The 21st of March (or the official end of winter) is one of my favourite days of the year and so is the whole month of March as an extension. Because when spring arrives it means that I have survived winter. And this is not always a given when you have depression.
Looking after yourself
8 actions that will reverse the cycle of depression – Part 1
It is possible to reverse the cycle of depression. In my last post I mentioned a brilliant book, “The Upward Spiral” from Alex Korb, neuroscientist specialised in mood disorders, which has given me a real understanding of the neurological mechanics of depression and how to reserve it. So as promised here is a little more on this topic: the 8 actions recommended by Dr Alex Korb to reverse the downward spiral of depression.
The power of accountability
And how it can help you fight depression
So now that you have read “How to raise your mood when you are feeling low” you know exactly what you need to do to feel better. So why are you not doing it already?
Don’t worry you are not the only one in this case. It is human nature. What you need to get yourself in gear is to be held accountable by someone else. Because we really do not like being that person who say they are going to do things and do not do it. And that is human nature too.
7 Expert tips to survive Christmas with your family
Christmas is a merry time of year! Well, not for everyone… If you suffer from depression you might find that Christmas might make you feel even lower due to the general pressure that you should be happy at Christmas and you should be celebrating. On top of that you are likely to see some members of your family that you wouldn’t want to spend time with usually, like this auntie who is going to ask you when you are going to get married and have children “because you know…you are not getting any younger!”
Or they might just point out this one thing in your life that isn’t quite how you would like it to be and makes you feel worse anyway.
So here are my tips to not let any of that get to you and allow you to actually enjoy Christmas this year!
The Gratitude Challenge (or the recipe for happiness)
In this day and age we have forgotten about the ancient concept of gratitude. Nowadays we are programmed to want more. It is all around us and social media are making things worse, showing us constantly things that we are supposed to want.
We want more money, more holidays, more freedom, more clothes, a new car, the latest product from Apple, a new partner, you name it. What we’ve already got is never enough. And as a result we feel frustration, and unhappiness.
But what if we could retrain ourselves so that we could learn to appreciate more what we have instead of wanting new things all the time?
Why are we more depressed during the winter? It’s not just about daylight…
“We are more depressed in winter”. This is one of these things that we have always heard and taken for a fait accompli without questioning it. But what if it did not have to be this way?
Why getting a good night’s sleep can help you fight depression
Getting 8 hours of sleep is number 1 advice on all sources relating to managing depression. But why?
Learning to slow down
In “How To Survive The Winter” I talk about how I go into hibernation over the winter. I seem to be needing more sleep and heavier food to get me through the colder months. My body just asks me to slow down.
I AM worth it! And so are YOU!
Guest post by Sheleen from the blog dansmapeau.co.uk
How is it possible to care for someone else, if you can’t even take care of yourself?!
This is something I hear people saying all the time. I just didn’t get it! What do you mean take care of myself?! I’m a selfless person, I give. That’s just what I do. I don’t do me I do them.
Yeah right! Until the point where I completely burnt myself out. Maybe it’s part of the reason I became ill myself. Thinking that the people I was looking after came before me.