"I can't be a pessimist, because I'm alive. To be a pessimist means that you have agreed that human life is an academic matter. So, I'm forced to be an optimist. I'm forced to believe that we can survive whatever we must survive."

- James Baldwin

Don't Forget...

Did you take your pills?

It's so easy to forget medication, especially as depression saps your will to do anything, your ability to care about self-care, and your memory.

Daily alarms on your phone, sorting your pills into daily units and putting the pillboxes on your bathroom counter, post-its on the bathroom mirror, phone apps...

Find a way to stay consistent. It's key to monitoring and maximizing the effectiveness of meds.

Bipolar Disorder

THIS extremely informative slideshow on healthcentral.com answers a lot of questions about bipolar disorder in clear, simple terms:

Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder.
Bipolar disorder always includes mania.
Unipolar depression is not bipolar disorder.
Borderline personality disorder is not bipolar disorder.
Narcissistic personality disorder is not bipolar disorder.
Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder, not a mood disorder.
Dissociative identity disorder is not bipolar disorder.

When you're depressed you may constantly remind yourself of everything negative you do and everything negative that happens around you. It's a lousy habit, but a persistent one.

It seems only fair, then, to acknowledge the positive things that happen, too.

Make a list.

Did you stick to your diet today? Run errands? Clean out your emails? Spend quality time with family? Do the dishes? Refill your prescriptions? Do your online banking? Take much needed time to do nothing?

Then today was a good day!

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.