Be Aware Of These Harmful Myths And Relieve Anxiety and Depression
Anxiety and depression are hard enough to cope with as they are without having unnecessary myths
about how to treat them prolonging the torment. If you suffer from anxiety or depression, make sure
you're aware of the following myths so you get better as quickly as possible.
For lots of people, an episode of anxiety and depression is often triggered by a traumatic event.
For example, a death of a loved one, job loss, a relationship breakdown, these kinds of events. The
conclusion is that traumatic events cause severe stress, leading to depression and anxiety. This is
completely untrue because no event, no matter how traumatic, can ever cause anxiety or depression.
This is easily demonstrated because every one of us will have to deal with traumatic events during
our lives. But not every one of us will become anxious or depressed during these times. The reason
why this is so lies in the way people are able to make sense of these events. The events themselves
cannot cause anxiety or depression.
When it comes to treating anxiety and depression, most sufferers believe antidepressant drugs such
as Effexor, Prozac, Zoloft, and Celexa for example - are the most effective treatment. The problem
with using drugs to treat anxiety and depression is that they only treat one of the symptoms -
reduced levels of serotonin, a "happy chemical" in the brain. As soon as a person stops taking the
drug, the root cause will surface and another episode of suffering results. Drugs may help you feel
better in the short term, but they cannot offer you a cure.
In today's modern society, the food police are continually advocating their belief that a poor
diet is at the root of all of our ills. Indeed, obesity is a major health problem and increases
your risk of heart attack and strokes. But can food cause and cure stress, depression and anxiety?
No it cannot. A poor diet has no bearing whatsoever on anxiety or depression and this is easily
proven by asking a simple question: Does everyone who eats a poor diet suffer from anxiety and
depression and does everyone who eats a healthy diet never suffer from them? In both cases the
answer is no! Your diet will not cause anxiety or depression and it won't cure them. However,
eating a healthy diet will boost your overall health and healthy eating should be a part of your
treatment to
relieve anxiety and depression. Feeling good physically will help you feel better
mentally.
You may hear fitness gurus promoting exercise as the best way to ease anxiety and depression.
Although exercise is great for physical health, it cannot cure anxiety or depression. Lack of
exercise has absolutely nothing to do with depression and exercising regularly will not cure you.
Indeed, certain exercises - running, treadmills, biking to give just 3 examples - may even fuel
depression as they allow you to brood over your problems. Exercises where you have to concentrate,
such as tennis, badminton, squash, are more beneficial. Exercise can help, but you also need to
treat the root cause of anxiety and depression as well. And if you perform the behaviours that
cause anxiety and depression when you stop exercising, exercise won't help you conquer either of
these problems.
Another common myth regarding anxiety and depression is the theory that both have their roots in
past events, even going back as far as childhood. Repeatedly going over events from the past is a
major part of depression, and of course, the past can be a very cruel place to live. But replaying
past events is again just one of the symptoms. Therapy that solely focuses on addressing events
from the past in a misguided search to attribute the cause of your depression is flawed in two ways:
First, one single event from the past will not cause depression or anxiety. Yes, certain events
from the past - especially abuse - can cause problems but these problems are not part of anxiety or
depression and need specialist counselling. Secondly, replaying events from the past will do
nothing whatsoever to help you deal with the problems and circumstances you face here and now.
Instead of concentrating on the past, concentrate instead on coping with and solving, the problems
and issues you are confronted with at the moment. This will help you far more than digging up the
past.
Anxiety and depression are hard enough to deal with and take enough of your time without having
myths take even more. Be wise - avoid the above myths and you'll speed up your recovery.
