March 18, 20201

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

Wind chimes are a delightful spring mood booster.

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  

March 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

Wear the mask.

Eliminating some of the fear, worry, dread and helplessness we feel in the age of COVID-19 would be so much simpler if everyone wore a mask.

There’s an app for that!

Parade.com has an article on mental health apps; here is a summary of their list:

30 of the Best Mental Health Apps, Because We All Deserve to Feel a Little Better Right Now

NOTE: Not all of these apps are free. This list does not imply endorsement.

Moodfit
Sanvello
Happify
Rootd
SuperBetter
WorryWatch
Headspace
Calm
DARE: Break Free from Anxiety
Ten Percent Happier
Colorfy
Breathe2Relax
Sleep Time
Noisli
Slumber
Relax and Rest Guided Meditations
Nature Sounds Relax and Sleep
My Life Meditation
ReGain
Smiling Mind
BetterHelp
What’s Up?
MoodKit
LifeSum
Lumosity
MoodMission
Peak
Cognifit
Pzizz
Talkspace

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  

March 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

Sometimes you just have to order pizza – all major food groups and deliciousness with no cooking, no clean up, and no guilt.

Things that Make You Go Hmmmm...

“That's the thing about depression: A human being can survive almost anything, as long as she sees the end in sight. But depression is so insidious, and it compounds daily, that it's impossible to ever see the end.”

– Elizabeth Wurtzel, Prozac Nation

Sometimes it does feel impossible, but you CAN regain hope.

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  

March 15, 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

Those of us with mental illness had a fierce advocate in actor and author Carrie Fisher.

She made it OK to be depressed, bipolar, or otherwise mentally ill.

“We have been given a challenging illness, and there is no other option than to meet those challenges,” Fisher said. “Think of it as an opportunity to be heroic – not ‘I survived living in Mosul during an attack’ heroic, but an emotional survival. An opportunity to be a good example to others who might share our disorder.”

– Carrie Fisher interview for The Guardian

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  

March 14, 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.

You may experience increased stress during this pandemic. Fear and anxiety can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions.

Get immediate help in a crisis.

Call 911.

Disaster Distress Helpline: 1-800-985-5990 (press 2 for Spanish), or text “TalkWithUs” for English or “Hablanos” for Spanish to 66746. Spanish speakers from Puerto Rico can text “Hablanos” to 1-787-339-2663.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:
1-800-273-TALK (8255) for English, 1-888-628-9454 for Spanish

National Domestic Violence Helpline:
1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text LOVEIS to 22522
They also have a chat service online: HERE

National Sexual Assault Hotline:
1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
Crisis chat support is available at HERE

For more resources: CLICK HERE. (Resources are mid-way down the page.)

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  

May 13, 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

“That's the thing about depression: A human being can survive almost anything, as long as she sees the end in sight. But depression is so insidious, and it compounds daily, that it's impossible to ever see the end.”

– Elizabeth Wurtzel, Prozac Nation

Sometimes it does feel impossible, but you CAN regain hope.

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  

March 12, 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

To stave off depression, look outside of yourself and engage in the world.

Help someone else. Give blood. Talk to a senior citizen.

No need to make a big commitment that may feel overwhelming.

Do something – no matter how small it seems to you – that is not about you. Acts of service can fend off 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  

March 11, 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

Create regular eating habits to ease depression.

There can be relief in simply not thinking about what to eat for dinner every day, and not foraging throughout the day, but rather having a simple, regular plan.

There can also be significant physical relief as digestion becomes more regular.

When carbohydrates are regularly decreased, especially simple sugars, and vegetables are increased, there is often a mood stabilizing effect. That is a lot easier to accomplish when you have a plan and have created a habit instead of grabbing things on the fly.

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  

March 10, 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

“Rumination is... a preoccupation with perceived mistakes, losses, slights, actions taken or not taken, opportunities forever lost. The feelings associated with obsessive rumination are guilt, regret, anger and envy...

“Rumination is often accompanied by harsh judgments, criticism, grudges, toward both self and others, and the overwhelming belief that if things had only been different then existing and future misery could have been avoided.”

HERE are some tips to stop rumination:

Think about the worst-case scenario... and ask 'Can I handle that?'
Let go of what you can’t control.
Look at mistakes as learning opportunities.
Schedule a worry break.
Mindfulness.
Go for a walk.
Try therapy.

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