As you know from my home page, I’ve been depression-free for many years now. And as I always remind my followers, that doesn’t mean I haven’t had some bad days and, at times, some bad weeks. But I worked hard for many years to understand the part I personally played in my depression, and now I have a plan when it rears its ugly head. 

I’ve learned to work my plan and to work it at the right time. Preventing a depressive episode is often about the timing. Being proactive about your “dark winter’s nap” routine will prove beneficial.

My plan basically involves making good choices. And, pay attention to this next phrase, we are always making choices.

For example, no one makes us sit on the sofa watching TV. We decide that. And sometimes, it’s perfectly ok to watch TV and munch on some non-healthy food. (No binges, though because then there’s that whole guilt thing you have to deal with. For me, it’s not worth it.)

On rare occasions, I intentionally might decide to indulge myself. I will eat junk food and catch up on the taped movies and love every minute of it. Sometimes it’s exactly what I need.

But I’m always making sure it’s me, not my depression, making those choices. 

Depression has a big voice. It is often the loudest voice in the room.

Rebecca Platt

Intentional choosing means we’re deciding for ourselves how to spend whatever discretionary time we have. When I make a deliberate choice to indulge myself, it seems to prevent me from just allowing it to happen in the future. It’s kind of like the old saying, “A little of what tickles your fancy is good.” Again, it’s because me, not my depression, is one calling the shots.

Let me see if can make this clearer.

A few weeks ago I had some sort of viral bug. Nothing to do but wait it out. I didn’t feel bad enough to stay in my pj’s but I didn’t feel good enough to do anything else either. Because I’m aware that mild depression can follow a viral illness, I wanted to be sure that I didn’t give depression a voice. So while I did rest more than usual, I was careful to keep the house neat, keep myself looking presentable, and even doing some things I enjoyed, like reading or looking through some magazines.

You see, I’ve paid attention to the enemy and I know how he works in my life. I will not be caught off-guard.

For years, (right up until a month ago), I suffered through many foot issues with five surgeries. Surgery was not an option for this condition. Seeing as I love walking and know how important it is to my physical and mental health, I got pretty discouraged at times. We have an elliptical machine I was able to use. I wasn’t about to let depression sneak up on me.

Pain is often a playground for depression.

I was determined that I was not going to let it attack me when I was down.

Mindset and determination are a powerful deterrent to depression’s tentacles.

Make it your mindset today that you, not your depression, will make the decisions.

God bless and I hope you have a good day.

The post, “Depression has a big voice. Make yours bigger.” appeared first on thegiftofdepression.com.