Strengthen your relationships with the people you love. Sometimes you may feel like darkness surrounds you, and they can be a beacon to follow back to the world.

So, make a list of those you want to stay in touch with and every week call or email the next person on the list.

The people you depend on or who depend on you should be contacted most frequently, but the more people you stay in touch with the lighter your life will feel.

And you may be the guiding light in someone else's life – helping them more than you will ever know.

Hmmm... Sounds Kind of Like the Reality of the Moment

10 Signs It's Time to Get Help for Depression

Hopelessness

An inability to concentrate

Unexplained aches and pains

Apathy concerning things you used to like to do

Alcohol or drug abuse

Changes in sleep habits

Changes in appetite and eating

Irritability, agitation, and moodiness

Feelings of worthlessness and guilt

Thoughts of death, suicide, or self-harm

        - healthcentral.com

Just sayin'...

Hey, you gotta' have faith.

Vincent Van Gogh

“Vincent Van Gogh, famous painter and artist, was labeled peculiar with unstable moods most of his short life. Many people have tried to give a definitive diagnosis of his illness through reading his personal letters. It seems clear that his depressive states were also accompanied by manic episodes of enormous energy and great passion. Van Gogh committed suicide at age 37.” (Famous People and Depression)

Considered one of the greatest artists to ever live, Van Gogh's short life has inspired many artists over the years, including the producers of the BBC television series Doctor Who, who created an incredible episode called Vincent and the Doctor.

The joy and melancholy that must have been Vincent is achingly apparent in THIS scene. And the poignancy of knowing that he killed himself no matter how many people loved his work, is stunning. It's an illness, folks.

"The opposite of depression is not happiness, but vitality." - Andrew Solomon

I LOVE the writer Andrew Solomon. To be fair, you will find I say that about a lot of people. Ren, for instance. I LOVE Ren. And Maggie Smith.

Solomon is a brilliant, witty, insightful, and freaking prolific author, and one of his books that I adore is The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression.

Perhaps my favorite quote of his, though many are in the running, is from a phenomenal TED Talk, linked below: “The opposite of depression is not happiness, but vitality.”

Depression,The Secret We Share

Live to Fight Another Day

Depression is an illness that is deeply effected by your environment. And these days the world can be extremely depressing. AND, realistically, we know that even harder times may be coming.

The only way we are going to get through is with inner fortitude. And love. And faith -- religious faith or faith in ourselves and those we love.

Here are 5 quick tips:

Get enough sleep. Sleeplessness is a fairly normal reaction to depression, which is ironic because sleeping too much is, as well. How do you get enough sleep then? TIP: Sound. Listen to environmental sounds such as ocean waves, gentle rainfall or thunderstorms. Listen to classical music, or instrumental music in general. Listen to "binaural beats" - music theoretically designed to put you in a different brain state for deep relaxation or sleep.

Make a concerted effort to make eye contact and smile and nod to people you pass wherever you go. It's a simple, quick thing to do and it really can make you AND the person you connect with feel great, if only for a moment. Those moments add up.

Set a time limit on your news consumption. We must stay engaged to create the world we crave. But we also need to keep a clear head, not influenced by outside voices. So allow yourself to watch or listen to news for just an hour or two each day. 

Socialize. Have regular breakfast or lunch dates with friends. Hang out in the park or on your front stoop. Go to the library. Attend an event, such as a lecture or concert, parade or local sporting event. As tempting as it is to isolate in times of stress, it's not great for your mental health. Being around human energy is actually good for human beings. Who knew?

Always be kind. One way to exorcise the demons of sadness and anger is to be kind. Avoid snapping at people out of frustration, and -- as difficult as it is -- arguing angrily with people you don't agree with. The stakes are high, but it's most important that you get through this emotionally and mentally intact. It's the only way we persevere, make the crucial changes we must make in our direct environment, AND manage to live in the world we currently have. 

I love you. Hang in there! 

Fruit is a pretty big deal!

According to a July 22, 2024 article in the online site Science Daily -- Your source for the latest research news -- fruit is a key tool for warding off depression later in life. 

Now, I'm already kind of "later in life," and my fruit consumption has been inconsistent, to say the least. But today I had a banana and a peach, and most weekdays I start with a fruit smoothie that's about 3 servings, so I feel pretty good about today. The past? Not so much. But, hey, I'm only 63 and plan to live to 100 so let's call this the beginning of "later in life," shall we?

And the study, linked below, states "These findings suggest that promoting fruit consumption for individuals in mid adulthood, typically defined as ages 40 to 65 years, could yield long-term benefits for their mental well-being at late adulthood beyond 65 years." So maybe I'm right on time!

Frankly, a key point about depression is that yesterday doesn't matter nearly as much as today. So here is a link to this truly great article, which offers a valuable tool against depression: 

Source: National University of Singapore, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine

Summary: In a large Singapore cohort study involving over 13,000 participants spanning close to 20 years, higher consumption of fruits during midlife was found to be associated with lower odd of depressive symptoms at late-life.

I'm back from my unintended break from this blog!

See, I have some brain damage that causes me to get confused a lot, and coincidentally this blog's platform changed to one I'm not as familiar with at the same time that I decided to make some changes. So from early this year to today I've been unable to cope with trying to get the blog updated, and the url was pointing to nothing for several months.

I THINK the problems are resolved, and I intend to update with new tips for Coping With Depression every day or so. 

I also just went back into therapy, because it was time. We all need help once in a while.

Get Help!

There's a stigma against taking medication for depression. Snap out of it!

Check out THIS great article on overcoming that stigma.

No one has to feel ashamed of doing what makes them well.