(ThyBlackMan.com) It happens to most everyone at some point in their life. Feeling anxious or depressed is a common illness that affects 40 million adults in the US. The good news about anxiety and depression is that they are highly treatable illnesses. Which means with just a little adjustment of your schedule, and some lifestyle changes, you can overcome it.
Here are the top ways experts say can help you get your emotions back on an even keel.
1. Prioritize sleep.
Negative emotions take on alarming magnitude when we are not getting the sleep we need. When you are operating on only 4 to 5 hours of sleep, small challenges can feel overwhelming. The first step to feeling better is to focus on getting 7 to 8 hours of good sleep per night. Often, however, when one is feeling anxious, it becomes 
doubly difficult to drift off. There are a variety of natural remedies that you can take that can help you lower your stress levels to aid you in falling to sleep. Studies have found that CBD oil is effective in helping insomnia sufferers by lowering anxiety levels. This list of Los Angeles dispensaries can provide you with a place to start in finding an effective cannabidiol strain.
2. Go out for a nature walk.
In a study reported in the Scientific American, walking was shown to be effective in alleviating depression in women. Most of us know from personal experience that taking a walk can help to clear cobwebs from the brain. So it should come as no surprise to us that it can boost us when we’re feeling low. But if you want to take it up a notch, consider going for a walk in nature. A forest, a large park, or a hike up a hill are all good options. A Finnish study found that people felt happier after just 15 minutes of being in a park or a forest.
It can be difficult to get yourself motivated enough to head out the door, particularly when you are in a funk. But the rewards are plenty. Ask a friend to walk with you and you will get double the boost. Spending time with friends is another time-proven way to help overcome anxiety.
3. Make better food choices.
When we are stressed out and not feeling our best, we make food choices that we later regret. We eat junk food to help numb ourselves from the feelings of inadequacy or overwhelm. Healthy eating is often the first part of our life to suffer when we are going through depression or anxiety. However, one’s diet should be looked at as one of the first lines of defense in protecting your body’s systems and keeping them working correctly. This includes alcohol, so many people turn to alcohol and it can be extremely dangerous and unhealthy. It’s important to find healthier solutions like using CBD or Kava. You might be wondering what does the process look like because you can actually visit a Kava cafe now, which makes it easier to access. Take time to find natural and healthy ways to beat depression, and make better choices.
In one example of how nutrition can impact your feelings of wellness, consider that most serotonin is made in your intestines. This means that those feel-good chemicals are at risk if you have poor gut health. For better intestinal health, eat yogurts fortified with probiotics so that your gut stays healthy. Don’t know where else to start in making better food choices? Raw and fresh is always better than processed. If you need to pull out a chopping board and a knife to prepare your meal, that is a good sign you are making good grocery choices. Pay attention to how you feel an hour to a day after you eat a certain meal. If a meal leaves you feeling heavy for too long afterwards, you may want to lighten the portions a little.
There are many aspects of one’s life that you can fortify to make you less prone to an anxiety attack or a dip into depression. Focus on making daily healthy choices to sleep more, eat better, and spend time in nature for returns in wellness that will pay off.
Staff Writer; Todd Rodgers