Chill Pill

Guys, depression F*&%ing sucks! And one of the biggest things I had to learn is that I wasn’t alone. Depression and Anxiety affect over 40 million people a year, whether it is seasonal, situational, or clinical, it sucks, but you are definitely not the only one, even though it feels like that sometimes.

When I got home from the doctor I apologized to my parents because I felt I had something wrong with me. I have the best parents in the world who support me and help me and deal with my grade A breakdowns.

There is nothing wrong with you, its chemical and although you might take your medicine, sometimes you still wake up feeling blue.

I call them blue days, when I wake up and just want to keep my blinds closed, lay in my bed and watch He’s Just Not That Into You on repeat. And even though I take my chill pill, I still have those days. And when I wake up like that it is painfully difficult to get up and get shit done. I want to share with you the things I do to pull myself out of that blue day and change my mood.

I wanted to write this not only for you all to get to know me better but also to help you in any way that I can.

Alright, so you’re alarm goes off and it’s pretty clear what the day is going to hold for me, I either get up on the 3rd snooze, or I don’t. Its clear right then and there that I’m gonna have to work a little harder.

So first things first, get your ass out of the bed. Count to three and literally jump our of bed. You might laugh for the faster you get out of bed the harder it is to get back into it.

Make that bed up. You will be so surprised how much better you feel with a clean room— I am bad at this, I have never understood the making of the bed because you just get back into it but honestly, it makes you feel so much better. Just try it.

The next thing I do is get some form of exercise in. Exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy, and happy people just don’t shoot their husbands right? Whether I go to a workout class, or a long walk if you get moving and start flowing those endorphins and you’ll start to feel a little better.

These next ones are kinda funny, don’t laugh, or do but at least try them! I make a to-do list. And on that to-do list I put: Walk, Shower, Make Breakfast, Make bed, little trivial things but just the same way getting a like on Instagram releases dopamine, so does crossing off something on your to-do list, no matter how small. It helps me to stay motivated and move onto the next thing.

I eat a lot of cashews. I know, ridiculous, but a handful of cashews can actually have the same affect as a low dose of an anti-depressant because of the magnesium in them. I have little bags of them in my house and I eat them as a mid-morning snack. I might be crazy but I think they definitely help!

Before I put my phone away I go on Instagram and watch pottery painting videos or calligraphy videos, there is something about the way they paint those tiles that gets me mesmerized and I am able to calm down.

I stay off social media. I give myself a break from the social world. It is my job and I have to be on constantly, but taking a quick hour off isn’t going to hurt anyone. Put the phone down and focus on your walk, your chore, anything.

KEEP THE TV OFF! It is so easy to slip onto the couch and say “I’ll just watch one episode of friends” and next thing you know you’ve watched 2 seasons and missed your whole day and you feel worse because you didn’t do anything all day long.

No alcohol. It’s no secret that alcohol is a depressant. If I have a long weekend of going out with my friends, eating bad food, I can almost predict I’ll have a blue day and usually can combat it ahead of time. But sometimes, they creep up, and I stay far away from alcohol. Give your body the detox.

These are not scientific, they are just simple things I do to pull myself out of my bad day. But sometimes they don’t work, but I refuse to allow this disease to consume my life. Life is too long to be sad about everything. The sky is blue, the sun is bright, and although sometimes you hate it, its still beautiful and you need to enjoy it!.  I hope these help you in any way but I’m always here if you need anything:)