How to defeat depression as fall quickly approaches

encouragement
the words anxiety spelled out in scrabble tiles
<strong><br>Depression and anxiety can get worse as the fall approaches Shortened daylight hours can trigger it And with that comes all the unwelcomed emotions such as helplessness and hopelessness <strong>

Depression/anxiety makes us feel helpless and hopeless. So I try to keep the door to depression shut. I remind myself that I’m the one who’s in the driver’s seat, not depression. I work hard at allowing God more open doors.

As the days become shorter, many people will find their depression returning.

photography of fall trees
shorter days and depressionanxiety

Depression has a voice and we need to be sure that it isn’t making the choices for us. As a result, we need to pay attention to the choices we make. We need to pay attention to what we are doing. Are we doing what we’ve decided to do or has our depression decided for us? It’s about knowing what works for us. Being aware of why we are doing what we are doing really helps.

There are some of you reading this that, frankly, would love the luxury of having some free time to worry about anything. However, being aware that you are always making choices is still valuable for everyone.

Depression seems to have a life of its own. And at times it seems as though another person takes up residence inside us telling us what to do. But let’s be clear, the voice of depression will always direct you to feed its own voracious appetite.

white and brown wooden tiles
depressionanxiety in the fall

Table of Contents

Becoming Self-Aware

So how do we become self-aware? For me, paying attention to certain habits makes me sit up and take notice and question if depression/anxiety is taking hold, for example:

  • Biting my fingernails. (I hate admitting that.)
  • Munching on something constantly. Usually something sweet.
  • When I can’t focus on what I’m doing.
  • Probably most important, if I start to overthink.

You’ll have to figure out for yourself what your symptoms are. I’m all for engaging in some reflective thinking. But I’ll discuss the importance of choosing the right time to think about some deep issues in a later post.

For now, just be aware that when you’re in a particularly low mood is not the time to think too much about what is bothering you. You will probably just end up in a worse mood.

For today, just ask yourself, am I mindlessly going through my day? Am I fully living in the present moment and not anticipating the next? Is my mind wandering? Am I feeling anxious? Am I on carb overload? What are my actions saying about my anxiety?

God bless and I hope you have a good day.

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