My Depression Stories

If this speaks to only one of my friends... Stay Strong! 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!!!! Find something to be grateful for! **copied and pasted, feel free to do the same**

I have been noticeably absent of late. Nothing wrong, just that Covid has made my job very very busy. It has destroyed my body but cleared my head. To those of you who reached out to me to share your stories, or to check on me, THANK YOU!! I will DM you in the next few days. Happy New Year to you all! I hope that you are learning tools to deal with your mental health issues and mood disorders. May 2021 be kind and fair to you. Stay calm, and treat others as you would like to be treated.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10153849480092371&id=107787352370

Try to imagine the most convincing voice you have ever heard yelling in your ear, "You're useless!", "Nobody loves you", "You don't deserve to be loved", etc. loudly and endlessly. Imagine that voice completely drowning out the voices of those who love you, all the while convincing you that they don't even like you. Now imagine trying to sleep with that voice in your ear. Or trying to concentrate, or work. Sure, you can push the voice out for awhile, but as soon as you let yo...ur guard down, it comes back. Now try to imagine how that would make you feel, after days, weeks, or years of that voice. This is depression. I have learned to shut that voice out, most of the time, but it was the hardest thing I have ever learned. Not everyone is as lucky as me. If you know someone struggling, please listen to them, and please believe them. A sigh or an eye roll adds more fuel to the voice's fire than you can imagine. Hug them. Hold them. Reassure them. Depression sucks. The stigma sucks. See more

Today is World Mental Health day. Please reach out, speak out, and speak up. It's okay to not be okay. #worldmentalhealthday #wmhd