PHOTO CREDIT LIVE BETTER, FEEL BETTER If PKD is affecting your mental health, there are things you can do to combat your anxiety and depression. Whether you're a caregiver or a patient, try to commit what the Rogosin Institute's Stephanie Donahue calls natural mood lifters: Nature. Getting outside in green settings helps you breathe more deeply and experience a change in your scenery. This activity can be rejuvenating and help to shift your focus. Humor. Stress can tighten up your shoulders and stomach-and laughing relaxes those muscles. Find humor where you can. Sleep. Seven to nine hours of sleep each night is restorative and helps build resilience, Donahue says. Physical activity. Exercise releases feel-good hormones in the body and in some studies has been shown to be as good as or better than medication at relieving depression. Mindfulness. Meditation, deep breathing, yoga, and other mindfulness practices are all about focusing on one thing to the exclusion of all else. They are meant to distract you from all of the worries swirling in your head, not the least of which is PKD, Donahue says. PKDCURE.ORG 17http://www.PKDCURE.ORG