“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.”

You've seen and heard it a million times, usually in reference to Alcoholics Anonymous.

Whatever your religion or philosophy, think about whether you can adopt this as a liberating motto.

Don't beat yourself up over “failings” that are part of your innate character. They aren't failings. They're you in all your glory! Love yourself the way you are. Learn life hacks to circumvent issues that your quirks and personality traits may cause. And move on, accepting the things you can't change.

And when it comes to the world around you, there is a LOT you can not change. But there are some things you may be able to. Rather than beat yourself up or beat your head against the wall, take some time to really consider what you have power over. You may find it's a lot -- whether in your immediate domain or in the world at large. Take some time in quiet contemplation to discern what you CAN change, what you CAN do. And do it.

Decisive action is a powerful depression treatment. Courage!

Do something fun! Something you don't usually do. Shake it up!

Take a walk in the woods.

Go to a shelter or pet store and visit the animals.

Sing karaoke.

Play.

Or work if that's fun – work on a project you put aside, such as a business plan or a quilt or woodworking project.

Go to a ball game with a friend.

It doesn't much matter what you do. Just break your usual patterns that are contributing to your depression.

“Sea glass is beautiful. Everyone loves sea glass, and everyone wants to find sea glass, but no one wants to become sea glass. It is worn and shaped by the forces around it. It is beautiful because of what it has endured. The original colors change, but become something even more beautiful. But sea glass is never bright and shiny. It is not perfect glass. In fact, it is broken glass – the furthest thing from perfect.”

– Become Sea Glass: Brave the Waves This Year!

Get help: Medication

“Please Note: Although antidepressants can be effective for many people, they may present serious risks to some, especially children, teens, and young adults. Antidepressants may cause some people, especially those who become agitated when they first start taking the medication and before it begins to work, to have suicidal thoughts or make suicide attempts. Anyone taking antidepressants should be monitored closely, especially when they first start taking them. For most people, though, the risks of untreated depression far outweigh those of antidepressant medications when they are used under a doctor’s careful supervision.”

The National Institute of Mental Health provides clear information on recognizing and treating depression.

Thank you to HuffPo for this great column, and to Liv Raimonde for her inspiring piece, Open Letter to My Depression: 4 Ways I Defeat You Every Day!

“Dear Depression,

“I must say you have put up quite a fight. You insidiously infiltrated my life years ago completely unbeknownst to me. For years I blamed myself for the rage, despair and deep emptiness that consumed my life. But it was you all along, hiding cowardly in the shadows, vehemently inflicting pain on my existence. You tore my confidence to shreds, destroyed relationships that I held dear and stripped away my appreciation for life...”

Read the entire letter HERE.

“Despite increased awareness of what bipolar disorder is and how it affects people's lives, often thanks to movies and shows like Silver Linings Playbook, Homeland, and Michael Clayton, there are still strong stereotypes that influence how we define and recognize the condition in ourselves and in loved ones.”

10 Signs of Bipolar Disorder

Decreased need for sleep
Racing thoughts and accelerated speech
Restlessness and agitation
Overconfidence
Impulsive and risky behavior
Hopelessness
Withdrawal from family and friends and lack of interest in activities
Change in appetite and sleep
Problems with memory, concentration and decision making
Preoccupation with death and thoughts of suicide

Yippee! It's Tax Day! (Said no one, ever.)

“There’s no need to go it alone as you deal with tax-based stress. While chatting with a trusted friend or family member may help, there’s no substitution for a series of sessions with a licensed therapist. You’ll gain valuable skills for dealing with symptoms and just might uncover factors exacerbating your tax situation and further harming your mental health.

“Help can come in many forms. While a therapist may be critical for dealing with feelings of hopelessness, you’ll also want to tackle the problem head-on. Working with an attorney may help you feel more in control of your tax situation – and therefore less vulnerable to the symptoms of anxiety or depression.”

And if you fall behind on your taxes, the stress grows. Here are some tips for dealing with tax issues before they completely stress you out.

– Highland Tax Group

Irritability and Depression

If you seem to be annoyed and irritable a lot of the time, know that there is a connection between depression and irritability.

A 2013 article in the JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) Psychiatry online begins:

“Although symptoms of irritability or anger are not central to the diagnosis of unipolar major depressive episodes (MDEs), these symptoms have been found, in cross-sectional studies, to be highly prevalent and associated with increased comorbidity and depressive illness burden.”

An article in a different online newsletter is entitled Irritable Depression: When Sadness Feels Like Anger.

With mental illness and several suicides in her family, including her famous grandfather and sister, Mariel Hemingway had some tough choices to make. She successfully chose to actively work at keeping depression at bay.

Check THIS insightful interview with the actress and author.

