I posted this on Facebook earlier this year. I've suffered through depression and it's a deep dark place. I hope if any of you are in that place, my desire is you will read this and reach out. I got through depression and hope I never get there again. Now there is help. When I had it, you didn't discuss it. Talk about it to someone and get the help you need. It's no way to live.
Suicide is rarely about escaping from responsibilities or purposely leaving others behind, and is more often a last desperate act to end extreme pain.
DEPRESSION TIPS:
Shower. Not a bath, a shower. Use water as hot or cold as you like. You don’t even need to wash. Just get in under the water and let it run over you for a while. Sit on the floor if you gotta.
Moisturize everything. Use whatever lotion you like that makes you smell yummy? Use whatever you want, and use it all over your entire dermis.
Put on clean, comfortable clothes.
Put on your favorite underwear. Those ridiculous boxers you bought last Christmas with candy cane hearts on the butt? Put them on.
Drink cold water. Use ice. If you want, add some mint or lemon for an extra boost.
Clean something. Doesn’t have to be anything big. Organize one drawer of a desk. Wash five dirty dishes. Do a load of laundry. Scrub the bathroom sink. Pick up 30 things and put them away.
Blast music. Listen to something upbeat. Blast something that’s got lots of energy. Sing to it, dance to it, even if you suck at both but no one is watching so just have fun.
Make food. Don’t just grab a granola bar to munch. Take the time and make food. Even if it’s ramen. Add something special to it, like a soft boiled egg or some veggies. Prepare food, it tastes way better, and you’ll feel like you accomplished something.
Make something. Write a short story or a poem, draw a picture, color a picture, fold origami, crochet or knit, sculpt something out of clay, anything artistic. Even if you don’t think you’re good at it. Create.
Go outside. Take a walk. Sit in the grass. Look at the clouds. Smell flowers. Play in the snow. Put your hands in the dirt and feel the soil against your skin. Make a snow angel or go sledding. I like to throw snowballs
Call someone. Call a loved one, a friend, a family member, call a chat service if you have no one else to call. Talk to a stranger on the street. Have a conversation and listen to someone’s voice. If you can’t bring yourself to call, text or email or whatever, just have some social interaction with another person. Even if you don’t say much, listen to them. It helps.
Cuddle your pets if you have them/can cuddle them. We borrow an occasional doggie to play with. Take pictures of them. Talk to them. Tell them how you feel, about your favorite movie, a new game coming out, anything.
May seem small or silly to some, but this list keeps people alive.
*** At your absolute best you won’t be good enough for the wrong people. But at your worst, you’ll still be worth it to the right ones. Remember that. Keep holding on.
*** In case nobody has told you today I love you and you are worth your weight and then some in gold, so be kind to yourself and most of all keep pushing on!!!
Find something to be grateful for! Call me anytime, I'm here to help you, or reach out to the number below:
1-833-456-4566 ~ Canadian Suicide Prevention Lifeline
New number 988 as of March 2023
