Depression Tips for The Holidays

[kpete]

Just in time for the holidays, advice from an old friend -
DEPRESSION TIPS:

Shower. Not a bath, a shower. Use water as hot or cold as you like. You don’t even need to wash. Just get in under the water and let it run over you for a while. Sit on the floor if you gotta.

Moisturize everything. Use whatever lotion you like. Unscented? Dollar store lotion? Fancy 48 hour lotion that makes you smell like a field of wildflowers? Use whatever you want, and use it all over your entire dermis.

Put on clean, comfortable clothes.

Put on your favorite underwear. Cute black lacy panties? Those ridiculous boxers you bought last christmas with candy cane hearts on the butt? Put them on.

Drink cold water. Use ice. If you want, add some mint or lemon for an extra boost. I always use lemon.
Clean something. Doesn’t have to be anything big. Organize one drawer of a desk. Wash five dirty dishes.

Do a load of laundry. Scrub the bathroom sink.

Blast music. Listen to something upbeat and dancey and loud, something that’s got lots of energy. Sing to it, dance to it, even if you suck at both.

Make food. Don’t just grab a granola bar to munch. Take the time and make food. Even if it’s ramen. Add something special to it, like a soft boiled egg or some veggies. Prepare food, it tastes way better, and you’ll feel like you accomplished something.

Make something. Write a short story or a poem, draw a picture, color a picture, fold origami, crochet or knit, sculpt something out of clay, anything artistic. Even if you don’t think you’re good at it. Create.
Go outside. Take a walk. Sit in the grass. Look at the clouds. Smell flowers. Put your hands in the dirt and feel the soil against your skin.

Call someone. Call a loved one, a friend, a family member, call a chat service if you have no one else to call. Talk to a stranger on the street. Have a conversation and listen to someone’s voice. If you can’t bring yourself to call, text or email or whatever, just have some social interaction with another person. Even if you don’t say much, listen to them. It helps.

Cuddle your pets if you have them/can cuddle them. Take pictures of them. Talk to them. Tell them how you feel, about your favorite movie, a new game coming out, anything.

May seem small or silly to some, but this list keeps people alive.

*** At your absolute best you won’t be good enough for the wrong people. But at your worst, you’ll still be worth it to the right ones. Remember that. Keep holding on.

*** In case nobody has told you today I love you and you are worth your weight and then some in gold, so be kind to yourself and most of all keep pushing on!!!!

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100216083267

[thucythucy]

1. Thank you for this.

I hope you don't mind, but I have one small suggestion:

I would have put "Go outside. Take a walk..." under its own heading. I've found that a good long walk, when possible, is almost always a help. As is creating something. They both can be helpful, but they're pretty much two separate things.

Thanks again, and best wishes for the holiday!

[littlemissmartypants]

2. Thank you. ❤

[Tomconroy]

3. Dogs help with depression.

[RainCaster]

4. I have two beagles on the couch with me

As I read this. The GSD is at my feet. Seeing them all here makes me smile.

Thanks for the post.

[Tomconroy]

5. Nice. They care for you. You care for them.

[Ziggysmom]

6. This time of year I get weepy. I think of holidays many years ago which I took for granted.

The people in those memories are gone now; wish I could have a do-over. I'd cherish those times and tell those people over and over how much I love them.

Tell the people in your life today how much they mean to you. Every chance you get, tell your friends and family you love them. Do it now. Tomorrow may be too late. Some regret can never be erased.

[Lydiarose]

8. Weepy Too for Holidays Past

Last edited Thu Nov 25, 2021, 08:06 PM - Edit history (1)

I don't think I ever took past holidays for granted, but I still miss them and get weepy, too, especially for those no longer with us. When I was little, my brothers and I woke up thrilled to see Santa's presents wrapped under the tree, with my parents looking on with happiness. Later, I relived the same moments with my kids and experienced their pure joy. Now my kids are adults, and not able to visit due to distance and illness. I can't get into the holiday spirit. I feel it's too commercial. TV ads for new cars with big red bows! Please! The pandemic has exposed so many problems with our society that I feel guilty for what I do have (financial security) rather than grateful because so many have nothing. I'm weary. I can't stop thinking of social injustice. And climate change. My adult children will not be having children, by choice. They feel it is immoral to bring a child into a world that will be mostly uninhabitable by the time they are my current age, 72. I agree with them. If population is unchecked, there will be 7.8 billion in the world in 80 years, which will only be able to accommodate 1.7 billion in the manner of an average American today. I would also wish for do-overs so we could have stopped climate change when it was still possible. And a do-over for isolating the COVID-19 virus before it became a pandemic. So yeah, I'm bummed and depressed. But I will get through it. Cooking as normal. Zooming with family later. But still major bummed. Scared for my children.

[No Vested Interest]

7. Thanks. This easy-going person is feeling blue and lackadaisical.

Your wonderful lists reminds me:

Move Your Muscles.