15 ideas to alleviate your depression this September

Aug 31 2010 Published by under Decision, Determination, Information, Inspiration

New month… New season… New suggestions to try to alleviate depression.

You might think: ‘What’s the point! How can these simple and ordinary actions possibly help me to escape the dark and thick cloud of depression?’

Each of these ideas individually is unlikely to cure your depression. However, they are capable to give you the momentum to try something else, reminding you each and every time that life should and can be vibrant, exciting, rewarding and very enjoyable.

Even if you don’t feel like doing anything right now, just by choosing to do what you can when you can, might eventually lead you to a tipping point out of this miserable existence.

So, here are my ideas for this September (apology to all my friends in the Southern Hemisphere if they don’t apply).

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Tired and depressed: True and loyal buddies of your depression

Aug 25 2010 Published by under Decision, Determination, Inspiration

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?

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Why planning your day is important in lifting depression?

May 11 2010 Published by under Information, Inspiration

While it is common to blame inability to plan on depression,

I would like you to consider the possible costs of not planning your day in advance:

  1. You may believe there are no reasons to get out of bed and follow your morning routine.
  2. You may see no point and/or feel no urgency in doing anything during the day.
  3. You may engage yourself in negative self-talk and feeling sorry for yourself as soon as you are awake, as your mind is free of tasks, responsibilities and any excitement.
  4. You may feel pessimistic and lethargic during the day, as you follow no purpose and no passion. Nothing energises you!
  5. You may feel that your life does not belong to you and you are not in control of your decisions and lifestyle.
  6. You may feel drained and drowned by routine and boredom.
  7. You may feel stuck, trapped and powerless.
  8. You may feel overwhelmed by the amount of things to be done.
  9. You may feel unimportant and insignificant.
  10. You may deprive yourself of fun, hobbies and relaxation as you feel you don’t deserve them.
  11. You may feel stressed by things that should have been done yesterday or things that require your immediate attention.
  12. You may regret wasting another day away and go to bed disappointed and defeated.

As you can see failing to plan your day ahead of time is surely a plan to fail. This strategy will erode your self-esteem and will continue to drive you deeper into the darkness of feeling helpless, hopeless and inadequate.

When depressed, you cannot afford to enter another day without planning ahead of time!

Next time, I will illustrate this core message with some examples. Until then…

Stay strong, remain hopeful and seek inspiration!

Read the illustration here (Click on the title): To Plan or Not to Plan: A story of two approaches…

 

Photo by: 123RF Stock Photos

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You will make mistakes and that’s OK

Apr 27 2010 Published by under Determination

We all make mistakes throughout our lives. It’s normal. It’s human. If you try to avoid making mistakes, you will run into all kinds of trouble, ranging from indecisiveness and stagnation to severe depression.

Allowing yourself to live fully would inevitably lead to a few mistakes being made by you and that’s ok. Learn from your mistakes and cherish this knowledge. It is yours to help you recognise the same mistakes in advance and to make the right choices in the future.

Don’t beat yourself up, don’t shame or punish yourself when you mess things up. Of course, you will feel many different emotions arising within you when you know that you were responsible. Don’t try to suppress these emotions. They are there for a purpose! Let them flow and run their course.

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Lift depression by making choices in favour of fascination

Apr 05 2010 Published by under Decision, Determination, Inspiration

Do you remember the last time you felt fascinated? Did you ever feel fascinated by a form or a colour, a reflection of the light or a natural phenomenon? What about by an intricacy of design? Or by people and their behaviour? It is probably not too hard to recall moments of total absorption before you got unwell. But what fascinates you these days?

Looking back at my own experience of depression, the magical feelings of being fascinated with the world around you fade away pretty fast once the depression descends upon you. The world rapidly turns bleak. Day dreaming, imagination and our innate curiosity evaporate. Emptiness invades our heads and hearts. We slow down. We shut the world out. We lock ‘the door’. We throw away or misplace ‘the keys’.  Continue Reading »

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