Do’s
(What you should do being depressed)
- Notice aspects of yourself worth honoring and celebrating.
- Remember — not all of who you are as a person is depressed.
- Recognize the internal negative voice of depression and name it as “depression”.
- Stay socially connected in some way to other people. Talk with others about the depression, in moderation.
- Get yourself out of the house for at least one hour every day.
- Exercise, eat well, and develop a regular sleep schedule.
- Limit yourself from telling a negative story to three times a day.
- Read — preferably novels of triumph, good fortune, and positive outcomes.
- Do something interesting to keep your mind focused on the task at hand.
- Meditate to quiet your mind and relax your body.
- Get a massage — treat yourself to one or ask a friend to give you one.
- Stay creative — take a night school course, paint, garden, visit a museum.
- Keep your living quarters clean.
- Seek out counseling with a therapist who is committed to moving you forward as quickly as possible.
Don’ts
(What you shouldn’t do being depressed)
- Don’t become immobilized by this experience — get active in some way.
- Don’t let depression keep you silenced.
- Don’t let the depression isolate you.
- Don’t incessantly talk to yourself and others about the depression.
- Don’t overindulge in anything.
- Don’t take other people’s medication.
- Don’t let “worst-case scenario” thinking take over.
- Don’t believe that you know what others are thinking about you; you are not a mind-reader.