Helpful advice to help you beat your depression day by day…
1.
Those flannelette PJs may very well be back in fashion, especially if they’ve got cute little ducks on them…but the first step to helping you get through the day is to get those PJs off! Yep, you heard me. Strip! Believe me, I know how hard that sounds - so have fun with it; do a little striptease and dance nekkid to get those giggles going for the rest of the day.
2.
So now you’re nekkid. Excellent work. Give yourself a slap on the butt, you’re doing great! Next step is to have a shower. There is absolutely nothing better in the morning to wash away all those crappy feelings, so take a stroll to the bathroom (who cares if your housemates see you in the nuddy, let them wish!) and get all soapy and singing with your scrubber.
3.
You know the next step: get dressed! Now you could put on those trackie-dacks and baggy tee, or some age old comfort sweater…but why? You’re a gorgeous wonderful person, so make believe you’re going on a sexy date with someone you wanna shag: sexy undies, jeans, skirt, dress, Eskimo suit - whatever - it just has to make you look and feel awesome.
4.
Technically you could do this before step 3, but hey, we’ll throw it in here. Grab your hairbrush and get it working. It sounds stupid, but hey, it’ll make you feel that wee bit better. Brush your hair! A hundred strokes of the brush before bed, they say, only this time we’re doing it in the morning. Do it in front of the mirror and realize how gorgeous you are.
5.
Phew. This is hard work. Hands up who wants to get those cute duck PJs back on and go crawl under the covers? Yep, mines up too. Trying to get your day started is one of the hardest things with depression! So put your pillow on your bed, imagine those depressive crappy feelings are the pillow, and beat/slap/spank/whack the living daylights out of it!
6.
Am I glad I’m not your depression! Now it’s brekkie time! If you want to feel better try and eat a healthy breakfast—so we have two options here. If you’re up for leaving the house, maybe head down the street and treat yourself to your fave café. If you can’t leave the house, grab some muesli, fruit, toast and fill that beautiful belly of yours to power your day.
7.
So you’re sitting on the couch, belly’s all full, pillow’s doing cornertime and you’re wondering what to do now. Your mind is starting to take over, whispering all those untrue statements again, yes? Well, skip (yes, skip) over to the CD player and put on your favourite music. Have a wee dance, bogle or sing and get all those nasty thoughts out of your head.
8.
What next? Well, the plan is to be nice to yourself so spend some time doing some of the things you enjoy. If you’re a writer, try get some writing done, even if you manage just one sentence be proud. If you’re an artist, grab that sketchbook and get drawing. Even if it’s just catching up on that book you’ve been meaning to read, whip it out and get cracking.
9.
Lunchtime. Make a nice salad or sandwich (and of course a little biccie) and then eat it outside. Back garden, balcony, front garden, park bench. Fresh air works wonders for the soul so enjoy having this wee time outside, and enjoy all that yummy food you’re feeding yourself. Far better for your - and those thoughts - than chips, burgers or potato cakes.
10.
Well, you’re outside anyway so now’s the time for a walk. Exercise works wonders for depression, it really is all that air, so take a stroll to your favourite park and release your inner child by playing on the swings. Perhaps just wander the streets and explore places you’ve never been to. Spend at least an hour doing this, it may seem tough, but it’ll be worth it.
11.
Now, if you don’t write a journal now’s the time to start. If you don’t have one, go and buy one. Journal’s are awesome when you suffer depression. Try and spend some time every day writing in your journal - doesn’t matter what you write: maybe how you’re feeling, a diatribe about bunnies or that cute guy/gal you have a crush on - the writing is what counts.
12.
Three meals a day are a must - now it is dinner time. Even if you don’t feel hungry try and eat something to keep your strength up. As I said with lunch and breakfast: keep it healthy, a nice pasta, vegetable soup, stir fry, tofu burger. Food is one of the purest forms of joy on earth, so relish every mouthful and adore that you can cook such yummy food.
13.
By now I reckon you’re feeling a bit edgy. A bit rough around the edges. It’s been a tough day and you’re wondering if what you’ve been doing is worth anything, yeah? Those crappy thoughts keep coming back - but don’t worry you’ll be back in those cute duck PJs pretty soon. How about going to the cinema? It’ll be fun, and will occupy that mind.
14.
Yes, finally! It’s time to get nekkid again. If you feel like it you can do your little dance again, but make it a happy dance because you’ve just successfully got through a day - and you’ve done stuff to boot! So strip, throw on those PJs and dive under the covers. What you do when you’re there is up to you [wink] but have a good sleep. Tomorrow is another day.
