“The secret of joy is the mastery of pain.” ~ Anais Nin
Since quite a sometime now, I got depressed and
stayed depressed for a little over half a year. For that time, every single day
was a battle with myself, every single day felt heavy and pointless.
I have since made tremendous progress by becoming more
self-aware, practicing self-love, and noticing the
infinite blessings and possibilities in my life, but I still have days when
those familiar old feelings sneak up on me.
I’m not always self-aware, I don’t always love myself,
and sometimes I agonize over everything I don’t have or haven’t accomplished.
I call these days “zombie days.” I’ll just
completely shut down and desperately look for ways to distract myself from my
feelings.
I suspect we all have zombie days from time to time. I
think it’s important to give ourselves permission to not
always be happy, but there are also simple ways to improve our mood when we’re
feeling down.
Everybody is different, and everybody has different ways
of dealing with pain, but if you’re looking for suggestions, you may find these
helpful:
1. Step back and self-reflect. Whenever
I start feeling depressed, I try to stop, reflect, and get to the root of my
feelings.
2. Reach out to someone. I
used to bottle up my feelings out of fear that I would be judged if I
talked about them. I’ve since learned that reaching out to a loving,
understanding person is one of the best things I can do. And the role is played
by my husband only.
3. Write. Writing is usually the first thing I do when I’m feeling down. It always helps me get my thoughts and feelings out in front of me. And that is why I have started writing new blog which was all about love and the stories we live. Check that out on tanukathuria.blogspot.in
4. Take a nap. Sometimes
we just need to recharge. I always feel better after
getting some rest. Because that is the best way to shut your mind and stop
thinking about anything and everything which makes you feel depressed and low.
5. Go for a walk. Walking
always helps me clear my head and shed negative energy. It’s especially
therapeutic if you choose to walk at a scenic location.
6. Do something spontaneous. Some
of my favorite memories entail choices I made spontaneously. We should all
learn to let go of routine every now and then and do something exciting and
unplanned.
7. Prioritize. Sometimes
I feel depressed when my priorities are out
of balance. I try to make sure I’m giving a fair amount of attention to all the
priorities in my life, such as work, relationships, health, and personal
happiness.
8. Look through old photographs or snap some new
ones. Sorting through old
memories or capturing new ones usually puts a smile on my face.
9. Laugh. Watch
a funny movie or spend time with someone who has a good sense of humor.
Laughing releases tension and has a natural ability to heal.
10. Cry. I don’t like crying
in front of people, but whenever I have an opportunity to slink away and cry by
myself, I always feel better afterwards. Crying releases pain.
11. Read back over old emails or text messages. Whenever
I feel dejected or bad about myself, I like to read kind emails and comments
from my blog readers. Doing so reminds me that I’m loved, thought about, and
appreciated.
12. Reconnect with someone. Get
back in touch with an old friend or a family member that you haven’t spoken to
in a while. Reconnecting with people almost always puts me in a good mood and
fills my heart up with love.
13. Bake something. Baking
has always been therapeutic and entertaining for me. Plus, I can eat whatever I
baked and share it with others afterward.
14. Focus on what truly matters to you. Sometimes
I forget what matters to me and what isn’t that important. Some things just
aren’t worth getting too upset over.
15. Take a negative comment or situation and look
for something positive about it. If
someone says something negative to me or I get stuck in an unpleasant
situation, sometimes it helps to look at it from a different angle. Perspective
is everything.
16. Let go. This
is a very simple
mantra of
mine. I usually say it to myself multiple times each day, which has been very
liberating and empowering.
