A Blast from the Not-So-Distant Past

Remember COVID? Even as life goes on, many people are still suffering from Long COVID -- which can be hell -- or experiencing it all over again. I hope if you are getting it again your vaccines and/or prior bout(s) are making this time less disruptive and awful.

When we were in the thick of it, the whole world changed... and we demonstrated one amazing aspect of being human. Resilience!

Here's my post from February 16, 2021. It seems a lifetime ago...

"Quarantine to protect you and your loved ones from COVID-19 is a fact of life for many of us. For those with underlying medical conditions it could be a factor for a long time even as most of society opens up.

"If you're quarantined with family, ease the isolation by having meals together at least once or twice a week. If you're kept away from family, use social media and on-line chat sites like Zoom to connect, or game sites like pogo.com to enter game rooms with friends.

"Take walks and talk to people you meet from a safe distance of 6 feet or more. Many events and celebrations involve drive-through get-togethers or gatherings in parks – at that safe distance.

"Humans are social animals, and finding a way to stay social can prevent or ease depression."

Sometimes your day is extraordinarily stressful for no apparent reason. Sometimes you just want to cry.

Even having dinner with friends can be hard.

If you have a dinner out during a particularly stressful time, try to eat healthy and not have a sugary dessert. Wait – Yoda would say there is no try. So definitely have a healthy dinner and skip dessert!

(Or have dessert – just don't feel guilty!)

Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Deep breaths.

Get Help!

So, why are you avoiding psychotherapy? I know I have often done so.

HERE are "5 Reasons People Avoid Mental Health Treatment" from Jamie Wiebe on the website talkspace.com.

Facing Scary Feelings Is (You Guessed It) Scary

Therapy Can Take a Long Time…Will It Even Work?

The Shame Can Be Consuming

“My Friend Had a Bad Experience, So I Will, Too”

“I’m Not Crazy…Right?"

One Day at a Time

Take a page from the AA Big Book and focus on what you can do today.

It's so easy to fall short on long term goals, and probably fine to do so, as our needs and desires change.

Don't set yourself up for failure – set yourself up for success! What will you do today? Be realistic.

“Today I will get out of bed and have one healthy meal” may be what you know you can do. That's fine. Focus on short-term goals.

Just for today.

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.

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

Depression Lies

THIS is one of the best articles you'll read on depression.

7 Big, Stupid, Destructive Lies Depression Tells You. It begins with “Depression is a beast. It's an illness so insidious that sometimes you don't realize the scope of its life-threatening power until you're drowning under its waves.”

You will recognize some of these lies. Such as “You're not trying hard enough.” You may tell yourself these lies all the time, and not even realize it's the depression talking!

What others think about you does not have to be your reality.

Try to remember that the faith or lack thereof that people place in you is a reflection of their experience, beliefs and thoughts, not a reflection of reality.

Take a break...

Nature calms anxiety.

HERE is a live webcam of a nesting hummingbird. Take a break and watch for a while!

Scroll down the webcam page for links to other webcams – Hawaii, Alaska and more.

Even in the depths of depression, sometimes you have a great day. A content few hours. A joyful moment.

Sieze them! Clap along.