If there were a magic formula on how to deal with depression, I can guarantee you this disease would be eradicated from the world.
But there isn’t. No matter all the steps I am about to tell you on how I get by daily, if you’re in it, you may not even be able to do this.
I mean, I guess depression has its intensity levels too, so if you’re not so deep into it, then maybe you can follow this as a “maintenance plan”. 😊
On that note, depression is an oft-misused word. Some might say if you’ve not been clinically assessed as having depression, then you don’t have it. But let’s get real. Does everyone who might suffer from it get treatment for it?
Some people who are going through a rough period may say stuff like, “I’m depressed.” But it isn’t quite the same as suffering from depression.
I’m not here to define it. I am just here to share my own experiences of how to get by daily when you’ve got a big ass cloud hanging over your head all the time.
The #1 Thing I Do: Say What I am Grateful For.
I do this EVERY night.
I say the smallest and weirdest things. Like, “I’m thankful that I got to do housework today.” Or “I’m grateful for the time I have to write this particular post”. Or “I’m thankful I got to go to the gym.”
Hmph, I wonder if I will ever reach the day that I am thankful for a brother who is schizophrenic?
You’ll notice that the central tenet of my thanks is time.
I’m just grateful for the time I have. This is significant as those of us who have struggled with our time here on earth would realise.
Being grateful for the time you have makes you not want to rob yourself of the time you have.
Asides from my nightly thanks, these are other stuff I do:
- I treat myself. Like I do one thing that makes me happy for the day. So I can have something to be thankful for later 😊
- I don’t spend much time on social media. I know people whose fingers need to be surgically removed from their phones. I’d rather stare into space than scan my feed.
- I drink wine. Not every day, but often enough! Well, it makes me happy.
- I eat chocolatey stuff. Again, not every day, but whenever the hell I want. It makes me happy too.
- I think of my friends. I think of funny things they’ve said, I wonder how they are, I send them a message checking in on them. Once in a while – and one friend each time.
- I make plans to have fun. Like having drinks with friends, or having a fancy dinner with hubby or checking out a new exhibition or attending a play – anything, just living life.
- I become a zombie. I try not to let the little things that people say annoy me. This one is HARD. But I try to not react. So the old me who was queen of retorts now basically clams up in the presence of pests.
- I say NO. And try not to feel guilty about it.
- I disengage with people who don’t 1) know me 2) understand me and therefore 3) whom I don’t trust. So if I hardly talk to someone, it’s because that person is such a person.
- I shamelessly watch the silliest TV shows. The more floosy, the better. Like I used to watch The Hills. Like, for real.
- I accomplish one thing each day. It could be anything – like going to the gym or completing something at work (I run my own business so it can be anything from preparing a client quotation or submitting a marketing plan etc).
- And most importantly, I try my darndest not to delve into the past. I try, try, try to leave it behind.
How about you? What do you do? I would love to hear thoughts. Send them my way in the comments below or contact me.
