You’re so depressed you can not get out of bed. You’re so anxious you can not stop going. Maybe both. Treatment that is complementary or that latest drug is apparently helping. Or you are thinking nothing’s ever going to work. Regardless, just getting through the day is a challenge. I have been there.

Here are a few things I’ve attempted that might help you as well:

Be kind to yourself. If you’d a broken leg, you would not believe, “I shouldn’t have a broken leg.” But when you’re depressed, it is simple to think, “I should not be depressed,” or “I should calm down.” On pushing through matters we pride ourselves. When you’re depressed, nevertheless, “beating yourself up” only increases your awareness of helplessness. It is OK if you are not as much fun to be around. If you’re not as productive as usual, it’s OK. You don’t have a broken leg…you have a broken heart. And it takes time to heal.

Take little steps. Lying in bed wishing you could just pull the covers over your face and go back to sleep? It is OK to keep lying there. Perhaps do one little thing that might make you feel somewhat better. Like smile for ten seconds. Or extend a little. I understand you do not feel like grinning or extending. But give it a shot. Maybe you are able to find a way to get up but do not feel like doing anything. Make some tea or coffee, go to a comfortable chair and look out a window. Sit outside in the event the weather’s OK. In winter it is possible to zip yourself into a sleeping bag or cover yourself. I was so manic I needed to escape bed (regularly at 4 or 5 a.m.) I meditate and could not sit even though I Had done it for years. I was, nonetheless, able enough to take few deep breaths once in a while. That was the best I could do, so that’s what I did.

Take a hike. Everyone knows how important exercise can be to mental health. It produces endorphins but can provide you with a sense of achievement. There is no need to do some heavy-duty work out. Should you do not feel like running, walk. Stroll if you do not feel like walking. Just move the body a bit each day. While I biked a lot and walked, I still felt trapped inside my very own head. So I Had try to sense my feet on the earth…only to get several seconds. Or look at something outside my brain– the skies, a tree, a flower. Before can help pull you, taking a small hike around you have never been. OK, I admit it–a few times I embraced a tree. I felt really silly doing it. But, I really could really feel a few of my nervousness dissolving to the tree. Don’t knock it ’til you try it.

Get a massage. Whether you’re depressed or nervous, massage is among the top methods to be kind to yourself. Thus are other “hands on” treatments, such as craniosacral therapy and Reiki. Plus, scheduling a massage every week gives you something to anticipate. If you can’t afford one, ask your partner or a buddy. They do not have to have any specific skills. My only caveat could be that heavy massage techniques like rolfing or shiatsu can bring emotional items up. So it would be best of the individual doing it’s encounter massaging clients with mania and depression.

Repeat after me. When you are depressed, being asked to think positively can be like asking someone who is color blind to determine red. However, you can pretend to consider positively. Again, just for some seconds, or a minute. Say to yourself, or out loud, “I feel incredible. I feel fantastic. I’m fantastic.” Think about it like a mantra, or a prayer, or the manner kids “make believe” in order to have distinct encounters.

Write or draw. Describing your experience will give you little distance from it. I wrote a whole lot of e-mails when I was going through my breakdown. Understanding there was someone out there listening helped get those thoughts out of me instead of just rolling around within my head. Drawing can additionally help get things unstuck. You don’t have to be an artist. Scribbling is at least as successful. Use a lot of shades.

Keep in touch with Buddies. This one’s somewhat crafty. They frequently make propositions which make you feel more insufficient because most friends want one to feel better so badly. It is OK to ask a friend to just listen. Just listen. To merely make suggestions if you ask for them. It is also OK not to speak. Marilyn Monroe, of all folks, said: “It Is often just enough to be with someone. I do not need to touch them. Not even speak. A feeling passes between you both. You are not alone.”

Holler and scream. Crying is not an indication of weakness. It is a method to let go. I wouldn’t overdo it in front of the children or at work, but when you can locate a safe spot to simply let it go…let it go.

?? Self-Care On the Job

All of the things I Have written about may sound fine–and can be great complements (although not replacements) for professional help. But what about when you possess a 9 to 5 job and spend the majority of your time trying to mask how badly you feel? Should you get “mental health days” take advantage of them. You should not feel guilty about it. They’re as important as sick days. If it’s possible to do so find someone at work you’ll be able to confide in…so you can let the mask down a bit throughout the day. Finally, you can typically take those few deep breaths or go for that short walk.

I really hope it will help. While I’m not coping with acute depression now, I have been. And at various times I did all of these things. They certainly were not treatments in themselves (that normally requires working with professionals), but they consistently took the edge off. And they helped me get through the day.

David’s Inferno: My Journey Through the Dark Wood of Melancholy (Hatherleigh Press, March 2013).