SELF-CARE ROUTINE FOR DEPRESSION

Hi depression and anxiety... how are ya?

Obviously if you are reading this post, it is because you suffer from your own mental health roller coaster. Having depression is REAL, having anxiety is REAL. No one is able to understand it until they are in your shoes. I'm here to tell you that I know how you feel. I know how hard it is to get out of bed when you don't want to, how your chest feels like it's about to burst because you're anxious and how it feels when you're sad for no reason. All of those feelings are too familiar.

People who suffer from depression encounter difficulties in their life from day to day. Without even realizing it, I've managed to make my depression less powerful with little self-care tips I try to do on a daily basis. These little, daily rituals can give you insight into a whole new world which is not as bad as you might have thought until now. After many days of being upset, I thought that my world was sometimes falling apart and that there was no hope for my depression. It wasn't until I chose to punch my depression in the face and tell myself that my depression is NOT in control- I AM IN CONTROL.

What is self-care?

Self-care is the act of taking care of yourself. It is doing exactly what you need to do to feel the best all around. This includes mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Each person has their own way of giving themselves self-care.

Why is self-care important?

Self-care is simply doing the things you like to do that helps you feel happier and healthy. There is no limit to what self-care is because it's all about what you like doing for yourself that makes you a better person, parent, spouse, and friend. Neglecting yourself and putting your needs on the back burner inevitably leads to an unhealthy life. Self-care needs to be apart of a schedule and shouldn't be overlooked.

TALK TO YOURSELF

I know you might be thinking that it will make you look crazy, but it's the easiest way to become more aware of your feelings. Every time you start to feel your depression talking over your body, you can ask yourself a series of questions- "Why do I feel this way? What triggered it? When was the first time I felt like  this?" These questions can make you become more conscious of your mind and emotions, but you need to VERBALIZE it. Speak to yourself out loud. You can even look into a mirror while doing this. Be your own little therapist.

WRITE IT ALL DOWN

After you've had that conversation with yourself, make a list. Make a list of all the feelings you're feeling, what triggered them and what to do to change the way you're feeling. You can do this also by writing down all the things you are grateful for, simply to improve mindfulness and also to remember all the wonderful things in our lives which we tend to forget about.

SUPPLEMENTS/PERSCRIBED MEDICATION

I know... I KNOW. Some people are completely against medication and that's okay. So, try different types of supplements and oils if you don't want to do medication. Everyone is different. To those who DO take medication, please take it CONSISTENTLY. If you don't take them even for a day,  you can completely feel how it effects your mood. Taking medication isn't a bad thing, it's actually important because it includes taking care of YOURSELF and your brain.

LISTEN TO YOUR BODY

You've heard it all before- go out and do something! It is important to know that your body is telling you what to do. If you're not feeling good enough to stand up and go for a run, then don't force yourself. You're already out of energy- running won't make it better. If you need a day or two to rest, then stay inside and do the first two steps. You will see that you will feel much better and you will have the energy and courage to go out and do some fun activities.

CHANGE THE WAY YOU LOOK AT YOURSELF

This is gonna sound weird... Get butt naked and stand in front of a mirror! You don't like what you see? Why? Is it really that bad? No. Of course not. Why do you care that your legs are 'too big' or if you have 'curves'? It's you in all of your majestic beauty! There's no one like you in this world and that's okay. That's more than okay- that's wonderful. You need to love and appreciate your body, because it's yours.

EXCERCISE/HEALTHY EATING

Exercise leads to the release of endorphins- feel good chemicals that help us to relax and feel happy. It gives us structure and purpose to the day. Having a least 30 minutes of exercise a day, helps relieve stress and the toxins that are controlling your mind and body. There is a strong correlation between the way we eat and the way we feel. If we want to feel good, it's important to become aware of what we eat and drink. Your brain functions best when you're eating high quality foods that contain a lot of vitamins and minerals. 

DO SOMETHING CREATIVE

Paint, write a book, cook, etc... Do something that will relax you and make you feel like time has stopped. It won't be easy at first to make yourself dedicate 30 minutes per day to do something like that, but it will make you more relaxed and at ease. If you're painting, try using happier colors. Pick out books to read which have a happy ending. All these little things will remind you how wonderful life can be.

LISTEN TO POSITIVE MUSIC

Listening to positive upbeat music is as simple, yet effective way to boost mood and motivation. Research shows that different kinds of music can actually produce different kinds of emotions. Sad music can help offer a release of pent up negative emotions, while positive upbeat music helps move the brain into a more active state.

BE MINDFUL

When you get a bit of energy, you tend to run off to do all the things you didn't do during the time you were too weak to actually get out of bed. You go and multitask your butt off and all you get is, again, lack of energy and losing the will to live because life gets so hard at times. Instead, focus on only one thing at a time and be mindful about it. Take the time to look at the sky. Acknowledge the wonderful world. It is so worthwhile to get out of bed.

TALK ABOUT IT

As hard as it may seem, taking in consideration the fact that you don't like to talk about it, talk about it anyway. Talk with your friends, family, coworkers, your teachers. Just talk. It will be much easier to cope with all of it if you know that someone is there to help you. It's easy to forget how important we are to people when we are stuck in our own delusions of how we don't matter.

BUY A PLANT OR TWO

Might sound ridiculous, but do it. Buy a couple of plants and surround yourself with greens. It's been proven that the color green has a calming effect on people as it returns us to our roots. It' also a way to see your own recovery. If you're feeling better, you will stand up every morning to water your plants, but if you're not feeling well, you will forget about your plant and you will watch it die. That terrifying scenery might trigger you to take care of yourself more.

SERVE SOMEONE ELSE

Depression and anxiety tend to make a person retreat inward. Helping other people can bring us outside ourselves. It can also help distract us from our own problems and think about something else.

LEAVE NOTES TO YOURSELF

Take a jar and put positive affirmations in it. Write them down on colorful paper and every time you're not feeling too good, take one out of the jar. It will make you remember why you made it in the first place and it will give you enough strength to put a smile on your face.

THERAPY

If you're not in therapy, get into therapy. If you're afraid of what people might think of you, just forget about them and focus on what you want. You want a professional to be there for you to give you just the right advice. It's incredibly nice to have someone to talk to. It might be scary talking to someone that you don't know about your problems, but at the end of the day, they just want you to know that there is someone there who does and can listen.

Getting better from depression is a lifelong commitment. I've made that commitment for my life's sake and for those who love me. If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person. A positive attitude gives you power over your circumstances instead of your circumstances having power over you.

Once you choose hope, anything is possible.

love, sienna