April 24, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

HERE is a great article with 26 ideas to shift your life, many of which are appropriate for fighting depression. And winning!

A few: unplug for an entire week (seriously?!?), declutter, make a budget and stick to it, invite new people into your life, tell your story, learn to walk away.

CWD Daily is written by Julie Aiken, a layperson whose only authority lies in 40 years of coping with depression. Nothing in the newsletter should be taken as medical advice. Please do no self-diagnose or self-prescribe. Above all, please get help if you need it. 

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com  

April 23, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

Just for today, try to focus on things outside of yourself. Focus on the task at hand or on a loved one's needs.

Get out of your head and out of your own way. Shift your focus.

CWD Daily is written by Julie Aiken, a layperson whose only authority lies in 40 years of coping with depression. Nothing in the newsletter should be taken as medical advice. Please do no self-diagnose or self-prescribe. Above all, please get help if you need it. 

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com  

April 22, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

When you feel that nothing you can do is enough and that YOU are not enough, remember that the amazing Karen Carpenter believed she was not enough, too.

She believed she was fat, and ugly, and a failure. She doubted herself so much that she literally starved herself to death. This amazingly talented woman allowed self-doubt to be her mantra.

Karen Carpenter had so much beauty and talent and grace – and so do you. Believe there is value to your life and that you are irreplaceable. Take care of yourself! Get help if you need it.

Eating disorders are real and dangerous. THIS summary from the Mayo Clinic is informative.

CWD Daily is written by Julie Aiken, a layperson whose only authority lies in 40 years of coping with depression. Nothing in the newsletter should be taken as medical advice. Please do no self-diagnose or self-prescribe. Above all, please get help if you need it. 

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com  

April 21, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

One of the many depression-fighting benefits of getting outside is getting fresh air. Oxygen is not only vital to human life, it's also crucial to overall health. Including mental health.

Learn to breathe deeply so that you maximize your oxygen intake.

And get outside, into fresh, un-circulated air (which is also safer to prevent transmitting COVID-19).

Take a deep breath. And another.

CWD Daily is written by Julie Aiken, a layperson whose only authority lies in 40 years of coping with depression. Nothing in the newsletter should be taken as medical advice. Please do no self-diagnose or self-prescribe. Above all, please get help if you need it. 

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com  

April 20, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

“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.

CWD Daily is written by Julie Aiken, a layperson whose only authority lies in 40 years of coping with depression. Nothing in the newsletter should be taken as medical advice. Please do no self-diagnose or self-prescribe. Above all, please get help if you need it. 

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com  

April 19, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

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.

CWD Daily is written by Julie Aiken, a layperson whose only authority lies in 40 years of coping with depression. Nothing in the newsletter should be taken as medical advice. Please do no self-diagnose or self-prescribe. Above all, please get help if you need it. 

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com  

April 18, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

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.

CWD Daily is written by Julie Aiken, a layperson whose only authority lies in 40 years of coping with depression. Nothing in the newsletter should be taken as medical advice. Please do no self-diagnose or self-prescribe. Above all, please get help if you need it. 

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com  

April 17, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

“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!

CWD Daily is written by Julie Aiken, a layperson whose only authority lies in 40 years of coping with depression. Nothing in the newsletter should be taken as medical advice. Please do no self-diagnose or self-prescribe. Above all, please get help if you need it. 

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com  

April 16, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

Thank you to the Huffington Post online 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.

CWD Daily is written by Julie Aiken, a layperson whose only authority lies in 40 years of coping with depression. Nothing in the newsletter should be taken as medical advice. Please do no self-diagnose or self-prescribe. Above all, please get help if you need it. 

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com