Recognizing depression when its effects.  You may not be in the right head space for this, but you’ll experience something like the following:

• Time slows down, the days a long.
• You are inactive and don’t want to do much.
• You lose your self care and compromise your own health
• Everything is a burden and not worth doing.
• You become withdrawn and isolate yourself
• You are inactive, sit around, and can’t get things started.

Breaking out of the shell of darkness is the most important thing to do.  Talk to someone or engage with people to break out of the isolation of your depression.

How to lift your spirits and climb out of the darkness

One of the easiest actions is to be creative just on a small level.  Contribute to your daily routines or to someone else’s efforts until it yields an outcome.  It can be as easy as making your bed or your kids beds or wash the car.  Something that gets you ahead of an action, chore, product.  Here are some other things you can do:

• Tidy a room or rooms
• Start food preparations for an upcoming meal
• Plan your future week in a calendar
• Re-arrange your storage unit(s)
• Top up your cars’ fuel tank or your partner’s fuel
• Climb a walking track to a view (more on exercise in just a moment)

Whatever your activity may be, it must be productive to give you a sense of achievement no matter how small it is.  Even better if it is for someone else close to you or even your business or work colleague.

Exercise

Considered one of the best anti-depressants.  Dedicate time to express yourself through exercise that requires effort, heart rate and makes you work.  It’s the after effect of exercise that brings a good feeling of achievement but also a feeling of expended energy the right way.  Certain endorphins are released that make you feel good.  Even better if you do this exercise with a group of people.  From playing Tennis or a bootcamp or boxing class.  This should give you a clearer mind to help you recognize your depression and look at other aspects of life to overcome your feelings.  Do this exercise on a daily basis to climb out of the darkness of sunken feelings.

• Coach Stephen