Prozac works but why not try the un-chemical way to feel good?

This discussion is not about whether Prozac helps with anxiety. Yes, medicines like Prozac can help you control your anxiety levels, but here, I am discussing some DIY methods that are not equally chemical and don't require you to chase around for a prescriptionI have had issues with restoring my mental energy levels every time they get depleted over a few hectic days. Ever since I turned 25, a pattern emerged where, after a couple of days of sustained physical and psychological work, my mind would go into a caffeinated mode, unable to wind down, and as a result, my anxiety levels and the associated digestive symptoms would surface. The medicines I tried over the years to control this habit and its root cause helped to some extent, but there is a catch to using them.No matter what the pharmaceutical world says, there is a downside to every drug out there, prescription or over-the-counter. Once you get into the habit of using mood boosters, or in my case, mood-sustaining salts, there is a big chance your body and mind will stop evolving to help you navigate and manage different phases of your life, and some need you to be alert and calm. My continuous run-ins with these meds also helped me uncover some things that could boost the overall mood and energy levels. These mental health tips are not stolen from the web or blatantly rewritten to engage the search engines. This is from my cup of psychological wellness, and I am sharing some of it with you:

Take some bites: the easiest way to control anxiety on a bad day...

You need to boost your sugar levels, but just a bit, not to the extent that you get a sugar rush. A few bites of literally anything, spaced across one hour where you nibble and munch a lot rather than consume a heavy meal, can help. Don't gulp aerated drinks as they don't hold for much time. Try more bread, cornflakes, some ice cream, a smoothie, a shake, or a small sandwich that you keep biting into. Yes, chocolate helps, but in moderation. Nuts, roasted or with something sweet, can help too. Raisins work in some way and are also a physical energy booster. Bananas tend to make me feel sluggish, so I avoid them despite a whole lot of natural sweetness. This is not meant to cure your anxiety, and it does not help you to cure anxiety. This simple exercise can help you get over anxiety for a few hours and navigate a hectic day at the workplace when there is a distinct burden you are carrying.

Don't force sleep: slightly offbeat anxiety prevention tip

Trying to route your mind towards a relaxing mode could have disastrous results. You could end up feeling more irritated and less energetic. Don't sit alone and do too many deep breaths...this generic advice does not help many people like me. You might want to lower the intensity of the lighting around you, put on some music, and start engaging your mind with videos or music you like. Trying to put yourself to sleep is often the cause of bringing about anxiety. Your mind starts to dig up answers. You start examining everything that has happened over the course of the day or even yesterday. The further you dig, the farther you are from a good night's sleep. Sometimes, this can make you overthink to the extent that a small daft of anxiety comes knocking. As a rule, don't lie down for too long just because it seems like the right time to sleep or just because someone recommended a quick nap. If you are not someone who is genuinely good at power naps, don't stress it. Don't go chasing the general rule of an 8-hour sleep cycle. Keep it simple - sleep only when you are naturally slipping into it.

Online window shopping or OTT indulgence: easy ways to control anxiety

For shopping enthusiasts like me, an easy way to maintain sanity on a slightly stressed day is working on an online shopping cart. Prune the wish-listed products. Cancel items whose items have just escalated. Try to read into the current sales campaign. Save items you might need in the near future. De-link or upload more of your payment cards. Update shipping addresses or link a digital wallet that can provide some savings the next time you actually buy something. Indulge in some online product comparisons. Overall, this exercise might not lead to actually buying great products, but it occupies your mind in a way that takes the focus away from something that has been bothering you. It also takes away the need to sip beer. Making a big bowl of homemade popcorn and catching up with that OTT show that has been waiting in the watchlist is another good idea. Let the OTT zombies chew down your anxiety levels. A bit of butter on the popcorn will not make you morbidly obese, and renewing the monthly OTT subscription is still a lot cheaper than getting dependent on Valium or Prozac.

Find getting-rid-of videos: easiest tools for managing rising anxiety levels.

This must be the strangest advice for controlling anxiety, but sometimes, it actually works. There are a lot of videos on YouTube and Instagram where people are getting rid of some strange wart or mole, overgrown nails that challenge Shrek, or hair that has never been clipped for decades. How does this work? When you are watching this type of visual content, there is a feeling of superficial, artificial relief that kicks in as the ugliest nails are clipped off, unruly locks are shaven away, or blackheads are pulled out.This helps in unwinding in a private, aloof manner, and such content is available at all times. While I call it getting-rid-of content, it can be slightly overbearing if you are watching it for the first time. Believe me, nobody really likes watching ultra-magnified views of ingrown hair on the chin being pulled out, but when you are out of quick answers to manage anxiety, anything is worth trying. However, if you chance upon animal slaughter videos uploaded by PETA-type agencies and find the recorded killings somewhat calming, you probably need help - the idea here is not to turn sadistic.

Online & Offline Clean-up: the simplest way to distract away oncoming anxiety 

You need an instant boost of goodness, and this is closely associated with a feeling of accomplishment. You need instantly doable tasks that help you feel that way. How can you do it? Get on your smartphone or get on your knees. Dust away things that are cluttering your desk or room, and your mailbox. Kick away, dump, and delete everything that seems mundane or highly unusable. From glamorous Apps to what seems no-long-usable on the bedside table, eradicate, and kill stuff that is not serving any purpose. This keeps your mind busy, works up the body a bit, and you get a nice feeling of gaining more control. Plus, your room partner or your mom would have one less reason to scream at you - how is this a bad deal?

