Depression is a terrible thing to be living with. Most days, you just don’t want to get out of bed, let alone do anything productive. You’re not alone if you do suffer with depression. Many people do, and the best thing for you is to get real, professional help.
Maybe, you’ve already scheduled an appointment with your doctor if you suspect that you might have depression. If you haven’t, then please do so. It’s not helpful to you if you leave your depression undiagnosed and unchecked. That appointment is most likely not for a few days.
If you find yourself not wanting to get out of bed, this one’s for you. Here’s a few things you can do every day so you’re not stuck in your bed. I’m not saying you should do all of these in one day. If you can do at least one each day, then that’s good enough for me.
Remember, these are not foolproof ways of “getting rid of depression.” Don’t take it as that. These are just ways to get you out of your bed.
Let’s be real here, it doesn’t have to be cereal. It can be toast, a banana, some nuts, or any other food that’s semi-beneficial to your health. Really, any food can be helpful to you. Even if it’s cereal for dinner, at least its food!
Sometimes, depression can render you immobile. Getting up, and just eating something is not only the perfect way to start your day, but also get you out of your depression cocoon. Yup, I said it, depression cocoon. Oh, and make sure you’re drinking water too! You need food and water to live, so be sure you’re drinking water.
The point is, if all you did was eat or drink something today, then I’m proud of you.
It’s been proven, scientifically and anecdotally, that making your bed makes you more energized and more willing to do other things around the house.
That being said, depression can hinder that ability. So in this case, we’re not asking you to be super, hella productive today or this week. Just make your bed! Just making your bed and help you feel just a little bit better. We know depression doesn’t go away just because you make your bed.
What I am saying is what I said before. If all you did was make your bed, then that’s good enough for me. You shouldn’t beat yourself because you haven’t done anything productive today.
Depression can be a real bitch. And usually, if you stay in your bed for long periods of time, you get bedsores and its generally not a pleasant for you physically, never mind mentally. When you get out of bed after a really, really long time of being in bed, then you might feel a bit gross.
Regardless of how tired you are, or how terrible you may feel, your body will thank you if you take a shower. You don’t have to scrub hard, you don’t have to do a whole routine. Just clean your body, and clean your hair. If you’re not feeling up to a whole routine, just don’t do it!
Your body will thank you for it later.
You may be asking why I put parentheses in front of clean. Let me explain.
Depression causes you to have no energy for anything, interesting or otherwise. Depression also causes you to have no interest in the things that used to be interesting to you, like video games, movies, or any of your hobbies.
That being said, I know how hard it can be to clean your room fully. Hell, I have trouble cleaning my room, and I don’t even have depression, so I get it. What I mean by “cleaning” your room is just picking up a few things off the floor, and putting it somewhere. That, or just moving a couple of mugs that you left onto your desk from a dew days ago.
That or just recycling some of the plastic water bottles that you left out around your house or room. You could also just put a couple of pens back in their place, or, like I mentioned before, just making your bed.
It doesn’t have to be a full deep clean of your room. Just move some clothes to another place, out of sight. It’s a bit inefficient for later, but we’re not focusing on that. We’re focusing on you, and how you feel.
Yeah, yeah, terrible people who don’t understand depression will say to just “Go outside! Take a walk! Then you won’t feel sad anymore.” I know that doesn’t work, and you know that’s not how it works. It’s a pretty obnoxious thing to say to someone.
Hear me out, though. This is about getting you out of your depression cocoon. One way to get out of that depression cocoon, no matter how gross you feel, is to take a walk. It won’t solve your depression, but it’ll totally get the sun into your face and get you feeling at least a tiny bit better.
It’ll get you out and about, and exercising just a little bit. It’s not running, and it’s not jogging, just a light walk to get you feeling less gross than before.
Depression is not an easy thing to live with. I’ve had family members that have struggled with depression, so I know first hand what its like. I hope you get better, and hope that you can cope with your depression in a healthy manner. Even if it doesn’t seem like it right now, it does get better. You learn to cope with your depression better, and your life will get better in general, I promise. If you need it, here’s the national hotline for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is right here:
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