If it can be said that there is anything good about depression, this is when you'll see it. Assuming that you are feeling much better than you did a month ago (and if you're not, please check the info on my Medication page), you may feel almost as if you've been reborn. After having been deprived of the ability to enjoy everything your life has to offer, you'll notice that colors are brighter, sounds are sweeter, smells and tastes have more depth. Having had a lack of interest in things you normally enjoyed before being depressed, you may find, as I did, that you are all of a sudden interested in everything, even things you never thought about before.

Fitness (Mental and Physical)

Keeping physically fit is one of the best ways to supplement what your medication is doing. The more fit and less tense you are, the less work your medicine has to do.

• Sex? What's that? Seriously, if your sex drive has returned, check out the Good Vibes web page for supplies and inspiration (21 and over only, please).

   

• I always know that I'm getting better when I start singing along with music. Then I usually put on some good music with a beat and dance around my room. Try it - it really gets the blood flowing, and makes you feel alive.

Beauty and Fashion

• Check out the web pages from these cosmetic companies:
  • Aveda
  • Bobbi Brown Cosmetics
  • Clinique
  • Hard Candy
  • L'Oreal
  • Revlon
  • Urban Decay

   

• I use skin care from Paula Begoun, because I have very sensitive skin, and her skin care works and is cheap.

   

• BeautyNet and Cosmetic Connection are online beauty magazines.

   

• alt.fashion is the fashion/beauty newsgroup, which is extremely active, although somewhat clique-ish. You may feel like you're in high school listening to the cool girl's table, but you can't sit down.

   

• If you're feeling adventurous, take a look at Tattoos.Com or BME/Tattoo and consider getting a tattoo. It's a very bad idea to get one while you're depressed (kind of like making a decision when you're drunk), but perfectly fine when you're feeling good about yourself. I got my first tattoo the year I came out of my depression - now I have three.

   

• Feel like fashion is fun again (as opposed to only noticing or caring that you were wearing something)? Get back in the swing of things at FashionUK, Fashion Net or Lumiere.

   

Useful Stuff for Getting Your Life Back Together

I know that when I "awakened" from depression, I realized that I had let the weirdest things go, like renewing my car registration. Other depressives, especially bipolars, may find that they need to get out of a financial hole, either due to overspending or just letting the finances go down the tubes. I hope you find something useful here to help you get things back together.

• CarTalk.com
• Consumer World
• Credit InfoCenter
• Genus Credit Management
• Getting Out of Debt
• Nolo
• SmartMoney.com

• If you live in the UK near London, you might be able to get training in your home at a low cost from U Can Do I.T.

Exploration/Learning

As your thoughts begin to turn more outward than inward, you may have some interest in discovery and learning.

• Take a free online course at Barnes & Noble.com. Offerings range from computer and science courses to literature and languages.

   

• Fathom pulls together everything you need for online learning.

   

• Henrietta Leavitt Flat Screen Space Theater is a virtual planetarium; very cool.

   

• Ocean Planet Home Page is a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution Museum of Natural History.

   

• Exploratorium: Exploranet

   

• The National Geographic Society's web site hosts its magazines, books and television shows.

   

• Paleontology Without Walls

   

• Virtual Antartica kept me absorbed for over an hour in the flora, fauna and facts about Antartica and Virtual Galapagos was equally fascinating.

Nature/Ecology

I realized when I came out of my depression that I had by virtue of the illness been very self-absorbed. Un-depressed, I looked at survival on a more global scale. If you do too, here are some earthwise sites to inspire you.

• Environmental News Network has environmental news, features and a calendar of meetings and conferences.

   

• The Rainforest Action Network page is beautifully done, with extensive information about getting involved in non-violent action to save the rainforests and their occupants.

   

• Sierra Club Home Page provides information about its programs, mission and chapters.

  

• I was surprised at how fascinating the bios of the individual wolves were on the Wolf Haven International page. It also contains photos of such wolves as Angel, Little John and Morning Star, who you can adopt.

   

• GardenWeb has gardening tips and links to botanical gardens around the world. Virtual Garden is a huge site with a database of plants, the Garden Guru and even a section that lets you check your weather.

Food/Entertaining

Now that you're back to your old self (or better, as in my case) you might feel that you want to renew friendships that might have gone south during your depression by entertaining. Or maybe you want to just renew your acquaintance with good food and drink. Either way, the links below will help to get your tastebuds ready. Note: although I have links to alcohol-related sites, bear in mind that drinking alcohol can affect your medication's effectiveness. Drink lightly, or not at all, and only make drinks for your guests.

• Cocktail

   

• Go to CoffeeGeek, I Need Coffee or Koffee Korner for info and links to coffee sites.

   

• The Global Gourmet is an ezine devoted to food.

  

• For guides on how to entertain in the lounge style, head over to Vik's Lounge or Club Velvet.

   

• Epicurious is home to Bon Appetit and Gourmet magazines, and it's very well done. Be sure to check out the Playing With Your Food section.

   

• The webpage for the Hawthorne Lane Restaurant in San Francisco lists some delicious recipes.

   

• If you're ready to be adventurous in your cooking, consider using ingredients from Caribbean Connoisseur or EthnicGrocer.com.

   

• The Real Beer Page is for serious beer connoisseurs.

   

• Robin Garr's Wine Lover's Page is a good page for those of us who enjoy wine, but don't want to make a career out of selecting it.

Travel

Tired of being an armchair traveler? If you're getting the urge to get out and see the world for real instead of virtually, the sites below should be a great help.

• I love the Civilized Explorer. It's got great photos and good writing.

   

• Conde Nast Traveler has a polished and comprehensive site.

   

• To get information about my most favorite travel destination, Disney World, go to the Disney home page.

   

• Lonely Planet delves a little deeper into the culture of different destinations than other travel guides.

   

• Salon|Wanderlust

   

• I've found some wonderful guidebooks called Eyewitness Travel Guides. They have tons of color photos, floor plans of landmarks, aerial views of cities, and facts about the area that are actually interesting.

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