NOT sure-shot ways to reduce anxiety - find your own fix...

There are days when running or heavy weight-lifting, even stretching, and some burpees can bring back that feeling of being alert, a reasonably good mood, and restore energy levels to some extent. And there are days when all of the things shared above don't make any impact. Like I said, this is not swallowing a pill and slightly numbing your mind. The entire efforts here are on managing your anxiety without using prescription pills or things that can be addictive. Usually, having too much caffeine or sugar does not help. Driving around aimlessly also does not get the job done. In contrast, something as simple as sipping some form of fluids might not take away that feeling of low, but it can prevent ruining your mood. You have to try it all and find what works best for you. For instance, every time I am snacking on crispy, crumbly stuff, making all sorts of horrible eating noises, my mind seems totally distracted, as if the focus has been taken away from over-analyzing things. And in the work-from-home schedule that has been enforced upon us, anxiety can come calling in the most unusual ways. You have to find simpler, non-medicated ways of keeping up your state of mental health.

I recommend trying out:

• Slow, conscious exhaling with a slight humming sound

• Chewing your food more consciously, taking extra minutes to swallow each bite

• Listening to music that tends to make your mind travel, even if for just a few minutes

• If you are connected to paper & pen, try to write a bit, try to journal your feelings a bit

• If you are addicted to blogging, write about anything - it really works [personal website]

• Tightening the grip on a body part, almost to the point of making it numb, and then releasing 

Recalling First Few Days of Returning to Work [April 2022]

Returning to work has been a somewhat unexpected journey for the last 3 months, and it continues to be a bit disruptive, and a bit of relief at the same time. The first week in the more-than-familiar office cabin was slightly suffocating. The COVID wave hadn't subsided when we were called back, and there was every reason to feel apprehensive. With just the senior managers and the upper hierarchy called in, the team, people who contribute to the dense headcount at our office was nowhere to be seen.

Just to share some insight about my personal struggles to keep wearing the mask, I have been claustrophobic since I was around 17, and I have been on & off anxiety medications for more than a decade. Being grounded at home due to the pandemic, having just become a father to a baby girl, also took a toll in some way though, at many levels, I am also thankful for giving me the opportunity to be there when the little monkey was gifted to us.

A really bad attempt at rhyming during the Pandemic...

2021: when birthdays aren’t ‘Less’ than any reason to celebrate!

The emptiness outside screamed at us, but it was voiceless,

Lives that have been turned upside down, seem countless.

The perennial worriers are learning how to be fearless,

Life-from-home helped those reconnect who were faithless.

Masked people still try to look good despite being rendered faceless,

Keeping distances nurtured human connections but they were nameless.

As death came knocking in our neighborhood, the circus of life seemed pointless,

The poorest among us were those without friends and not those who were penniless.

While we try to forget what has happened during this time, finding ways not to get restless,

The lessons learned and the memories created will forever remain priceless.

Things I can say with surety about these 'Perpetual Borrowers'....winners and sinners at the same time.

Ready to adapt: this couple didn't seek the most comfortable environment for raising a family. They were ready to use whatever little space was available. And this plot of nesting land, too did came with plenty of distractions and lots of intrusions. However, their family has settled in rather well. They ensured picking a spot that provided comprehensive coverage against the sun and rain. What seems like a combination of living room and bedroom, their one-room accommodation comes sans any pretensions. They think that the iron pipe in the background is their idea of home decor, and the ugly remains of a shoddy cement job, once done, represent the landscaping. Overall, if this were a home-to-rent deal, nobody would have bought it. But like true borrowers, this couple overlooked all the possibly not-so-great things and chose to set up their nesting headquarters amid the ugliness.

Unaffected by Corona: while there is mayhem around us, with being constantly updated about the number of folks infected, recovered, and a lot more permutations in the mix, this couple has no qualms about hopping around, without any mask, without any sense of apprehension about what is happening to the world. It seems this avian family member has its priorities set absolutely right. Its nesting space is a picture of peace amid the pandemic chaos. The routine is equally simple. Play watch-guard, gather food, take food to the young ones, and take turns to ensure no unwanted access is granted.

Borrowing is not that bad: my childhood was rich with constant reminders about becoming self-sufficient and reliant but here I have tenants who don't pay, don't give a damn about occupying a piece of property that isn't leased or rented to them, and borrow at will. The bread crumbs seem like breakfast. The small droplets of water seem to quench their thirst. The balcony corridor is the perfect arena for vent-out fights. The small twigs of my balcony garden are the arsenal to build up the nesting space. My borrowers have no sense of shame about it. They will visit the last site of borrowing crimes until they have borrowed more than what is needed. In the process, they have managed to lay to waste a couple of our planters and have beaten the life out of some overgrown aloe vera branches. Borrowers by intent? Very much, without remorse, with utmost clarity. And yes, they have found a voluntary feeding hand with my wife often throwing chips of leftover rotis - not sure how that is helping the cause of not letting these squatters get more habitual about transgressing our property!

Cleanliness is a perimeter thing: one thing I have learned about the pigeon lifestyle is that they can really heap on the crap, the real thing, but they keep it away from their headquarters. While our homes, roofs, window coverings, and balcony fences need to be regularly cleaned to get rid of this constant supply of pigeon shit, the perimeter around their unlawful nesting area is spotless. There are no drying or moist grey & white specks. The plan seems pretty clear - let us live clean individually and smuggle out our mess to the rest of the world.