“What I Do When I’m Depressed”
On August 26, 2020 by Dteb With 0 Comments
- down to earth believer
I have been struggling with some depression for the past several days. Fortunately (or is it unfortunate?), I have struggled with depression before. So, I have a good idea what doesn’t work, and what does.
Things that Don’t Work
- Denying that I am depressed.
- Struggling not to be depressed.
- Judging myself and beating myself up for feeling depressed.
- Wallowing in the depression.
- Taking shortcuts of any kind to make myself feel better. (Food, computer games, fantasies of various kinds, and spending too much time in bed are all shortcuts that don’t go anywhere good, and certainly don’t help relieve the depression—at least, not for long.)
- Asking myself how long this is going to last.
What Does Work
- Eating regular, nutritious meals even when I don’t feel like it.
- Exercising even when I don’t want to exercise.
- Doing chores around the house, gardens, and yard.
- Writing.
- Praying.
- Spending time outside in nature.
- Music (but not The Doors or Pink Floyd when I am depressed).
- Doing the next right thing.
- Serving someone else.
- Talking with friends.
- Reading something uplifting.
- Listening to uplifting podcasts.
- Remembering that this depression won’t last forever.
- Going back to a counselor, if need be.
- Going back on medication, if need be.
The last two things (counselor and medication) are not put last because they are the least important. I put them last in order to remind myself to try all the other things I’ve listed first.
Oh! One more thing that works!
- Journaling and posting some musings about what works when I’m depressed.
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