Ninety-seven steps to battle depression.
Yesterday I talked about the importance of movement when managing depression. To say it’s important is almost like saying it’s important to brush your teeth for your overall health! It’s that important.
So with that last statement in mind, I’ll start there. Some of these suggestions may seem trivial but I’m just listing everything I can think of to get you moving. They are not divided by gender or age either. Whatever works for you works.
- Brush your teeth
- Comb your hair
- Wash your hair
- Drink some water
- Make the bed.
- Clean under your bed
- Change the bed linen
- Fluff your pillows
- Eat a decent breakfast
- Make your bedroom inviting for when you hit the sack tonight.
- Wear something decent.
- If it’s a dreary day, turn on as many lamps as you can. Light is good.
- Take some vitamins, especially “D”, until the summer.
- Straight up a kitchen shelf or two
- Clean out a cupboard
- Check the expiration dates of canned goods.
- Clean the freezer
- Clean the refrigerator
- Clean up the kitchen counter.
- Clean out the medicine cabinet and get rid of outdated items
- Dust off your light bulbs and lampshades
- Check expiration dates of refrigerated items
- Rearrange some “vignettes” in one of your rooms
- Rearrange some furniture
- Dust something
- Throw out something
- Vacuum, sweep, or mop a floor
- Fluff some pillows
- Clean a closet shelf
- Clean out part of a closet.
- Get rid of some clothes, Put in a “donation” box.
- Get rid of some shoes. Put in a “donation” box.
- Get rid of some jewelry. Put in a “donation” box.
- Wash some clothes
- Turn all your hangers the same way. That way you’ll know how often you’ve worn something.
- Straighten up an area in the garage or craft area
- Wash something
- Get rid of chipped dishes
- Bake something
- Cook something
- Fix some tea or coffee
- Light a candle.
- Listen to music
- Write out your menus for a week
- Make a list of foods you honestly like and don’t like.
- Refine that list and narrow down to what healthy foods you really will eat.
- Get rid of some books or magazines you aren’t going to read or have already read
- Tear out some pages of magazines that inspire you
- Make a “vision” board of what you want your life to look like (You can “google” vision boards if you don’t know what they are.)
- Gather what you need to “make” something tomorrow
- Make a list of things to do tomorrow
- Walk around your home for ten minutes.
- Better yet go outside and walk. (This is my “go to”.)
- Do some stretches
- Lift some weights
- Call someone and just talk
- Write a thank-you note
- Read something you would not ordinarily read
- Make a list of books you would like to read. Include some titles of subjects you’ve never read about before.
- Put together a puzzle
- Play Scrabble or Solitaire on your computer
- Clean out your jewelry
- Clean our your tool box
- Do a crossword puzzle
- Hang something on the wall
- Make a list of things you can and want to do when you’re feeling low. Make it a big list so you have lots to choose from on a “bad day.
- Color in a coloring book. If you don’t have one, put it on your list
- Order a paint-by-number kit from Amazon.
- When it comes, paint.
- If you have leftover paint, paint some swatches on a piece of paper or board for a future art project.
- Organize your pictures whether on-line or hands-on
- Make a list of projects you want to do but haven’t gotten around to
- Make a list of the “tools” you need for your projects
- Try your hand at drawing
- Spend some time on Pinterest (pinterest.com) to inspire you
- Go to Google and look at pictures of cute baby animals
- Eat something healthy and sit at the table. Set the table with a place mat, a cloth napkin if you have one, a nice glass, etc.
- Get up from your desk and walk around your office space or hallway for a few minutes
- Doodle at your desk when and if you have a few spare moments
- Check out Zentangle.com for meditative type doodling. (I find it very meditative-like.)
- Smile when you answer the phone
- Stand in front of a mirror and smile. Do this five or six times a day.
- Go on a “treasure hunt” in your own home, finding things you’ve forgotten about. Can you use them somewhere
- Watch one funny television show or movie. (Get up every hour and walk around your house for a few minutes.)
- Find some clean jokes on the internet and laugh
- Look outside for a while and imagine a different life for yourself
- As my husband says, “Go fart around with something”.
- Organize craft or hobby projects. (My husband likes to organize his tackle box.)
- Plan a big project for the future, like building a piece of furniture or painting a room.
- Make a list for the above and plan a date to begin
- Stain a bare piece of wood with stain or watered-down paint. What can you do with it now?
- Write your own list of things you can do when you’re “down”.
- Make a list of the things you are truly grateful for.
- Dance
- Meditate
- Pray
- Take a short nap
A caveat.
Some people might look at this list and instead of feeling energized, might well fee overwhelmed instead. These eight-one suggestions are not meant to be accomplished in one day. I mean, look at the list. It could take weeks with some of these items. So it’s not a case of getting them all checked off as soon as you can.
It’s more of a way to get you moving and then seeing where it leads. I know how hard it is to even think when you’re depressed so I tried to do it for you.
If that’s the case with you maybe just read the first ten or so suggestions. Or, close your eyes and point your finger at one and start there.
But maybe the fact that you are feeling overwhelmed is because you have been giving in to your depression way too much so that anything looks overwhelming to you.
Also, if you do a couple of these things today and that’s all you can accomplish, at least you will look back over your day and feel good.
So why ninety-two steps. Well, first of all, I ran out of time and secondly, one hundred sounded too common and too mundane. Fifty wasn’t even close. Ten would be ridiculous. So I just kept thinking of everything I could that would possibly help.
This is a tool-box. You pick the tool or tools that work for you. And when you find some that work well, be sure to take notice and earmark it somehow.
Hey, that might be ninety-eight. Make a list of what activities build you up and what makes you feel worse. But remember, if you don’t try, you’ll never know.
God bless and I hope you have a really good day.
