Depression can be as normal as anxiety.  Things happen in our lives that truly cause us to feel depressed. If a loved one dies, it is normal to experience depression.

There comes a point when depression is not normal, like:

• depression symptoms staying more than two weeks
• depression symptoms that cause suicidal thoughts
• depression symptoms that prevent you from doing your usual activities

It is vital to identify the symptoms of depression so you can get treatment, or to provide support to a depressed friend or loved one.

Depression Symptoms

1. Lack of energy
2. Crabbiness
3. Body aches and pains
4. Trouble concentrating
5. Self-hatred
6. Altered sleep patterns - too little or too much
7. Change in appetite - eating more or less than normal
8. Loss of interest in daily activities
9. Thoughts of helplessness
10. Thoughts of despair

If the depression symptoms haven’t disappeared in a couple of weeks, it may not pass without the proper treatment.

Your medical doctor can determine whether a physical condition is causing the depression. If it is not, he can direct you to the right doctor for treatment.

I was watching the Olympics last night and got an anxiety attack.  Unexpectedly, with no warning, I felt a panic attack coming on.

Anxiety attacks, panic attacks, are generally a direct result of our thoughts.  I didn’t think I was thinking about anything in particular, but the anxiety attack was real.

Instead of laying there and letting it happen, I got up and I got loud.  I sang, I danced, and I joked with the kids to stop the anxiety.

My kids thought I was nuts, but it worked.  The anxiety went away and I had some fun in the process.

My anxiety attacks, or panic attacks, are rare now, but once in awhile one will creep up.

If you suffer from anxiety attacks, or panic attacks, sometimes all you have to do is get up and get loud!

Social Anxiety has a lot to do with our thoughts; mainly negative thoughts.

If you suffer from severe social anxiety, you are avoiding things you enjoy.  What do you do for enjoyment?  What would you like to do?

Are you not doing things you enjoy because you are afraid of looking foolish in front of people?

Social Anxiety produces this fear.  If you want to cure yourself of social anxiety, you must change your thought process.

Social Anxiety | Were These Your Thoughts?

I had severe social anxiety for many years.  My thoughts raced with “what ifs” in every social situation and they were all bad!

I spent most of the day gardening, yesterday, and although it was hard work, I enjoyed every minute of it.

I started thinking why couldn’t I garden in the past?  I was diagnosed with social anxiety, but what exactly stopped me from gardening?

The answer was my thoughts.  In the past, my thoughts were about everything that could go wrong.

I would trip; I would plant a flower wrong; I would spill the dirt and look stupid.  The negative thoughts were endless.

Cure Social Anxiety with New Thoughts!

Yesterday, however, my thoughts were all about the task of gardening.  I transplanted some flowers from the backyard to the front.

I thought about the tools I would need, where I would replant the flowers, and how the finished project would look.

The differences in my thoughts are huge from when I had social anxiety to now.

If you want to cure social anxiety, change your thought process.  It takes time, but it works!