How to fight depression? Get up, make the bed

Good morning, everyone.

It occurred to me as I was cleaning up, washing my hair, and deciding what to wear, how important the most seemingly trivial acts are in combating depression. I’ve written about this before but am reminding us all again, including me.

morning routines

This is something I’ve always done no matter how depressed I was feeling. (Unless, of course, I was  physically ill.) It was really difficult some days but I knew that staying in bed was never the answer. I had done enough research to know how counter productive it is in managing depression.

And before you say to yourself, “She probably wasn’t as depressed as I am”, don’t be so quick to judge. Don’t be so quick to think you’re the only person who feels the way you do.

depression is dark

You are one in over a million other people suffering from depression right now. That isn’t meant to minimize your suffering but one of the reasons depression is so miserable is because we’re pretty much convinced no one could possible feel as bad as we do. That just isn’t true.

Why do you think there is a “standard” list of symptoms professionals use to determine a case of depression? It’s because the internal symptoms are universal across all genders, professions, nationalities, etc. How people demonstrate these symptoms is very different.

Just because a person seems all-together, just because they function, don’t assume for one minute that they are somehow not as depressed as you are. They just probably do a better job of hiding it based on lots of factors,  two  of which is their history and their personality. It is a false idea to determine an individual’s severity of symptoms can be determined by how they act. There is even a diagnosis called a “smiling depression”.

smiling depression

I can hear the argument even now. “I can’t get out of bed!” Might I  lovingly suggest it  might be more of a case of “You won’t get out of bed.” That sounds harsh, but it’s true. How many times do you read about someone whose done exactly what you think you can’t with no more resources than you have?

It all boils down to how much a person wants to get better not how big the hurdle. That’s hard to hear but it’s still true. Over many years,  I’ve  developed such a consistent pattern that it’s become routine. But it was hard in the beginning.

Very hard. I don’t ever want my followers to think I overcame depression without fighting really hard.

I got up and got dressed every morning and put my best foot forward because I wanted to be the one calling the shots, NOT my depression. Sloppin’ around in unkempt clothes all day only made me feel worse.

There is a strong connection between our appearance and our mood.  I encourage you today, not to let your depression determine your actions. It might be in control of of your moods but you can certainly decide to limit its influence in other more manageable parts of your life.

God bless and I hope you have a good day.

(As I always suggest, have a complete medical check-up if you’re depressed. Certain illnesses can bring on an episode, as well as certain medications. But the solutions are the same. I have an auto-immune disorder that is known to cause depression. But I never allow myself to use that as an excuse.)