Smell is the most neglected of our senses even when we are not depressed. We take it for granted most of the time, as we no longer need it for our physical survival.
But does having a good ability to smell really matter?
Below are some facts (in bold) I enjoyed putting together to convince myself (and hopefully you) that consciously developing your sense of smell is vital in depression recovery. Continue Reading »
You have been depressed for so long that you are sick and tired of being depressed. You want your life back! You desire to feel happy, confident, successful, valued, connected, interested and interesting. ‘If only I can break the cycle of this depression and set myself free to LIVE the rest of my life!’
The truth is: it’s hard to break free from depression. It’s almost impossible to talk yourself out of it (Would be nice to hear from people who succeeded this way!) It’s also unlikely that a person, who has been crippled by depression, would find strength, discipline and motivation to do and act differently from one particular moment forward.
Why is that?
In my previous post, I promised to illustrate the importance of planning your day.
So, here it is:
Let me introduce a fictional character called Maggie. She is suffering with depression. She is in her mid-thirties, married to James and has an 8 years-old son Dillon. Maggie is a housewife, as she does not feel she is fit to go back to work since having her first episode of depression 6 years ago. She still drives and sees her old school friend Sally on occasion.
Take 1
Maggie’s alarm clock rings at 7:30am. She remembers the first item on her ‘To Do’ list:
“GET UP at 7:30”. Even though she does not feel like getting up and is feeling totally exhausted, she drags herself into the bathroom and starts her morning routine. Despite her aching body and low mood, she dresses up and enters the kitchen.
May is here! What can we do differently this month to alleviate our depression and start enjoying life again? Small changes followed consistently go a long way.
Here is my list of suggestions to implement in May:
1. Eat outside (alfresco) whenever weather is permitting. Eat by the open window, if it’s raining or windy.
2. Stop wearing black-coloured clothes for the whole month, except shoes, belts and bags/briefcase. If you need to wear a black suit/uniform for your work, just follow ‘no black’ rule outside your working hours. Use navy, brown, purple, dark green, grey, denim and lots of white, pastel and light colours during this month. Enjoy the art of colour coordination.
3. Create a new focal point in your favourite room. Paint/paper the feature wall in an inspiring colour. Hang an inspiring picture. Create a shelf to display some inspiring and uplifting objects.
4. Have fresh flowers around your house. Buy some inexpensive (in-season) flowers. Ask any enthusiastic gardener you know if he/she would be able to supply you with flowers this month. Collect flowers in the wild. Change them as soon as they start wilting.
5. Move your bed to a new spot in your bedroom. Chances are your bed is located in the most convenient place. However, we sometimes need a new perspective the moment we open our eyes each morning.
6. Give up your favourite chair/sitting spot for this month. Create a new place to sit or move your chair.
7. Reduce TV watching by as much as possible. Record your favourite shows and watch them on your terms.
8. Step outside barefoot on the grass daily.
9. Find a scenic spot nearby that inspires you. Commit to visit it daily or as many times a week as it is reasonable. Note: it does not matter how you get there (drive, walk, cycle etc.). The key point is to get there and spend some time breathing, balancing and taking the beauty in.
10. Start practising smiling daily.
11. Take up photography and share your best pictures on the web. I would like to use your photos on my blog!
12. Plan your next day the night before. Write it down.
13. Don’t watch the news. Let other people tell you what’s happening for a whole month.
14. Take time-off or reduce contact with your negative friends and relatives.
15. Focus on building connection with positive and inspiring people. Join their blogs, twitter, teleseminars.
Apologies to my friends in the southern hemisphere, as some of my suggestions are out of season for you.
Maybe this list triggered some of your own ideas and suggestions. We want you to share them with us. Please do so by clicking on the ‘Add new comment’ button.
Stay strong, remain hopeful and seek inspiration!
Photo by: 123RF Stock Photos
Six weeks ago, I started my decluttering experiment. Although I made some progress, the results that excite me most lay not in the renewed order of my personal environment but the knowledge I gained during these past weeks.
Allow me to share this knowledge with you, as some of my insights may be of value to your life too.
Lesson #1: Knowing what and how to do is not enough. Nothing gets done without taking action.
Confession time: I have countless books, e-books and info on decluttering and organising. I’ve read them all. I have a deep knowledge of the topic, as well as a natural ability to organise any space (I was trained as a Home stager). However, during the past few weeks, I procrastinated, postponed, re-scheduled, searched and found really valid excuses, etc.
Saying that, there were a few good days that made my overall progress very noticeable. So, here comes…
Lesson #2: Just a few actions taken in the right direction towards your goal lead to noticeable changes.
Imagine what a consistent plan of actions could deliver you? Which relates directly to…
Lesson #3: Consistency breeds new habits.
My inconsistency halted the development of new habits. As I did not plan and take steps daily, my old habits took over on most days. My lack of visible success led me to frustration, disappointment and struggle on a few occasions. I also fell a victim to introspection and self-blame a few times, which uncovered a new lesson for me.
Lesson #4: Letting go is essential to developing trust in yourself and others.
One of the reasons for my inaction was my fear of letting go. I underestimated my current ability to release things and trust that if and when I needed them again, I would find a way to reclaim them from our abundant universe.
Pondering further, I realised something very profound.
Lesson #5: You need vision, clarity and focus to make true progress.
It is hard to decide what to keep or what to let go if your mind is muddled with endless possibilities or appears to lack clarity, focus and vision.
I am so grateful for these lessons and I am going to take my new insights into account and act accordingly. I will keep you posted!
By the way, while I had no intention to report these lessons as a suggestion for a depression recovery plan, I noticed during my writing that they are indeed invaluable if you are searching for ways to get better.
I hope my insights can be of help to you and I can’t wait to receive your insights, ideas, opinions and feedback.
Stay strong, remain hopeful and seek inspiration!
