My Journey: How I Cured My Anxiety And Depression

(Without any medication)

Disclaimer: I am not a psychologist, psychiatrist or mental health practitioner.

I am not advising you to try anything. I am simply sharing what worked for me.

If you want to try any of these steps, please consult your doctor or psychiatrist before doing so.

By the time I was 14, I knew my brain worked differently than others.

I felt numb most of the time and nothing really made me happy. I kept to myself, afraid that my silence would draw unnecessary attention or ‘dampen’ the mood.

By 18, in my first year of university, I was experiencing anxiety attacks and blackouts.

My parents were beyond concerned and suggested I go on medication.

I didn’t want that.

I had friends who were on medication and the side effects they experienced broke my heart.

From a loss of appetite to a constant mellow feeling to a struggle with concentration, I saw medication as more harmful than good.

I also had a story that as the child of a psychologist, wouldn’t it look “bad” if I needed medication? (I don’t have this belief anymore, but it was a huge part of my resistance to medication).

I knew there had to be a better way or at least an alternative.

For the last 6+ years, these are all the practices I have implemented in my life that I believe have allowed me to significantly improve my mental health and not need medication.

1. Work Out Every Day.

Exercise, in many forms, keeps me going.

Regular exercise makes you feel good, look good, and have more energy.

If you get bored, switch up your workouts.

You want to push your body and your mind to the limit. And every time you do, you expand your comfort zone and get stronger.

2. Eat Foods That Fuel And Nourish Me.

In 2019, I randomly decided to be vegetarian after one vegetarian meal at my canteen.

I had no real intention of being vegetarian other than experimentation.

Apart from unexpected weight loss, I found that my mood was a lot lighter.

I remember my mother commenting regularly how happy and light I was.

Though I’m not vegetarian anymore, I am mindful of my relationship with food and how it makes me feel.

So I prioritise as much whole foods as I can and eat a ton of vegetables.

3. Sitting In Silence

I sit in silence.

No phone, no book. Just me and myself.

I explore my mind and the conversations I have.

I feel what’s going on in my body and how I’m feeling.

What am I telling myself that’s empowering me? What am I telling myself that’s disempowering me and how can I change it?

I have conversations with God and the Universe.

Give your mind and body time to do nothing.

Be present and focus on living in this moment.

When you live in this moment, there is no time to worry.

You feel grateful for what’s happening here and now.

You might even find in the silence all the answers to questions you’ve had for months or years.

4. Sleep

I do my best to get 8 hours of sleep A NIGHT.

Sleep is where your body recovers.

Feeling overwhelmed?

Worked out hard?

Ate a lot?

Long day?

This is where your body and mind decompress and repair themselves.

Don’t sleep, and you don’t get to recover fully.

And without proper sleep, you risk burnout, poor health and poor mental health.

Sleep is VITAL to me now. Where it never used to be.

5. A Vision For The Future

Goal setting has been one of the highest ROI habits I've adopted.

Daily, weekly, and monthly goals.

Having a goal focuses your mind on the most important things.

You worry less about what happened, what is happening and what could happen.

Instead, you are creating what WILL happen.

And this is a powerful feeling when you are battling your mind. It gives you some control and you believe that you do have control.

That you can create your reality (which you really can).

The action you take every day is meaningful and you move with purpose and direction.

6. Create More, Consume Less

I stopped just being a consumer. I started creating.

I started outlining and working on projects.

Whether it was my health, relationships, business or hobbies.

I create.

But to create, I still consume, but it’s different now.

I consume consciously and intentionally.

I look to consume higher quality content and information because it will determine everything I think and do.

I consume from people above me. Who has done what I want to do and have failed, but ultimately succeeded.

I use their lessons as stepping stones to my own success.

I changed from being a consumer of content only to making my own and trying to help people around me improve their lives.

Trying to help others learn from my mistakes and lessons to achieve their success too.

Thus writing and creating projects that are meaningful and focus my energy on something.

7. Sunlight And Nature

I reconnected with nature.

This can be as simple as walking barefoot in the grass or sitting on the grass.

Nature is where we come from, we weren’t meant to be around all of this concrete and technology.

Take a break from them and go outside.

In going outside, I also get sunlight.

There are massive benefits to daily sunlight exposure:

• Helps the body release serotonin

• Regulates your mood and appetite

• Regulates your sleep and circadian rhythm

So make sure to go outside.

Touch some grass and get some sun on your skin.

They are free anti-depressants.

And that’s it.

These are the 7 practices I used and still use today to have great mental health and reduce stress and anxiety:

1. Workout

2. Eat real, natural food

3. Sit in silence

4. Sleep

5. Set goals

6. Create more and consume less

7. Get sunlight and be in nature

Whether you use medication or not, I hope you will implement one or more of these habits and commit yourself to living a happier and healthier life.

— Shana