At times in life, many of us struggle with depression. It's a cruel condition which arises, at least for me, in part from a lack of effective coping skills. *It can be difficult to overcome, but together, you and I should be able to do so with some practice.
I saw this great article Friday, about how to rid yourself of depression in three easy steps. It might have been four easy steps, but I only recall three...unless the last two were actually one which I separated into two, which in that case, means, here below are two of three, or three of four easy-to-remember steps.
Anyway, they have been so helpful the last few days; I thought I should pass these precious jewels on to my readers, family and friends:
Now. I shall assist you in ridding yourself of that pesky condition which we call Depression. Here goes:
1. Count your blessings. When you awake, think of at least a half a dozen things to be grateful for. There are so many things to be thankful for here in the US. Running water, fresh air, trees. Family, friends, transportation. I can honestly think right off the bat of 50 things, and more if I try harder. First, I'm thankful for all my family. Of course, there's my hubby. He's family, but I like to count him at least twice. I'm thankful for Geraniums, and even my poor roses with the black spot and the two unidentified viruses. I'm also thankful for my dogs who are an ever present source of delight, and for all sorts of foods, wine and cheese, starting with spaghetti, and Sauvinon Blanc and moving right into Aged New York Cheddar (and I'm thankful that I finally learned to spell Sauvinon Blanc, thanks to my friend on twitter, who I am also grateful for...or was it Sauvignon?) And Aspirin. And I must not forget nasal strips. I love them!
(Excellent start. I'm feeling better already.)
2. Live in this moment. No regrets from yesterday. Don't think about what you said at the funeral last week that made that lady choke on her cracker. She doesn't know you were his niece. Seriously, if you can't change something, it's not worth worrying about. In addition, No worries about tomorrow. Sun spot flares happen all the time, even during earlier years of the Mayan Calendar. And the chance of being hit by a crashing airplane is slimmer than being struck by lightning, even if you are on the airport landing flight path. Don't worry. Tomorrow will come; it always does. Trust me. So live this moment right where you are starting now - Go!...no, wait...wait...go now...!
3. Observe your surroundings. Relax. Look around. Now that you are living Today, take it all in. (...Are those bills paid? Didn't I call that guy?) NO, NO, NO! Hmm. Leave your computer and go outside. Breathe deeply. Listen to the sounds and smell the fresh air - hear the birds chattering, the people talking, the...is that a plane crashing? No it's just the dumpster guy. Sigh. Moving right along, smell the fresh cut grass. Feel it under your bare feet. Sit down over there on that bench and relax. Think about the bench, how it feels under...Ugh...the grass feels...um...what's that?...It's red clay. Good. Back to feeling the bench under yourself; relax and think about how it feels against your back...(my back/head/neck hurts now...I think I've got a splinter...)
Now you have completed your first attempt to rid yourself of depression. I'm sure you feel better already! I know I do...well; you'll get better at it. This method really works... (and if you saw the article I saw, please send me the link in the comment section, so I won't get sued. I'm getting worried again.)
*My best way of coping with things it to joke about them. But all joking aside, depression can be serious, and if these simple steps don't help and you feel you've lost your joy, talk to your doctor. Depression can be caused by many things, including some health issues, past experiences, loss of loved ones or other personal issues, and even some medications. There are many effective solutions; various therapies, as well as medications. No one deserves depression.
I saw this great article Friday, about how to rid yourself of depression in three easy steps. It might have been four easy steps, but I only recall three...unless the last two were actually one which I separated into two, which in that case, means, here below are two of three, or three of four easy-to-remember steps.
Anyway, they have been so helpful the last few days; I thought I should pass these precious jewels on to my readers, family and friends:
Now. I shall assist you in ridding yourself of that pesky condition which we call Depression. Here goes:
1. Count your blessings. When you awake, think of at least a half a dozen things to be grateful for. There are so many things to be thankful for here in the US. Running water, fresh air, trees. Family, friends, transportation. I can honestly think right off the bat of 50 things, and more if I try harder. First, I'm thankful for all my family. Of course, there's my hubby. He's family, but I like to count him at least twice. I'm thankful for Geraniums, and even my poor roses with the black spot and the two unidentified viruses. I'm also thankful for my dogs who are an ever present source of delight, and for all sorts of foods, wine and cheese, starting with spaghetti, and Sauvinon Blanc and moving right into Aged New York Cheddar (and I'm thankful that I finally learned to spell Sauvinon Blanc, thanks to my friend on twitter, who I am also grateful for...or was it Sauvignon?) And Aspirin. And I must not forget nasal strips. I love them!
(Excellent start. I'm feeling better already.)
2. Live in this moment. No regrets from yesterday. Don't think about what you said at the funeral last week that made that lady choke on her cracker. She doesn't know you were his niece. Seriously, if you can't change something, it's not worth worrying about. In addition, No worries about tomorrow. Sun spot flares happen all the time, even during earlier years of the Mayan Calendar. And the chance of being hit by a crashing airplane is slimmer than being struck by lightning, even if you are on the airport landing flight path. Don't worry. Tomorrow will come; it always does. Trust me. So live this moment right where you are starting now - Go!...no, wait...wait...go now...!
3. Observe your surroundings. Relax. Look around. Now that you are living Today, take it all in. (...Are those bills paid? Didn't I call that guy?) NO, NO, NO! Hmm. Leave your computer and go outside. Breathe deeply. Listen to the sounds and smell the fresh air - hear the birds chattering, the people talking, the...is that a plane crashing? No it's just the dumpster guy. Sigh. Moving right along, smell the fresh cut grass. Feel it under your bare feet. Sit down over there on that bench and relax. Think about the bench, how it feels under...Ugh...the grass feels...um...what's that?...It's red clay. Good. Back to feeling the bench under yourself; relax and think about how it feels against your back...(my back/head/neck hurts now...I think I've got a splinter...)
Now you have completed your first attempt to rid yourself of depression. I'm sure you feel better already! I know I do...well; you'll get better at it. This method really works... (and if you saw the article I saw, please send me the link in the comment section, so I won't get sued. I'm getting worried again.)
*My best way of coping with things it to joke about them. But all joking aside, depression can be serious, and if these simple steps don't help and you feel you've lost your joy, talk to your doctor. Depression can be caused by many things, including some health issues, past experiences, loss of loved ones or other personal issues, and even some medications. There are many effective solutions; various therapies, as well as medications. No one deserves depression.
No comments:
Post a Comment