Get Help

Self-medicating:

Alcohol
Tobacco
Sex
Food
Sugar
Chocolate
Sleeping
Exercise
Cannabis
Drugs: Cocaine, Amphetamines, Opiates such as Codeine, Heroin, and Methadone

Any of these certainly may make you feel better, but in some circumstances they each may also be more harmful than helpful. Most can be addictive and all can create real physical, emotional and social problems, especially if overindulged. Well, except perhaps chocolate.

If you feel you have a problem, please seek help.

Some studies show a correlation between low salt intake and depression. However, the vast majority of people with Western diets get far more salt than they need, and research is inconclusive.

If you suffer from depression and are restricting your salt intake to below 6 grams per day for adults or 2 grams per day for children, ask your doctor to look into any possible connection between the two.

HERE is a nice, short, Buzzfeed video on the Things Nobody Told Me About Depression. 

With British accents, so that's a plus!

The Times We Live in Are Depressing...And May Be for Quite Some Time

There are circumstances in the world today that are extremely depressing, seeming to be beyond our control yet greatly impacting our lives, creating a feeling of helplessness, and offering few clear paths to navigate all of the very real dangers.

I’m writing as an American, and in a few short months the country I love has been set back decades if not more. We have been transformed and disfigured. We are scared and confused.

We may never get our place back in the world, and I can’t help you with that.

But perhaps I can help you cope emotionally and mentally. Because no matter what it stems from, depression combines what is happening in the world with how your brain interprets it. And you have a choice as to how you think and how you act.

For me, I’m focusing on what I can control. What can you control?

Focus on your health. Eat as well as you can, move as often as you can, keep doctor’s appointments at all humanly possible. Meditate. Make art — draw, color, knit, sew.

Faithfully follow your medication schedule and make your doctors appointments.

If health care costs are soaring and services are being cut, reach out to your family doctor, your church, your family, your hospital liaison or patient advocate, your bank, any public health services — ask everyone you know for ideas and for help covering costs or finding affordable care.

Love with all your heart.

Be kind.

Stay in touch with those you love. The more often the better for you and them. And for all of us.

Build community. Love rather than withdraw.

Protect the most vulnerable.

Continue to give to the causes you believe in, continue your volunteer work and community involvement.

Give money or your time to organizations in your community that help.

Reach out to immigrants, queer people, and any in your community that are not “mainstream”. Which at this point is all of us. Even white males who are poor or in the education field or… There are people in your town or neighborhood or school who need direction and protection and solidarity.

Participate in working to save democracy in any way that you are physically, mentally and emotionally able to.

Demonstrate and protest. There were just huge nationwide demonstrations to reclaim the power of the people. There will be more.

Write letters and make phone calls.

Have hard, but civil and caring, conversations.

Lead by example. Model love, hope, determination and action.

My point here is that you are powerful! Nurture your power with healthy choices and community and love. Depression can not stand up to concerted active empowerment. And neither can any evil.

And be careful out there!

There is research showing a vegetarian diet causes or increases depression. There are also studies showing a vegetarian diet prevents or decreases depression. Respected scientists disagree.

However, Omega 3 Fatty Acids are fairly universally agreed by research scientists and doctors to be necessary for many bodily functions, including for staving off depression. Nutritional supplements are useful for vegetarians.

For pescatarians (people who eat a mostly plant-based diet but do include some seafood), studies suggest that just one serving per week of salmon can mitigate depression. You can manage that.

Nutritionally, wild and farmed salmon are comparable, though counter-intuitively some research shows that ocean salmon is better than farmed salmon regarding contaminants, pollutants and known carcinogens.

Lox, fresh salmon fillets, frozen salmon and even processed fish like Gorton's – wild or farmed – all are elements of an anti-depression diet.

“There is a syndrome where perfectionism masks a silent depression. You won’t allow your pain or sadness to be expressed. You are petrified of anyone being able to see an inkling of self-doubt or sorrow, fatigue or vulnerability. So you’re seen by others as a “mover and a shaker” – you know how to get things done, and done well. Your life looks great – absolutely no whining coming from you. You count your blessings, every day.

“There’s not a self-pitying bone in your body.”

HERE is a video with Dr. Margaret Rutherford on how some people who seem to have perfect lives are hiding depression.

Aromatherapy candles are great. But how about starting your day with cinnamon toast, lemon tea, and mango shampoo?

Get creative with how you incorporate scent into your life, and choose uplifting aromas to surround yourself at every turn.

Scents that traditionally are uplifting include: citrus (lemon, orange, mango), mint, florals like lilac and jasmine, lavender, rosemary and other herbs.

Or choose scents that lift you up based on your associations and memories such as sugar cookies, rose water, popcorn, your mother's perfume or your father's pipe tobacco.