3 More Tips for Managing your Depression Outside of the Therapy Room

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It's hard to get off your couch. It can be hard on a day when it's nice and sunny, and even harder on a day like today. Don't let depression detour you from living your life! Here are additional tips for managing your symptoms, the last one being my favorite:

1. Keep (some sort of) a schedule. It's Friday, what's there to do? What about next Tuesday? What makes life happen for you? Plan for it, put it on your schedule, and DO it!
2. Connect with your social capital. Human contact is SUPER important to get us through tough times and to remind us there's a world outside of ourselves. Who's your community? Don't shut them out! Let them in...
3. Take your thoughts less seriously! There's an average of 60,000 thoughts that go through our minds each day, and yet, we put a lot of weight on some and not on others. Having a regular meditation practice is one way to help you notice your thoughts as nothing more than just thoughts.

Here are tips from an earlier post. 

Need more and wish to come into the therapy room? Call me up!

5 Tips for Managing your Depression Outside of the Therapy Room

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Everywhere you look you see the evidence of spring. The days are getting longer, there are intermittent sun breaks, and the flowers are budding. Somehow you think your depression should be lifted by now; yet you still feel crummy. When you're feeling low, chances are you'd want to watch 5 hours of Netflix, eat a gallon of ice cream and crawl into bed. It is very counter-intuitive to leave the house, go for a walk, soak up some sun, or call up a friend.

And, that's exactly what is going to help you get through that funk! If you wait until you feel better before doing something, it might never happen! And even if it does happen, it'll be sporadic and very mood-dependent.

Here are 5 tips for managing your depression outside of the therapy room:

1. Get some physical activity. I'm not talking exercise, because when I say exercise, people think of the gym. Go for a walk, do yoga, shoot some hoops. Any activity that gets your body moving is better than no activity at all.
2. Go do something you enjoy! Is it strolling the farmer's market, picking up your guitar, or watching a funny movie? Pleasurable activities disrupt the cycle of depression and rumination.
3. Choose healthy food options. Eat even when you don't have the appetite and slow down your eating if you have a tendency to overeat. Food is fuel, so what you eat and how much you eat matters.
4. Bathe in the sun. Sun exposure will help your brain release the hormone serotonin, which is a natural mood enhancer. 
5. Have a regular waking and sleeping schedule. Get the optimal amount of sleep that's needed for your body. When you're tempted to nap, transition to a less sedentary activity.

Stay tune for more tips! Need more help than reading a blog? Give me a call!

Holding Polar Opposites: Both And

Are there things that are in conflict in your life? Things that are both true but you tend to see only one side of the story? Make this one word change and see if it makes a difference!

"I Heart You" Days

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Valentine's Day is so overrated. Pink and red everywhere, packed restaurants, overpriced menus and flowers... All these cues set expectations for how to behave, between lovers.

What about those not coupled? What about family relationships and friendships? What about a relationship with yourself?

While I can appreciate a reminder to love, I want to extend that to our everyday. Why not celebrate, “I heart you” day everyday?

Relationships are important to us, whatever form they may take. If you find it difficult to connect with those around you or to have a healthy relationship with yourself, let me know how I can help!

Self-Acceptance

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So I grew up reading Japanese manga and I could really identify with a character in Ranma ½. He's the pig who gets lost all the time. That's me. Unless I've been down that route again and again, the GPS is my friend. And even then, I'll make the wrong turn.

Now, is this not an area I can grow in, to stretch myself some, to explore places still? Absolutely! But will I ever be like my husband, who helped his cousin move into his college dorm when he was 10, and then decades later, said, “Oh, I remember this was where my cousin lived...” Are you kidding me?!!

Spatial ability is not my strong suit and coming to terms with it is still a process. Need help embracing who you're wired to be? Glad I'm not alone.

Disconnecting Some

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Last month, I deleted my email accounts from my phone. I figured I have a computer I'd be lugging around for work and can get access there rather than looking down on a small screen. Somehow when information come in filling up tight spaces, it feels more urgent even when they're not. I also get notified about things I can do little about until I get home, or can coordinate schedules, so why not wait? And, what about all the nice drives across the waters and through the arboretum I'd miss with my head down (as a passenger)?

Now, I still look up places to eat or check traffic and whatever else, but it's been nice containing the information I receive. My neck is also thanking me.

What steps have you taken to disconnect?

I'm (Not) Okay

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I remember being at a friend's house watching last year's Super Bowl. We were of course rooting for the Hawks and it was a disappointment when they lost. Granted, I don't understand all the rules about football and I'm one of the least likely fans. So in light of that, I was quick to dismiss that I felt sad or disappointed. I remember saying to myself, It's only football (don't hurt me).

The rest of the evening went by and I was going about my business when I found myself staying up past my bedtime watching replays of the game. What the heck?! If this truly didn't matter to me then why am I doing this? I finally admitted to myself that it did matter and I wasn't okay with our loss. How I was feeling at the time was valid and I didn't have to dismiss them. I can experience them and move on from them.

Are you quick to push your feelings aside? They tend to re-surface and guide our behaviors. I'm here if you need help! 

Slow (the Heck) Down

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I don't know about you but there's a lot going through my mind at any given moment. While I'm cooking, I'm replaying the day. While I'm driving, I'm writing that email. I then don't remember whether I've measured an ingredient correctly or how I got to the office. I would miss out on these moments which may seem trivial, but are not, because how else have I allowed life pass me by?

I often have to remind myself to slow the heck down and to re-train my brain to come back to the here and now. What's going on inside and outside of me this very moment? Usually, when I've taken the time to be more present, I find myself living fuller days.

Want to journey in the present moment?

Dropping the Struggle

Let me begin by saying I don't have a green thumb. Over the holidays I was away from home for an extended trip and came back to an unhappy air plant. I goggled ways to revive it and followed the instructions verbatim. I could tell I was desperate when I checked on it many times a day. At one point, I had to acknowledge I've done everything I could and to hold myself back from trying other *creative* methods. I dropped the struggle to control what I couldn't and I let the air plant do its thing. And it did what only air plants could do: keep plugging along when given the right environment.

Are you struggling to control things that are outside of your control? You're so not alone. Want to learn ways to drop the struggle?

I'm here (along with my scruffy looking air plant)...

Resolutions Anytime of the Year

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Hope you had a restful New Year's! I often get tripped up on people making resolutions at the beginning of the year. While according to Statistic Brain, it is better to make resolutions than to not make them at all, only 8% of people successfully achieve their resolutions!? My question is, why not commit to change anytime of the year? How about early Feb, late April, middle of summer, beginning of fall? And, how about taking every moment as its own and choosing, with that moment, to move you closer to your goals? When you get off track, you've got the next moment yet to get back on track. And the next moment after that. That's different from throwing in the towel and downing another five cookies, or hiding behind your gadgets.

Let me know how I can help!