How To Stop A Monday Mourning

What to do when you're depressed...

1 - Have a long shower.
Honestly, a nice, how shower can help so much. So, turn the shower on and, stay in there for a while. Sit and cry if you feel as though you need to...heck, do it if you don't feel like you need to. Just, let out all of those pent up emotions. However. Make sure you're done with crying when you turn off that water and, don't turn it off until your crying is done. Once the water is off and the shower over, you stop feeling sorry for yourself and move on. Those emotions were washed away with the water.

2 - Clean.
Blitz the place if you need to! If it's clean? Do some washing. Washing is done? Take something random out and organise that shit. If you have a box of photos and a book that you meant to put them in, do it. If you have a big box of pens and pencils with knowledge that some of them just don't cut it anymore? Get out an old pad and sort out what stays and what goes. Reorganise your wardrobe or drawers. Change your room around or something.

3 - Call or visit someone.
Have a laugh with them! Most people will be okay with you deciding to pop by for a visit, okay? Even a five minute visit is better than nothing. If it's late at night, check who's still on Facebook or, whatever social media app you use. Message them and ask if they want to be on a call for a while. Make sure you are speaking, not typing. I've found that, if I can't contact anyone, simply recording yourself letting out all of your emotions is just as good. Most phones have some sort of voice recorder on them, so, use it. Even if you don't save what you said, it's better than nothing.

4 - Run or, go for a walk.
A spontaneous walk to the nearest park can be helpful. I tend to walk to a park that's just under a mile away and go on the swings for a bit. Or, sit and people watch. If there's a forest route that you know is safe, take that route. Again, if it's late, there is an alternative. If it's late at night and, like me, you live in a not-so-safe area, simply sitting just outside your front gate and looking at the sky is just as good. I, personally, love the stars. So, this helps me when I can't sleep. 

5 - Stop, appreciate your surroundings.
This links in nicely with number 4. If you do decide to go our for a walk or run, stop after a while and take a look around. What do you see? Take it all in. No thoughts need to be had. If you are in a park, choose a patch of grass to sit on so you can look around. Or, like me, try and see how far you can see if you swing high up on the swings. Pay attention to who and what is there.

6 - Don't complain.
Instead of sitting around and thinking about why you're depressed, make a list of things you're grateful for or, things that make you happy. It can be super, super easy to get back in bed and feel terrible, believe me, I know. But, try and scribble something down that you appreciate or love. It doesn't work for everyone, but, it can remind you that not everything is terrible.

7 - Drink tea!
A warm cup of tea can heal most wounds, to be honest. If you're feeling alone, depressed and, cold...a cup of tea is the way to go. If you don't like tea, coffee is just as good. Just, a warm drink. My favourite is hot chocolate when I'm not feeling so "me".

8 - Let go of grudges.
Someone has probably wronged you in the past, we're human, it happens. You may still hate them for it. I know of a few people whose names still make me really, really annoyed. The list has gone down a lot, though. So, think of the person. Think of what they did. And...let it go. Take in a deep breath, hold it and, exhale. Let the grudge you hold against that person escape with that breath. Next time you see them, smile. Chat. What they did was wrong, yes, but, it's also in the past. If you feel as though someone is holding a grudge against you for some reason, message them and apologise. Most people will appreciate it,

9 - Cook a meal.
I mean a meal. Not some instant ramen or cup soup. Make an actual meal for yourself. Try not to use instant anything. If you have potatoes, make some mash from scratch. Its as simple as peeling and cutting them, boiling them in water until they're soft, draining out the water, adding butter and milk and, squishing the hell out of them. Holy mashed potatoes. (I also tend to add a little cheese, because I love cheesy mash) Throw some chicken in the oven. Have it with gravy. Even a "smaller" meal like that - I don't tend to eat much, so, that's generally enough - is still something to be proud of. You made that.

10 - Write down some goals.
Just some things you want to do the next day or something, nothing too big. Then again, it is totally up to you. Your goals could be as simple as making your bed after you wake up. They could be just getting some shopping done. Waking up at a certain time. Small things. They could also be bigger tasks. Redecorate a room. Drive to the next town/ city and visit a relative that you haven't seen in a while. They're your goals. Just, tick the off as you do them, give yourself a sense of accomplishment. To be totally honest, this is part of the reason I have my habit tracker.

You don't have to do all of these things, doing one or two of them might be enough. I tend to cook and, go outside. The habit tracker is part of my life and, I'm always drinking tea. I'm a pretty clean person, too. So, I guess some of these have just become a part of my life because I used to do them so often to make myself feel better.
In all honestly, these do help. Especially just calling someone up to chat. You don't have to tell them what's wrong and, if you bring up a memory, it can start a great conversation.

Remember, I'm also here for you guys. You can't exactly call me, but, I tend to express myself better with typing/ writing, anyway. I get too jumbled and confused when I actually talk. So, in this case, messaging instead of calling would be okay.