I have battled with depression since the age of 12 and I am a naturally positive person so when I have a bout of depression I really feel it. I absolutely hate how it feels and over the years that has pushed me to figure out ways to cope with it so that it isn't taking over my entire life.
There have been times where I have felt like I was just existing and going through the motions and couldn't figure out how to make it stop. My outside world around me was also full of chaos and traumatic situations so I felt like all I had was myself.
Growing up I always felt like the "black sheep" because I am loud, tall and extremely social. I wasn't made to feel like I could truly be myself and be accepted. I pushed this part of me way down and played small. I honestly feel like this contributed to my depression. Not feeling like you can be your true self means you are diming your light and by dimming the light you are left in the dark.
Over the years I constantly assessed myself and tried different things to figure out what snapped me out of my funk and how long it lasted. This was crucial, because whatever worked and stuck I would remember to do the next time I was feeling low.
Over time I have just kept doing the things that I found that worked and basically created a routine/habit where now I can snap myself out of depression in a few hours, even if its really deep and dark.
So my personal routine/ habit is creating a morning routine that feels like my dream day in my dream life. I do this because as I have become an adult with a child there is very little time that I get just for myself. So this has made me start every day by making myself a priority.
How to do this is the night before set my alarm for whatever time I want to get up in order to have plenty of time to spend on my dream morning.
When I wake up in the morning, I start with a cup of coffee and light one of my favorite scented candles. I then will either read a good nonfiction book or write down some things I am grateful for, this immediately changes my mood.
After that, I pull up Pinterest and get lost in my beautifully curated feed filled with lots of beautiful images. This may sound silly but it literally changes everything about my mood for the better.
I am an incredibly visual person and love looking at pretty scenes, clothes, decor, and uplifting quotes and I find all of that on Pinterest. This obviously isn't for everyone, but the point I am trying to make is that something so small may change everything about your day. So don't think you have to make HUGE changes to change your life, most of the time its that small things that make a bigger impact.
The real magic is in being consistent and doing those tiny things that spark joy and happiness in you and embed them in your daily life to change your mood, emotions and habits to feel better and feel in control of you feeling better.
Its ok to feel sad, lonely or lost every once in a while, we are human. We won't feel amazing and perfect every single day but we are also in control of our actions, and emotions and finding ways to ease the pain. You don't need to feel anything you don't want to for long periods of time as long as you can become self aware and really experiment with whatever truly brings your spirit joy from within.
This is exactly what keeps me feeling positive, happy and in control of my life and emotions every single day.
*** Please don't take your mental health lightly and make time for yourself and doing the things that make you feel good. Work on building up a good daily routine that makes you feel good inside and out. ***
If you try this and it works let me know either here or you can find me on IG @etotheizzay
Comments