{"id":119681,"date":"2023-12-15T10:47:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-15T14:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=119681"},"modified":"2023-12-20T11:32:53","modified_gmt":"2023-12-20T15:32:53","slug":"low-mood-and-anxiety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/low-mood-and-anxiety\/","title":{"rendered":"Low Mood and Anxiety Self-Care Tips From Dr. Julie Smith"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Are you often inexplicably down or anxious? Are you eager for a solution that doesn’t involve therapy or medication?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Dr. Julie Smith, one of the main reasons people go to therapy is to rid themselves of conditions such as low mood<\/a> and anxiety. She argues that many people can resolve these matters on their own by understanding them and making certain adjustments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continue reading to see whether self-care might be the right solution for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Self-Care for Low Mood and Anxiety<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many people experience low mood and anxiety and have resigned themselves to years of intense therapy. Dr. Julie Smith argues that it’s likely you can educate and equip yourself to manage these conditions. Let’s take a look at her insights and recommendations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Low Mood<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a common misconception that if you have frequent low moods, such as depression and sadness, they\u2019re an inherent aspect of your personality, a character flaw, or even a neurological issue. However, Smith explains that, like other emotions, moods aren\u2019t fixed components of our identity\u2014they\u2019re fluctuating sensations in our bodies and minds<\/strong>. Both internal and external factors influence low moods, and understanding these influences empowers us to address the factors we can control and thus steer our emotional well-being<\/a> in a more positive direction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smith explains that low moods aren\u2019t generated solely by your brain or experienced exclusively in your head\u2014your physical state, relationships, history, current circumstances, environment, and lifestyle (diet, exercise, sleep, and so on) all contribute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Shift Your Moods<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Smith describes how a vicious cycle keeps us stuck in low moods: Our moods impact our thoughts, which impact our actions, which impact our physical health<\/strong>, which further brings down our moods. To stop this cycle, Smith advises paying attention<\/a> to your physical state, your thought patterns<\/a>, your actions, and your human connections<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your physical state:<\/strong> Low moods can be exacerbated by fatigue, hunger, physical discomfort, insufficient exercise, poor nutrition, and an imbalance in our routines. To support your mood and emotional well-being, work to improve physical factors before addressing things like your thoughts and behaviors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your thought patterns: <\/strong>Negative thought patterns<\/a>, particularly self-critical and repetitive ones, can cause low moods. Smith recommends cultivating self-compassion<\/a> to help reduce and change negative thought patterns. To tap into self-compassion, ask yourself how you would respond to someone you love who was going through the same things and then respond to yourself in the same way. You can also cut negative thought patterns off by adjusting your physical state\u2014for example, by changing your environment or body position or even raising your hand and telling yourself, \u201cStop.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your actions:<\/strong> Our actions feed our body and brain information about how to feel. When we experience low moods, we often avoid activities that could improve how we feel, and we tend to make short-term choices that ultimately worsen our long-term emotional state. Smith writes that to change your habits and behavior, you should change just a few things at a time. Low moods can make even small, familiar tasks overwhelming, so don\u2019t push yourself<\/a> to improve too many things at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Connection with others: <\/strong>Having positive connections with other people can have a huge positive impact on our mental well-being. Unfortunately, having low moods can make us feel like isolating ourselves from others until we feel better. Isolation can then perpetuate and exacerbate feelings of low mood and depression. Thus, Smith advises that instead of waiting until you feel<\/em> like socializing, try to make time to be around others even when you don’t feel like it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anxiety <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Smith explains that anxiety is a physical response we\u2019ve evolved to help us respond to danger\u2014it\u2019s the brain’s alarm signal. Because it works at lightning speed, it doesn’t allow us to evaluate threats calmly. As a result, it frequently triggers fear responses in modern life to situations that aren’t true threats to our survival. We can’t eliminate this survival alarm system nor would we want to\u2014but if we can better understand its workings and identify its triggers, we can learn to differentiate between false alarms and genuine threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Calm Anxiety<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Smith reviews two techniques that can help you calm your anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breathe slowly.<\/strong> Anxiety naturally makes us breathe more shallowly and quickly to get more oxygen to our muscles for a quick escape from danger. Slowing your breathing and lengthening your exhales gives your body and brain the signal that everything is OK. Smith recommends doing what she calls \u201csquare breathing,\u201d where you inhale for four seconds, hold for four, exhale for four seconds, hold for four, etc. This method helps you make your breathing slower and more even.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shift your attention away from your anxious thoughts.<\/strong> When you allow your attention to be consumed by anxious thoughts, you communicate to your body and brain that things are not OK, which creates more distress. To interrupt this feedback loop, focus on positive, calm thoughts that can quiet your alarm response\u2014for example, you can say to yourself, \u201cYou\u2019re safe, it\u2019s OK. I\u2019m right here with you, and we\u2019ll get through this.\u201d Give yourself kindness and compassion like you would a scared child.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Are you often inexplicably down or anxious? Are you eager for a solution that doesn’t involve therapy or medication? According to Dr. Julie Smith, one of the main reasons people go to therapy is to rid themselves of conditions such as low mood and anxiety. She argues that many people can resolve these matters on their own by understanding them and making certain adjustments. Continue reading to see whether self-care might be the right solution for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":119690,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,9,43],"tags":[1350],"class_list":["post-119681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-psychology","category-self-improvement","tag-why-has-nobody-told-me-this-before","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nLow Mood and Anxiety Self-Care Tips From Dr. Julie Smith - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Many people experience low mood and anxiety and have resigned themselves to medication or therapy. 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