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CaliforniaPeggy

(152,315 posts)
Thu Jan 4, 2024, 07:47 PM Jan 2024

A friend of mine posted this on facebook as a help for people who are depressed.

I thought it would help those of us here who are sad over the loss of a partner or a friend.

DEPRESSION TIPS:
Shower. Not a bath, a shower.
Use water as hot or cold as you like. You don’t even need to wash. Just get in under the water and let it run over you for a while. Sit on the floor if you gotta.
Moisturize everything.
Use whatever lotion you like.
Unscented? Dollar store lotion? Fancy 48 hour lotion that makes you smell like a field of wildflowers? Use whatever you want, and use it all over your entire dermis.
Put on clean, comfortable clothes.
Put on your favorite underwear.
Those ridiculous boxers you bought last christmas with candy cane hearts on the butt? Put them on.
Drink cold water.
Use ice. If you want, add some mint or lemon for an extra boost.
Clean something.
Doesn’t have to be anything big. Organize one drawer of a desk. Wash five dirty dishes. Do a load of laundry. Scrub the bathroom sink.
Blast music.
Listen to something upbeat and dancey and loud, something that’s got lots of energy. Sing to it, dance to it, even if you suck at both.
Make food.
Don’t just grab a granola bar to munch. Take the time and make food. Even if it’s ramen. Add something special to it, like a soft boiled egg or some veggies. Prepare food, it tastes way better, and you’ll feel like you accomplished something.
Make something.
Write a short story or a poem, draw a picture, color a picture, fold origami, crochet or knit, sculpt something out of clay, anything artistic. Even if you don’t think you’re good at it. Create.
Go outside.
Take a walk. Sit in the grass. Look at the clouds. Smell flowers. Put your hands in the dirt and feel the soil against your skin.
Call someone.
Call a loved one, a friend, a family member, call a chat service if you have no one else to call. Talk to a stranger on the street. Have a conversation and listen to someone’s voice. If you can’t bring yourself to call, text or email or whatever, just have some social interaction with another person. Even if you don’t say much, listen to them. It helps.
Cuddle your pets if you have them/can cuddle them.
Take pictures of them. Talk to them. Tell them how you feel, about your favorite movie, a new game coming out, anything.
May seem small or silly to some, but this list keeps people alive.
*** At your absolute best you won’t be good enough for the wrong people. But at your worst, you’ll still be worth it to the right ones. Remember that. Keep holding on.
*** In case nobody has told you today I love you and you are worth your weight and then some in gold, so be kind to yourself and most of all keep pushing on!!!!
Find something to be grateful for!

#SuicideAwareness
#HaveARealConversation

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A friend of mine posted this on facebook as a help for people who are depressed. (Original Post) CaliforniaPeggy Jan 2024 OP
To that list I would add 303squadron Jan 2024 #1
Widowed, lots of arthritis, pain, limited mobility, depressed Attilatheblond Jan 2024 #4
Stay grounded,... keep yourself tethered to someting that makes you feel calm. magicarpet Jan 2024 #2
I'd add only St. John's Wort - provided your doctor agrees peppertree Jan 2024 #3
Love these suggestions, CA Peggy! Attilatheblond Jan 2024 #5

Attilatheblond

(4,431 posts)
4. Widowed, lots of arthritis, pain, limited mobility, depressed
Tue Jan 23, 2024, 01:37 AM
Jan 2024

Then, my dog started behaving in a very depressed way. I feared my mental state was causing hers and wondered if I should find her a home with less depression.

A doggy medical emergency sent us to the vet. He noticed her hair loss, added that to her weight despite getting only 2 cups of chow daily (part St. Bernard, so that's not much food) and suggested a thyroid level test.

Yep, VERY low. We are working on fine tuning the dosage, but BOY OH BOY, the dog is regaining her good humor, is frisky and playing again, and weight is rolling off her.

Yeah, thinking I should ask my PCP to check MY levels. Maybe I can knock back some of my depression. Thanks for the recommendation, 303squadron.

peppertree

(22,850 posts)
3. I'd add only St. John's Wort - provided your doctor agrees
Thu Jan 4, 2024, 10:43 PM
Jan 2024

Mike Wallace - who suffered a bout of severe depression in the '80s - credited his recovery to it.

"It saved my life," he once told Larry King.

And I second that (in my case, pointlessly so - but still).

Thanks for posting this - and All the Best.

Attilatheblond

(4,431 posts)
5. Love these suggestions, CA Peggy!
Tue Jan 23, 2024, 01:38 AM
Jan 2024

And I knew them, but, well, when you're depressed, ya need reminders. Thank you.

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