All of us have those moments when we want to start throwing things.

Screaming, kicking the walls, overturning tables. But why get hysterical?

It’s perfectly normal to have such feelings of helpless rage from time to time, and respond with panic and anxiety attacks.

If you feel that such outbursts are taking control of your life, it may be time to step back and reevaluate your situation, and your response to stress.

Panic and anxiety outbursts can distort the decision-making process, or preclude it altogether. When your thoughts are swirling, it’s hard to see clearly. You’ll tend to make hasty decisions, to act just for the sake of doing something, instead of taking a much-needed pause to reflect, take a deep breath, and determine your wisest course of action.

There are a few guideposts you can use to help orient yourself when it seems that panic and anxiety have taken control of your mind. These are very practical steps you can take to manage stress constructively:

1. Take a deep breath. If an attack is threatening to break out, nip it in the bud. Sit down, stretch, relax a bit, and most importantly, breathe deeply and slowly. One of the best ways to manage rage and anger is simply to restore a slower rate of breathing. Inhale and exhale slowly, and help lower your heart rate back to a normal level.

More on How to Handle Panic and Anxiety Attacks?

With a recognized epidemic of depression, and the advertising of all sorts of antidepressant drugs, we may well ask if drugs are the only way to treat depression.

After all, there have been well-documented cases of antidepressant drugs actually increasing the risk of suicidal thoughts and acts, particularly in young adults.

However, it is important to recognize that serious clinical depression, with a known chemical cause, must be treated appropriately with medication.

For those with milder bouts of depression – perhaps feeling “blue” more often than not, or for those who want to prevent depression, there may be some other ways to deal with this illness…

• First of all, there is psychotherapy that should be an adjunct to drugs in cases of depression. Some types of depression may not have a chemical cause, but instead be driven by life experiences – a dysfunctional home life, loss of a loved one, etc. In these cases, counseling is very

More on How to Treat Depression without Meds?

It seems that many people today are depressed. Friends talk about feeling “blue” or are on medications for depression. Commercials abound with medications to treat depression.

We have all seen them: advertisements for Celexa, Zoloft, and many others. However, if we think about our parents and grandparents of the post-WWII years…

Do we really remember that they talked about being depressed? Probably not in most cases.

What is it that is making so many people depressed?

The World Health Organization (WHO) recognized the depression epidemic, reporting that by the year 2020, at least 30% of adults will suffer from major depression at some time in their More on Do We Have an Epidemic of Depression?

Depression is a diagnosis that is so widespread that many may not regard it as a real illness. The fact is that depression is a disorder that can prove life-threatening if not dealt with in a timely manner.

Depression can be nothing short of debilitating, disrupting not only long-term plans and goals, but even the most everyday things in life, whether it be dragging oneself out of bed in the morning, preparing meals, and taking care of various odds and ends.

Various forms of professional treatment and medications are available, of course, but they can often be prohibitively expensive. While depression can be difficult to cure, and will not pass with time like a common cold, it can be effectively managed with the help of a few easy guidelines. For serious depression management, you may need to seek professional help; but even the layperson can take an active approach, and engage in self-treatment, having learned about ways to deal with depression.

• Activity is one of the simplest methods for coping with depression. Do whatever it takes to divert your mind from those dark thoughts, to maintain healthy physical and mental activity. Find a relaxing kind of recreation or exercise, which will not only train your body, but calm your mind, and help you get more closely in touch with the real you. Getting a good night’s sleep is also crucial to mental health. If you’re having problems sleeping, even small changes to the physical arrangement of your bedroom can make a difference. Remove every distracting or annoying element from your sleeping area—anything that prevents you from falling asleep and sleeping soundly.

• One of the worst things a depressed person can do is stifle his emotions, keeping them inside, hiding them from others and possibly from oneself. Be honest about what you’re feeling, and learn to discuss it openly and freely. Emotions aren’t something to fear. Some of life’s challenges can reduce us to tears, which is only natural; but some people consider this to be humiliating, and beneath their dignity, and therefore, instead of letting the sadness express itself the way nature intended, they try to smother it deep within them. There, it can simmer slowly, until, without warning, the grief and anger erupt, often with acts of pointless violence and destruction—throwing things, breaking things, or yelling angrily, and for no apparent reason, at someone you love.

• Spend time with those you care about. You need to build a support network around yourself, with the people who know the real you—the you that loves life and welcomes its challenges. As mentioned above, your buddies and relatives can help distract you from your problems, or simply help you express them. Those we care about are often what bring meaning to an otherwise pointless existence; often, by focusing our attention on them, and on our love for them, instead of on ourselves, we can begin to find a way out of depression.

• Finally, have some faith in yourself. Don’t pile insults and deprecations upon your own head. Depression can lead to a dangerously distorted view of oneself as weak, without talent, and incapable of living. Take a moment to reflect on your talents, on what you’ve accomplished so far in life. Direct your energy outwards, whether it’s taking up a new hobby, or doing something to make another person’s day. When you see the effect you can have on those you love, you’ll begin to realize the power you have.

When you know how to get rid of depression, you can begin to treat it practically. It’s not a quick or easy process, and will take some determination and persistence. But always remember that there are brighter days ahead.