Six Days Better

I counted up the days this morning. I've gone six days (knocking on wood) without my mood going all to Hell. Yay!

How do I know this? I carry with me a handy Moodometer™ where I keep a score on how I'm feeling three times a day. It's not hard to keep a Moodometer, it costs pennies a year, and it keeps you mindful of how you're feeling so you notice and take action when things are bad, bad, bad.

What kind of action can you take when you're chin deep in that big, black river? Sometimes, not a lot and often not enough. The thing to do is something that will lift the mood. As you go through this--even if you've never been truly depressed before--you'll find that some things help lift the mood. As I said before, nothing works all of the time, but here's a list of things that I know have helped push away the heebie jeebies:

• Exercise. 20 minutes or so of getting your heart rate up will often help, especially if you're feeling anxious.
• Talk it out. Talk to a therapist (if you can), a friend (if you feel comfortable) or even to yourself when alone in the car.
• Write it out. This works, I think, in the same way talking it out does. I've noticed that I can't just think my way out of problems. The thoughts just bounce around inside my skull mostly without any resolution. I can often see things better once I get them out of my body. This is a way to do that.
• Help someone else. Volunteer for something. It's like a straight shot of self-esteem when you can do something for another or a greater cause. It helps to shrink your problems.
• Avoid impossible questions. An impossible question is one with no answer in this plane of existence. "Why did this happen to me?" is a primary example of an impossible question.
• Eat and sleep better. Depression, as well as every other element of your consciousness, has a chemical basis. By improving how you're treating your body, you'll more likely improve how you're feeling.
• Get sober. Alcohol is like ice in that it's numbing, but it can also make physical momentum of events around you hazardous.