Owning Our I'm Not Okay's

Owning Our Not Okay’s

Recovery from depression is not a linear progression.  Depression can be circular and our minds can be our own worst enemies, convincing ourselves that we are unworthy of love that our friends don’t want to be there for us when we are in in the dark pit of depression.

We have more control than we realise, but we have to own not feeling ok and we have to be vulnerable to ask for help.

These are my tips for radical self-help

1.  Get connected.  Isolation will make you feel worse.  Asking for the help you need is not weakness and friends and family do want to know how best they can help you.  Try to make face time, social media is really a poor substitute for interaction, so much is lost without body language.  Find a listening ear.  Connect with others via volunteering doing service for others is an amazing way to build your social capital and increase your sense of self-worth.

2.  Get outside, fresh air, being in nature, moving your body.  Research backs up that all of these activities are going for fighting depression.  Try to fit in 30 minutes exercise a day, if you need to break it down into 10 minute chunks.  Make it fun.  There are loads of YouTube clips from Yoga to Zumba.  Increased exercise will help beat fatigue and increase energy levels.

3.  Do things that make you feel good.  Reconnect with old hobbies, make play dates with friends, get creative and let your inner artist out, explore what’s on your doorstep visit a local museum or gallery.

      4.  Treat your temple well.  Work on getting better sleep hygiene. Ditch the techy gizmos before bedtime.  Don’t read or watch the news or anything too stimulating before your trying to catch those Zzzz’s.  Get a little sunlight aim for 15 minutes a day.  Try to incorporate a meditation or mindfulness practise into your daily routine.

5   5.  Try to not to skip meals, minimise processed foods and foods with ingredients you can’t pronounce.

6    6.  Challenge your negative thinking.   One of the best acronyms for F.E.A.R I ever heard was False Evidence appearing real.   When you have a negative thought it can be useful to ask…

•           “What’s the evidence that this thought is true? Not true?”

•           “What would I tell a friend who had this thought?”

•           “Is there another way of looking at the situation or an alternate explanation?”

•           “How might I look at this situation if I didn’t have depression?”

As you cross-examine your negative thoughts, you may be surprised at how quickly they crumble. In the process, you’ll develop a more balanced perspective.

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       7.  Know when to get professional help.  Self-help can obviously be really useful but know when to seek the advice of a medical practitioner.