“I decided my depression would end at five o’clock on Friday.”
I was stunned when I heard a fellow speaker say this to the group.
It got me thinking. Is it possible to set a deadline to end depression? Will it stop just because you want it to? I have not been able to do that. Have you?
Maybe not but I definitely think we can act to make the tide turn sooner. ???? The key for me is: “Don’t THINK about doing something that might help. Just do it!”
Here are three things I don’t think about, I just do:
???? Walk
The moment I recognize I am heading for a cheerless mental place, I go walking. Sometimes with an audiobook, sometimes not.
???? Watch scan noir
It’s weird. Dark themed subtitled movies work for me and often, my mood shifts gear.
???? Don’t panic about sleep
I focus on a small sleep goal every night. It could be experimenting with whether blankets or a doona feel best. Reading or not reading.
The point is to think ahead about what you can control, what you can do on auto-pilot even if it’s an effort when the black dog growls or bites.
Doing what you know helps, might not mean you can meet a deadline as my fellow speaker says he did. But it might speed the journey.
???? What do you ‘just do’ to work on lifting your mood?