Those who suffer with anxiety and depression have most likely tried all sorts of things to help manage their low points. I have a toolkit of coping mechanisms for when I get a bout of anxiety (not that I always useful, because, ya know, self-sabotage and all). But it often feels as though there’s not a lot than can help.
If you want to be happy, you have to do the hard work, and train your mind to think differently. Though it’s important to note you don’t have to do this without any assistance. Gradually, thanks to an increased interest and concern about mental health, there are more and more useful tools available to use. The main challenge is finding out about them in the first place.
Don’t worry, I’ve done some of the hard work for you and found three products that can ease your burden a little. They aren’t a quick fix, because as I said, you have to do most of the work yourself. But these things do offer a helping hand. And, they have all be proven to have a positive impact in some way. I’ve tried them out myself, and see some real results.
I hardly ever promote things via my blog. But I am however happy to shout about any products that genuinely help mental health. I’m excited to tell you all about the following products, because there’s a good chance they will help you.
Check out these three things that can help you to feel just a little bit better.
WeAreHAPS
I received an email from a LinkedIn contact about a product launch, and it certainly caught my eye. WeAreHAPS is a new serotonin boosting drink that can help you to combat low moods. I can really relate to the owner of the business, Rik, who suffers from SAD and anxiety. He’s got an interesting story to tell about how his company came to be, read about it here.
What I found really interesting about this product, is it’s raising an important point. Nutrition is more closely linked to your mental health than you might think.
Without getting into the sciency stuff too much, we need certain vitamins, nutrients and minerals for chemical reactions to occur. These chemical reactions affect our ability to respond healthily to situations, and without them, we can feel seriously out of balance.
All the ingredients in WeAreHAPS are specifically included because of their mood-boosting properties. It contains whole fruit powders + boosters to naturally increase serotonin production, rehydrate, revitalise and improve mental wellbeing. It’s not just a bunch of vitamins, this product is backed by nutrition and science, and is specifically focused around mental health.
You don’t need to take WeAreHAPS every day, it’s used more on and as and when basis, i.e. when you are feeling low. I’ve tried it myself, and taking it kind of felt like I was ‘feeding my happy’, if you catch my drift.
Simply knowing you have ingested mood-boosting ingredients makes you feel like you’ve magically got a stronger set of armour to face life’s battles. I need to take WeAreHAPS on a long-term basis in order to properly determine its effectiveness, but I’m certainly initially very impressed and genuinely excited about this brand. I think it’s so relevant and really hitting a mental health pain-point. Order online here.
Conti Music
Most of know that listening to calming music can help us feel more relaxed. I’ve certainly put on a bit of classical music when I feel like my brain needs to be soothed a little. But what if you could listen to music that’s specifically made to activate certain parts of the brain, and have a positive impact on your body and mind? That’s what Conti Music does.
There’s a fair amount of research studying the effects of music on the brain, and people are starting to realise what a powerful tool it can be. Conti Music incorporates a variety of music therapy techniques, but it also sounds wonderful.
It’s exactly what you need to reach for when you feel the pull of your anxiety or depression. It’s made to have a genuine impact on you and should leave you feeling different afterwards, therefore hopefully reducing anxiety and stress.
Try and listen to this music using headphones so that you can totally switch off and focus on the sounds making their way into your ears. Listening to music has so many benefits, read more about this here.
This album is definitely in my anxiety toolkit. It’s something I can reach for when I feel anxiety bubbling at the surface, or when life gets a little bit too much. You can download the album here.
Thrive Stress-Free
Someone approached me on LinkedIn and said they had an app that I might find really useful, and I initially dismissed it. Then, after checking it out later, I realised this could actually be something I might benefit from. It uses CBT techniques and is based on over two years of research and development aimed specifically at managing anxiety and stress.
Feel stress-free teaches you tried and test techniques to manage the stress of a hectic life. It tracks your mood over time and trains you to optimise your coping mechanisms.
You can track your mood on a daily basis and see how it changes over time. The app also gets you to change the way you think and challenge the things that you are worrying about. I love that the app has a little cartoon, which really helps when taking you through the breathing exercises.
For some reason watching a little cartoon man breathe in and out, rather than just being told to seems to help. I’ve always struggled with breathing exercises, because as soon as I start focusing on my breathing I start to panic more.
This is the first tool that’s enabled me to complete a grand total of three minutes of breathing control. The app also offers a muscle relaxation tool where it makes you tense and then relax different parts of your body, it’s so simple, yet very effective. I’m yet to try the meditation and self-hypnosis features, I will update this when I do.
If you need something to try and calm you down and refocus your mind when you are experiencing an onset of anxiety then give this app a go. It might just help you to avoid a panic attack.
