcohol might temporarily relieve the symptoms of depression and anxiety, it is not effective long term and in fact, leads to greater problems. If you are regularly consuming alcohol when you are depressed or anxious, you are in danger of developing an unhealthy dependency. Not only can this lead to alcoholism, but it can also hurt relationships, effectiveness at work, and your finances. Heavy alcohol consumption is never the answer to how to treat anxiety or beat depression!

•Shopping

What is the harm in a little shopping? Usually there is no harm if it is done purposefully and occasionally. However, if you find yourself spending money in order to forget your problems, this is a huge red flag. While not as physically harmful as alcohol addiction, shopping addiction has just as much potential to ruin your life. You may find that you feel temporarily elated after a shopping spree, but eventually your depression or anxiety will resurface and you will have to spend money again to medicate your hurt. Needless to say, this turns into a vicious cycle with no benefits and the very real potential of ruining relationships and robbing you of financial security. This is not the cure for depression or anxiety; in fact, it can lead to more of the same.

• Eating

We have all been guilty of overindulging when we eat. Doing this occasionally is normal and probably won’t negatively affect your life. . If you are eating in order to alter your mood or relieve a hurt, however, then you may have an unhealthy dependence on food. Food can be a wonderful tool in your arsenal to beat depression if you are using it to maintain a healthy balanced diet. However, we typically turn to unhealthy “comfort” foods when we are trying to escape depression and anxiety. It can be tempting to eat an entire bag of cookies or chips when we are stressed or depressed, but this will not prove to be ultimately effective or healthy! Overeating and unhealthy eating will not help you when you are seeking how to treat anxiety or beat depression.

Now that you know some of the common mistakes people make when trying to beat depression or treat anxiety, you are ready to find out what really works. You can get better once you put away unhealthy methods of coping and begin to use methods that really work!