We all experience feelings of depression and anxiety from time-to-time. Periodically, these feelings become almost overwhelming and interfere with our daily functioning in areas such as school, work, and social relationships.

There are many things we can do to counteract feelings of depression and anxiety (as well as ongoing stress). Oftentimes it can be beneficial to explore the root causes of these negative feelings and develop specific coping strategies to deal with them.

A simple, effective, and often overlooked strategy to counteract negative feeling states is to seek out ways in which to increase our feelings of joy and happiness. Of course, I’m not talking about short-term solutions such as drug and alcohol use that end up causing us greater problems in the end. I’m referring to increasing our engagement in activities such as sports, hobbies, volunteering, socialization with good friends, etc. Such engagement can directly counteract feelings of depression and anxiety…without necessarily ever having to delve deep into your psyche, develop elaborate coping mechanisms, start taking medication, and so on. I know, I know…it sounds so simple, but you’d be surprised how often it is overlooked.

Here’s another great thing about this strategy – it won’t hurt to try. It can only help.