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Depression and anxiety sometimes has more power over us than we'd like to admit. It's hard to follow common self-help strategies when you can't even get out of bed. Depression can suck all the motivation out of you. It can leave you too exhausted to meditate...Too tired to see the long-term benefits of changing your eating habits.
Right over your shoulder is a sense of urgency. You know you need to do something but what? That sense of urgency is anxiety. It's a voice telling us to either fight or take flight. When we remain where we are, we're taking flight. We're fleeing from something, rather than fighting.
It's not that we don't want to fight. The fact is that we CAN'T. Or just don't quite know where to start. There's plenty of great advice out there on coping with depression and anxiety. There's gratitude journals, exercise, cutting out bad habits...research proven things that will absolutely help a person out of a funk.
Lots of those things take a little bit of effort and willpower to get going, however. But if your mind and soul is at a point that's too overwhelming, how do you gather the strength to even try? What steps can you take to pull yourself out of the darkness and take the first step?
One sneaky side effect of depression and anxiety is lack of motivation. When you can't find the strength to get out of bed and exercise or organize your way to happiness, try these 4 things.
Source: http://thewellbalancedmom.com
When I'm driving and reeeally in my feelings and Bad And Boujee comes on, I can't help but to feel better. I literally can't help but feel better unless I shut it off because I want to be in self-pity rather than self-help mode. (self-pity mode is never good and it's actually much different than depression.)
Upbeat music is not a magical cure but it can instantly improve your mood. Put on something you can sing along with. Envision yourself dancing to it at the club.
All of these things are quick things you can do to jump-start your way to the light at the end of the tunnel. Too often people will take what they think is easy and turn to substances or whatever makes their feelings stop. This list is short, but it leaves room for you to think about what works for you!
You need to understand your patterns. How far back can you remember not just being unhappy, but actually feeling depressed? Maybe you didn't know you were depressed. Maybe it was masked by anger or hurting other people. How is depression defined by you? For example, I know I'm in that empty space when I feel like there's nothing to look forward to. Do you have certain triggers or things that set off your depressive episodes?
Understanding how our minds operate is really empowering. It's important to know if depression has always been a part of us or set off by recent situations. This will help us know how to deal with it better and give us the motivation we need.
This one can be extremely satisfying. And it's not about getting a pep talk. (Although pep talks from your mom are everything can help motivate you to do anything!) It's about unloading your heart. My mom is my go-to person for pretty much everything. Sharing what you are going through typically opens the floor for the other person to share, which helps validate your feelings. Even if the other person doesn't feel as bad as as you do, odds are they've been there at some point in their lives. People want to relate and connect. No one's going to make you feel like you're alone or crazy.
Oh and guess what?... even if you don't feel comfortable sharing or you don't have a go-to person, talking to God, a therapist, or yourself is just as empowering. Simply articulating your emotions can lift the weight off of your chest. It feels good to be able to find the words that explain where your mind is.
Whatever floats your boat when it comes to making you laugh. Not chuckle. I'm talking laugh out loud, don't care who's in the room funny. The kind of funny where you discover weird new ways you laugh. Laughing releases all kinds of feel good endorphins and takes our minds away from the feeling of impending doom. Laughing helps to get you out of your head and relax a little bit. No matter how tormented you are, funny is funny dammit.
