CWD Daily: August 2021

August 31, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline -
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

In some cases depression can manifest as restless leg syndrome.

Get checked out by a doctor if you have restless leg syndrome and depression. Treating the one may just improve the other.

CWD Daily is written by Julie Aiken, a layperson whose only authority lies in 40 years of coping with depression. Nothing in the newsletter should be taken as medical advice. Please do no self-diagnose or self-prescribe. Above all, please get help if you need it.

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com

August 30, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline -
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

Get help.

If you think your friend is considering suicide, urge them to call their therapist while you’re with them or ask your friend if you can call for them.

They can also text “HOME” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

Not in the United States? The International Association for Suicide Prevention can link you to hot-lines and other resources in your country: iasp.info/wspd2021/resources/

You can also take your friend to an emergency room. If possible, stay with your friend until they no longer feel suicidal. Make sure they can’t access any weapons or drugs.

If you’re concerned about your friend, you might worry that mentioning it to them could encourage suicidal thoughts. But it’s generally helpful to talk about it.

healthline.com had a great article on helping a depressed friend:
healthline.com/health/how-to-help-a-depressed-friend#recognize-the-forms

Things to do:

Listen to them. Help them find support. Support them in continuing therapy. Take care of yourself. Learn about depression on your own. Offer to help with everyday tasks. Extend loose invitations. Be patient. Stay in touch. Know the different forms depression can take.

Things not to do:

Don't take things personally. Don't try to fix them. Don't give advice. Don't minimize or compare their experience. Don't take a stance on medication.

If you think your friend is considering suicide, urge them to call their therapist while you’re with them or ask your friend if you can call for them.

Some signs of suicidal thoughts:

Frequent mood swings or personality changes. Talking about death or dying. Purchasing a weapon. Increased substance use. Risky or dangerous behavior. Getting rid of belongings or giving away treasured possessions. Talking about feeling trapped or wanting a way out. Pushing people away or saying they want to be alone. Saying goodbye with more feeling than usual.

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com

August 29, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline -
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

WebMD sends out a regular Depression Newsletter. Their article 10 Natural Depression Treatments concludes: “When you're depressed, you can lose the knack for enjoying life... You have to relearn how to do it. In time, fun things really will feel fun again.”

Get in a routine.
Set goals.
Exercise.
Eat healthy.
Get enough sleep.
Take on responsibilities. (Check out the full article to understand this one!)
Challenge negative thoughts.
Check with your doctor before using supplements.
Do something new.
Try to have fun.

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com

August 28, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline -
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

10 Ways to Show Love to Someone with Depression – by Kelley Baker, contributor to the Huffington Post

This is wonderful. Follow the link, HERE, to the entire post with all the details, but here is the list, in brief:

Help them keep clutter at bay.
Fix them a healthy meal.
Get them outside.
Ask them to help you understand what they're feeling.
Encourage them to focus on self-care.
Hug them.
Laugh with them.
Reassure them that you can handle their feelings.
Challenge their destructive thoughts.
Remind them why you love them.

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com

August 27, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline -
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

The summer's almost over and you haven't gotten to the shore?

Transport yourself with the sounds of waves and seagulls. The video linked below is 10 hours long so you can let it play all night while you sleep.

youtube.com/watch?v=E9w6_FjYcYs

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com

August 26, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline -
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

Have there been times when you knew you had to do something, personally or professionally, and could not do it? Really had to, must, must, must do it? As in if you did not do it there could be extremely dire consequences, such as losing a job or business?

And yet you could not do it? It might have been something as simple as making a phone call, but you physically could not pick up the phone. Just could not.

There is a concept called “paralysis of the will” or “motivational paralysis”.

If you can understand this inability to act and put it in context, you can recognize it for what it is if and when it happens again: a symptom of depression.

And then you can move through it and act. You can actually do things you are completely and utterly convinced you cannot do.

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com

August 25, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline -
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

Sometimes when you are determined to make changes it seems like the old patterns put up a superhuman resistance. Like they are simply not leaving. They're staying and screw you.

It feels like you will never make progress against depression. It's here to stay. It has dug in its heels.

Try to be patient and force your way through to the other side. Keep going. Get help.

It will get better.

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com

August 24, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline -
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

List 5 things you have done in your life that you are proud of, or that you feel really good about.

Come on, you can do it. Just 5 things! Did you win a prize in elementary school? Complete a difficult sporting event? Make someone happy? Take care of a stray animal?

Anything at all you have done that you're proud of.

Great job!

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com

August 23, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline -
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

Get help.

Participate in a Clinical Trial.

The National Institute of Mental Health supports research studies on mental health problems. Clinical trials are scientific studies to find better ways to prevent, detect, or treat illnesses.

NIH-funded studies recruit participants on a variety of mental health topics.

THIS WEBSITE provides answers to common questions about volunteering for mental health clinical research.

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com

August 22, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline -
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

Starting to feel better can be dangerous. When we begin to feel better we may make bad choices.

We take on more, even if what we're already involved in is not complete, because we have renewed energy and because once everything is not so gray we begin to see possibilities, which lead to more ideas.

We think we ARE better and will always be better so we don't have to take our medications or do any of the things we've been doing to GET better.

We take our eye off the ball.

Recovery is a process, and interrupting that process is counterproductive. Stay focused!

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com

August 21, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline -
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

There was a brief trend of following studies that linked eating pasta with higher incidence of depression. We were all doomed.

However, the researchers responsible for the study (singular) linking pasta to depression have said that the press over-simplified it, and it's actually inflammatory food that may be linked to depression.

Dr. Andrew Weil's anti-inflammatory diet includes pasta up to 3 times a week. Reasonably sized portions, of course.

