Monday

...of A Little Step to Overcoming Depression

“Happiness is really not just about your circumstances. Happiness is about the intentional choices that you make every single day.”

Bestselling Author, Life Coach, and Speaker Valorie Burton offered the above nugget of wisdom in her Happy Women Live Better Webisode on Monday, September 30th, 2013. She then went on to share a few, what she calls, “Happiness Triggers,” one of which is anticipation. Valorie says that having something to look forward to each day can trigger your happiness. Here’s my stamp of verification:

During my depression, happiness seemed nonexistent. Most days I sat around feeling zapped of energy and hopeless. After sending my children off to school all I had to look forward to was getting back in bed, fighting with an overload of thoughts racing through my mind, and randomly crying because of my situation and feeling inept. One morning while grocery shopping, I decided that I didn’t want to buy a week’s worth of food because I thought I just wanted to hurry home and get back in bed so I purchased about two days-worth of groceries and said that I’d just go back when I needed to. So a few days later, I was back in the store and did the same thing, and then again days later.

No kidding, after only two weeks, I realized that I felt better once I got home and ended up not getting back in bed. Then within a month’s time I noticed that I was finding other things to do while I was out and once I got home I didn’t feel like getting back in the bed. So I made the decision to shop little by little every couple of days, (this also helped me to stop wasting food but that’s another post-lol), because it gave me something to look forward to that also caused me to be active. It didn’t have to be anything “big,” just something to give me a push which helped me in two ways:

1. I got out of the bed and the house!

2. I didn’t feel overwhelmed with shopping and with having to put a lot of grocery items away once I got home, (feeling overwhelmed was one of my depression triggers, it just made me feel worse, like dysfunctional).

I shared this in light of it being Depression Awareness Month. This year I am focusing on the awareness of overcoming depression because it is possible, I know this from experience and want to encourage “you” to not give up. Yes it’s hard and I felt like it wasn’t possible even still while I was overcoming and things were looking good, but it happened.

Larie

6 comments:

  1. I like how you found that doing a little grocery shopping was helpful for you, and also that you point out that anticipation of something pleasurable is helpful too.

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    1. Thank you Terra. The limited grocery shopping was just one of the small things I did. Other things I've done to have something to look forward to have been simple as well. For example, I would plan to take a walk at a specific place, (the mall, the subdivision up the road from me, or around the track at my kids' school after having lunch with them).

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  2. I've not heard of depression triggers, but that makes sense. I know a lady who spends half her life in bed when she feels overwhelmed, and I've often thought she is depressed. Thanks for the help!

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    1. Hi Jeanette! For me I noticed that there were certain things that triggered me to fall into a depression. I learned that most of my depression was situational too.

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  3. LOVE! It is so true about anticipation...even though it can feel impossible to move forward...it always helps...I had that day today where I stayed in bed until 11:30 and took a two hour nap...I know it was the opposite thing I should have done...I will try to remember this post when I have a day like that again, which might be tomorrow...

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    1. It is hard April to start doing I admit, but once it becomes a habit...OH BOY!

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Y'all's comments are overwhelmingly encouraging. I appreciate them very much. They motivate me to continue being myself. Smooches!