I was PMing a forum member about this and thought it worthy to share with everyone. Many of us here are battling depression. I have managed to beat that aspect of my insanity back pretty well over the last 20 years (other problems, however, still remain - but their day is numbered too).
My shrink got me started on something a few years ago that I think has really been the key to successfully dealing with the depression, and it is so simple it amazes me I had to pay money for the idea.
Every day I do something fun. The doc said it should be fun, and even childish. I plan it the day before, and carry it out the next day. Does not matter if I don't feel like it, or if I have to force myself, I just do it. Today I am going skateboarding with a bunch of 12 year olds when they get off school (no doubt, my next post will be from Hospital!) One kid has promised to teach me how to "grind".
The last week saw me jump from the drawbridge next to the marina, play Pooh Sticks with a dockhand for an hour, race a Hotwheels down a slide, play on the swings at a park (got dizzy and fell off, but that was kind of fun too), fly a kite I made from a deflated mylar balloon that floated up to my boat, and switched the hot sauce for the mild sauce at a local taco joint. Nothing big, nothing outrageous, just some small fun thing.
It has helped immensely. Planning can be even more fun than execution sometimes (as was the case with the mylar kite that barely flew but took an hour to construct). It injects into each day something that us depressed people don't have a habit of thinking about. And somehow, knowing that something fun is coming today makes the day go by a little easier. And planning something fun for tomorrow helps me look forward to getting to tomorrow.
Anyone else do something like this? It has sure helped me.
My shrink got me started on something a few years ago that I think has really been the key to successfully dealing with the depression, and it is so simple it amazes me I had to pay money for the idea.
Every day I do something fun. The doc said it should be fun, and even childish. I plan it the day before, and carry it out the next day. Does not matter if I don't feel like it, or if I have to force myself, I just do it. Today I am going skateboarding with a bunch of 12 year olds when they get off school (no doubt, my next post will be from Hospital!) One kid has promised to teach me how to "grind".
The last week saw me jump from the drawbridge next to the marina, play Pooh Sticks with a dockhand for an hour, race a Hotwheels down a slide, play on the swings at a park (got dizzy and fell off, but that was kind of fun too), fly a kite I made from a deflated mylar balloon that floated up to my boat, and switched the hot sauce for the mild sauce at a local taco joint. Nothing big, nothing outrageous, just some small fun thing.
It has helped immensely. Planning can be even more fun than execution sometimes (as was the case with the mylar kite that barely flew but took an hour to construct). It injects into each day something that us depressed people don't have a habit of thinking about. And somehow, knowing that something fun is coming today makes the day go by a little easier. And planning something fun for tomorrow helps me look forward to getting to tomorrow.
Anyone else do something like this? It has sure helped me.