Take a look at the anti-inflammatory diet’s food pyramid, HERE.

HERE is a brief video of Dr. Weil discussing the anti-inflammatory diet.

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com

August 20, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline -
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

Make 2 lists:

What jazzes you? Revs you up and gives you energy? I'll go first...

Tangerines
Fresh air
Music
Accomplishing a task
Art
Travel
Nature
Family
A good cup of coffee
Conversation with good friends

What saps your energy and makes you feel burdened, weighed down?

Tasks undone
Too much to do
Stuff
Sugar
Internet idiots
Meanness
Violence
Screwing up
Not enough sleep
Too much sleep
A messy environment
Too much computer time

Try to bring a little more of the first into your life, and release some of the second.

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com

August 19, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline -
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

Depression feels like failure, like weakness, like defeat. It feels like a cop out, an excuse. It feels like a waste of a life that once showed such promise.

None of that is true, but that's how it feels a good bit of the time.

You may work on overcoming your depression, but there's a part of you that feels like a loser because you're not better yet! Of course, it doesn't work that way, unfortunately. Getting better, whether mentally or physically (or spiritually) takes time and it takes practice.

And, yes, that sucks!

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com

August 18, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline -
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

Is your messy environment depressing you?

Working under the assumption that depression is not a lack of happiness but rather a lack of vitality, there may be a little something to that, as a seemingly insurmountable clean-up job is dispiriting.

Straightening up is not impossible, and you could spend just 10 minutes today and make a huge difference.

Plus, a lot of messy people are extremely successful – they simply have housekeepers or children to do their dirty work!

Depression doesn't come from the environment, it comes from your thoughts. Focus on changing your thinking rather than worrying about any other side issue that is a distraction.

Your life isn't a mess just because your house is.

And your house being a mess is just a problem, not a character flaw.

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com

August 17, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline -
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

Meditation may help ease depression.

Quieting the mind and being “mindful” – being present and being aware of your body and how you feel in the environment – would logically seem to be useful on so many levels.

And just disrupting the pattern of negative thoughts might help, as well.

Give it a try. How to Meditate: Simple Meditation for Beginners.

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com

August 16, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline -
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

Get help.

Current and former military service members may face different mental health issues than the general public.

Check HERE for a comprehensive list of resources for service members and veterans, with full contact information.

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com

August 15, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline -
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

“There’s too much poverty and not enough self-love. If you don’t love yourself, you’re in a world of trouble.”

– Dr. Cornel West

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com

August 14, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline -
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

“When I called myself an idiot, I put a drop of poison into myself. It's the little things, adding up. It sounds silly, I know. That one word, thought up like a sharp banter between trusting friends, might not mean anything – might not seem so bad. I am not my trusting friend. When my brain is in a certain way, I can't trust that what it tells me is a joke. It might be an accusation, a realization, a warning, because depression lies. Because depression lies, my ability to trust, my own self-esteem, isn't like a rock in a storm-tossed sea, it's like a beach, withering and widening with the season.”

– actor/author Wil Wheaton

A lot of people who are admirable and highly successful struggle with depression. That can help, a bit, sometimes. It may not make you feel better immediately, but it keeps things in perspective and in the long run may make you feel less like a freak.

Read the entire post (quoted partially above) HERE.

Check out Wil's blog HERE.

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com

August 13, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline -
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

Inch by inch...

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com

August 12

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline -
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

WHO's tips on looking after your mental health during COVID-19:

Keep informed.
Have a routine.
Minimize newsfeeds.
Social contact is important.
Alcohol and drug use.
Screen time.
Video games.
Social media.
Help others.
Support healthcare workers.

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com

August 11, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline -
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

HERE is a wonderful essay on the apparent link between writers and depression, with insights for anyone who is depressed.

A couple of excerpts:

“Writers suffer from depression for all the usual reasons (innate biochemical susceptibility, early life experiences, etc.) but they also live lives full of contributing factors. Isolation, introspection, lack of physical exercise, irregular hours, less than perfect diet, and lack of exposure to sunlight – all may cause a depression, or worsen one. So also do financial and professional uncertainty – the lack of control of events which writers experience in every aspect of their work. To these, some writers add alcohol or drug addiction (yup, these do contribute to depression)…”

“When you're depressed, everything seems futile – you are sure the book will be lousy even if you do write it. When you're depressed, you have less courage, less resilience, less ability to handle ordinary stressors.”

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com

August 10, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline -
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

Haunting, rich and calming, Native American flute and drum music and chants are wonderful relaxation music.

Choose a piece and close your eyes, focus on breathing deeply. Feel yourself one with nature, the earth, the air, the fire, the water.

Your favorite radio app or YouTube will have a wide selection. Here are two:

Native American Sleep Music: canyon flute & nocturnal canyon sounds.

Rain and Native American Flutes (with thunder).

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com

August 9, 2021

CWD Daily

Tips for Coping with Depression

If you are in a suicide crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline -
1-800-273-8255.

Tip of the Day

Get help.

The television show LOST had a metaphor for practically every human condition, including the need to get help. The characters in LOST pretty much deny their issues and insist they're just fine, no – better than fine, they are really doing well alone, thank you very much. But of course they are totally messed up, one and all.

And only by opening up and letting people in and letting people help them do they survive and ultimately thrive, in ways they never expected. (If by survive you mean mostly die, but that's another discussion about physical death vs. spiritual death and we're not going there.)

Not to beat a dead metaphor, but you don't have to go it alone. Get help when you need it. And when you're miserable a lot of the time you probably need it.

Contact: witchhazel2020@gmail.com