For example, if you’re feeling sad, acknowledge that you feel sad. Notice what sadness feels like in your body and how it affects your thoughts and behaviors. Try to be aware of your feelings and notice any triggers you are exposed to that increase your anxiety, depression or stress.

If talking about your feelings helps, confide in a good friend or see a therapist.

Am I jumping to negative conclusions? Are these thoughts true? Are there other ways to look at the situation? How would a positive person approach this situation? What’s the best that could happen?

For example, you might become overly anxious if someone is running late and start calling them incessantly or wonder if they’re blowing you off.

Say, “I’m improving myself and would like to know the ways you notice my neuroticism. What do you notice?”

It’s okay to feel overwhelmed, anxious, stressed, or depressed. Just don’t dwell on these feelings. Find ways to face your fears and create less resistance to things. If you tend to avoid certain tasks, set a deadline. For example, if you put off paying bills because money makes you anxious, set one day out of every month to pay bills and get it over with.

If you’re stressed about a test, the positive will be when it’s over and it won’t stress you any more. If you focus on a negative event, create a positive experience around it, too. For example, if your plane was late and you missed your connection, the positive can be that you were able to find a different flight without any fees.

Don’t let things like chores ruin your family relationships. If you like chores to be done a certain way, make your expectations known clearly.

Even if you can’t do a leisure activity every day, try to do something fun and relaxing regularly, like 2-3 times each week. Exercise produces endorphins and other feel-good hormones, which improve your mood. Especially if you are prone to neurotic behavior, getting regular exercise can help combat your anxiety and depression. [12] X Expert Source Kirsten Thompson, MDBoard Certified Psychiatrist Expert Interview. 18 August 2021.

Get in a daily habit of giving thanks. You can use a bracelet and think of something that you’re grateful for each time you glance at it.

Try daily yoga, qi gong, tai chi, or meditation. [15] X Expert Source Kirsten Thompson, MDBoard Certified Psychiatrist Expert Interview. 18 August 2021.

CBT can help you see how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors influence each other and how making changes can influence all three as well.