There are many published reports about the benefits from exercise to help anxiety disorder recovery.  In addition, there are many other reports looking at various types of ways we can care for ourselves, all with an emphasis on decreasing anxiety and depression and improving our mood.  These reports focus on the physical and measurable effects of adding these things into our lives.

But what these reports do not take into consideration or touch upon is the importance of anxiety disorder recovery is daily “self-care”.

There is a component to daily self-care that is not measurable.  And this component, I believe, is even more important than the measurable effects science looks at.  It’s empowerment.

Think of it this way; life is like a river that is constantly flowing.  Often in life, we get carried away by this river and end up just drifting through the days, weeks and months.  We can often go long periods of time with just responding to life in an emotional way – i.e. drifting.

Emotional “drifting” will only reinforce our anxiety and depression.  It allows our emotions to run unchecked and unobstructed.

When we carve out a period of time during the day to help ourselves, what we are doing is creating a period of time where we are not drifting.  Where we are not acting emotionally.  Taking time to work on ourselves is standing up for ourselves.  And this is empowering.  This makes us accountable for ourselves.  It allows us to feel in control, even if it’s just for a short time each day, it’s still very beneficial for anxiety disorder recovery.

Self-care should be paid attention to every day, in some way.  There are many things we can do to help ourselves.  Some of the best things we can do are as follows;

• Exercise
• Eat at least one healthy meal per day
• Get enough water intake
• Get enough sleep
• Meditate

When we take the time to work on ourselves, we are telling the world that we are important also.  And for the time we are doing something for ourselves, at that point, we are the most important thing in the world at that time.  This is very important.  Every day make an effort to work within your abilities and at your level to make time for yourself.  Feel empowered.  In time, this new behavior will have a tremendous impact on your anxiety disorder recovery.

This in conjunction with the physical measurable effects will have a huge impact on you.  And you will feel the benefits!