Saturday, November 14, 2009

It's The Little Things

Sooooo, that time of year has hit again. The sunlight never quite makes it over the tree line and hits our building or the sidewalks. The daylight hours are short and the temperatures are falling. For those of us with depression this time is a struggle and we look toward it with dread. Having gone through this year after year I have learned a lot of ways that really help to get through these dark days.
I really is a lot of little things that anyone can do if they are having a down day. When I was a teen my mother told me that if I was feeling bad I should put on a bit of make up and dress up nice and that it might make me feel better...at that age I hated admitting my mother was EVER right...but she was! It was just a little thing, but it worked. That was the first "little thing" I learned and still practice to this day.
One of my favorite little things is to turn on one of my awesome concert DVD's and Dance Like No One Is Watching! Of course, along with that (or separately) you can also Sing As If No One Is Listening! If you're one of those people who likes to be productive and thinks this might be a waste of time, you must look at the BIGGER picture. Both of these things go very well with vacuuming and dusting so not only will you feel great because that's what dancin' and singin' do for you, but when you turn around and see how clean your home is...it's like WOW! It hardly seems like a little thing then.
Light some nicely fragrant candles and take a bubble bath with the overhead lights out. Just relax and enjoy the warmth and the fragrance with maybe some soft music but not too much, the key is to NOT overstimulate your senses. Little things.
Weather permitting, take a nice walk outdoors. Exercise, fresh air and sunshine are all keys to good mental health. Most areas have malls that open early for walkers so you can at least get the exercise.
Sort through old photos and jot down the POSITIVE memories each one brings. Get really creative and make your memories into scrapbooks. Just a little thing.
Watch a funny movie or TV show and laugh out loud! I, personally, have the Ellen show programed into my TV so I know that I won't miss my daily dose of laughter. It's a great little thing.
Send an uplifting message to someone. If you're feeling bad, chances are someone else is too. In order to write an uplifting note you have to think positively so already your mood will improve and you'll have the added benefit of boosting someone else's mood as well. Little things can mean so much.
Make an "I Am Thankful" list and see how full you make it. Try to make the #of entries = your age as a challenge. Remember the little things.
If you have children and/or pets take the time to play with them. You're never too old to play and it's just a little thing that means a lot.
One of my most favorite little things is the good ol' fashioned "Good Deed". The real trick to doing this one right is that you can never tell anyone you did it! Yes, you heard me right, you get no credit, just the feeling inside your heart that tells you "Good job". It doesn't have to be anything big, maybe someone is short a few cents in the checkout line ahead of you and you cover it, or you let the car into your lane ahead of you during rush hour. Maybe you pick up something that you noticed another has dropped and you return it to them, or maybe a little bigger, you make a little extra for dinner and share with someone you know is in need. You get the gist of it, it's little things....that are good.

These are just a few things off the top of my head but I hope they help someone have a brighter winter.

1 comment:

RFields said...

Hi Auntie Jannie!! I know exactly what you mean...I've been having quite the time coming up with my own little list of what to do when seasonal depression sets in. I hope you're doing ok and dancing the day away! Miss you! <3 Rach