February 5, 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

Getting enough sleep is crucial for beating depression. It's a great goal to work toward.

Try breathing exercises to relax and to get to sleep. The simplest one is to breathe in for 4 counts, hold for 7 counts, breathe out for 8 counts.

HERE are 8 more fantastic techniques!

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 

February 4, 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 website called Depression Hurts. One of its sections is quite insightful about barriers to recovery – and how to overcome them.

“Recovery is a difficult journey for everyone but, for some, there are obstacles that can slow or even block progress. While it is easy to say, 'Make changes in your life,' some changes can be difficult to confront.”

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 

February 3, 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

THIS is a stunning article: I Was Depressed Before All of This. Now What?

“Even in my 6,000-person town, sadness about the pandemic is everywhere. It’s been hard to cope...”

“Since the coronavirus arrived, I’ve found it harder than ever to get out of bed in the morning – to feel that this life is worth getting up for. My anxiety has multiplied as the virus has become personal. Three family members have reported symptoms of COVID-19; my sister, a doctor, is exposing herself day after day; my grandmothers, both in assisted living, keep asking me with a wavering voice over the phone if and when we might be able to visit again.”

– Elizabeth Flock in The Atlantic

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 

February 2, 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

Quarantine Depression, or How to break up time when every day feels like Groundhog Day:

“A few weeks into my family’s quarantine, it started to hit me just how much every day felt like a carbon copy of the one before: wake up, make coffee, juggle the demands of my work and kids, remember to eat, go to bed, repeat. Remember that movie Groundhog Day? I can’t seem to shake the feeling that I’m living my own version of Bill Murray’s ordeal. The only difference is that instead of being stuck on a time loop in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, I’m stuck inside the four walls of my suburban home...”

Some advice:

Create a routine.
Manufacture spontaneity.
Find something to master.
Embrace the opportunity to 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 

February 1, 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

Sniffing citrus – whether in the form of an actual lemon or a jar of Satsuma body polish – is a major stress reducer, according to science.

When participants in a recent study, LINKED HERE, spent as little as ten minutes inhaling yuzu (the super-tart, Japanese citrus fruit), they saw a significant decrease in their overall mood disturbance, a global measure that looks at tension, anxiety, depression, confusion, fatigue and anger. Whoa.

So, eat a grapefruit, light a citrus candle or spend a few minutes mixing up a batch of real lemonade. Just be sure to inhale…annnnnd…exhale while you do it.

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 

January 31, 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. 

An old, no longer available, article in Psych Central online listed “10 Excuses for Avoiding Psychotherapy.” The first was a doozy: “If I go into therapy it means I'm a loser and I'm weak and can't stand on my own feet. It's better to work on myself without a crutch so that I keep strong.”

There is actually not a smidgen of truth to that.

Just like you would if your car needed fixed, or your heart needed surgery, or you needed legal assistance, get professional help. You deserve to feel better.

HERE is an article from WebMD: What's Stopping You From Seeing a Doctor About 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 

January 30, 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 element of coping with depression is getting the proper nutrition, and one way to eat well is to cut out the crap you know is not good for you.

Potato chips are a common culprit. You can eat a snack-size bag (or two) every day, telling yourself that if they're “sun chips” or baked or low-salt they're okay.

Fine, anything is okay once in a while, but every single day? Nope.

If you are what you eat, don't be junk. Don't be fried. Don't have unpronounceable ingredients.

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 

January 29, 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

Depression may come and go in waves. One minute you're feeling hopeful and positive, like you've made progress and today (or the rest of today) is going to be good. The next minute you're feeling defeated and like you will never rise above the tar-like ooze of depression.

That's the insidious, tenacious, sneaky nature of depression.

You have to stay on your toes if you want to get ahead of it!

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 

January 28, 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

From Daily Calm on the website calm.com, this easy 10-minute Mindfulness Meditation – Be Present, HERE, is a great way to try meditation if you aren't sure what it's about.

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