CWD Daily

August 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

Meditation may help ease depression.

Quieting the mind and being “mindful” – being present and being aware of your body and how you feel in the environment – would logically seem to be useful on so many levels.

And just disrupting the pattern of negative thoughts might help, as well.

Give it a try. How to Meditate: Simple Meditation for Beginners.

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

August 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

Get help.

Current and former military service members may face different mental health issues than the general public.

Check HERE for a comprehensive list of resources for service members and veterans, with full contact information.

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com

August 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

“There’s too much poverty and not enough self-love. If you don’t love yourself, you’re in a world of trouble.”

– Dr. Cornel West

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com

August 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

“When I called myself an idiot, I put a drop of poison into myself. It's the little things, adding up. It sounds silly, I know. That one word, thought up like a sharp banter between trusting friends, might not mean anything – might not seem so bad. I am not my trusting friend. When my brain is in a certain way, I can't trust that what it tells me is a joke. It might be an accusation, a realization, a warning, because depression lies. Because depression lies, my ability to trust, my own self-esteem, isn't like a rock in a storm-tossed sea, it's like a beach, withering and widening with the season.”

– actor/author Wil Wheaton

A lot of people who are admirable and highly successful struggle with depression. That can help, a bit, sometimes. It may not make you feel better immediately, but it keeps things in perspective and in the long run may make you feel less like a freak.

Read the entire post (quoted partially above) HERE.

Check out Wil's blog HERE.

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com

August 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

Inch by inch...

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com

August 12

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

WHO's tips on looking after your mental health during COVID-19:

Keep informed.
Have a routine.
Minimize newsfeeds.
Social contact is important.
Alcohol and drug use.
Screen time.
Video games.
Social media.
Help others.
Support healthcare workers.

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com

August 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

HERE is a wonderful essay on the apparent link between writers and depression, with insights for anyone who is depressed.

A couple of excerpts:

“Writers suffer from depression for all the usual reasons (innate biochemical susceptibility, early life experiences, etc.) but they also live lives full of contributing factors. Isolation, introspection, lack of physical exercise, irregular hours, less than perfect diet, and lack of exposure to sunlight – all may cause a depression, or worsen one. So also do financial and professional uncertainty – the lack of control of events which writers experience in every aspect of their work. To these, some writers add alcohol or drug addiction (yup, these do contribute to depression)…”

“When you're depressed, everything seems futile – you are sure the book will be lousy even if you do write it. When you're depressed, you have less courage, less resilience, less ability to handle ordinary stressors.”

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com

August 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

Haunting, rich and calming, Native American flute and drum music and chants are wonderful relaxation music.

Choose a piece and close your eyes, focus on breathing deeply. Feel yourself one with nature, the earth, the air, the fire, the water.

Your favorite radio app or YouTube will have a wide selection. Here are two:

Native American Sleep Music: canyon flute & nocturnal canyon sounds.

Rain and Native American Flutes (with thunder).

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com

August 9, 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.

The television show LOST had a metaphor for practically every human condition, including the need to get help. The characters in LOST pretty much deny their issues and insist they're just fine, no – better than fine, they are really doing well alone, thank you very much. But of course they are totally messed up, one and all.

And only by opening up and letting people in and letting people help them do they survive and ultimately thrive, in ways they never expected. (If by survive you mean mostly die, but that's another discussion about physical death vs. spiritual death and we're not going there.)

Not to beat a dead metaphor, but you don't have to go it alone. Get help when you need it. And when you're miserable a lot of the time you probably need it.

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com