Making Your Home More Welcoming for the Winter
I’ve written about Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a type of depression that is triggered by different seasons. A small amount of people are affected by the late spring and summer, but many more are laid low by winter. What if, however, you don’t have SAD per se, but are…
What to Do During the Middle Two Weeks You’re Waiting for Your Antidepressants to Kick In or How to do self-care when you have moderate depression
Chances are you’re not having quite so many devastatingly low days now. You’re functioning a little better overall, but you’re still not ready to run any marathons yet or run for public office. Don’t worry about it – this recovery takes time, and it happens so subtly you may…
Simplify the Holidays to Preserve Your Sanity
My parents do a beautiful job with decorating for Christmas – they always have. Every year they get a real live tree. They have a couple of hundred of beautiful ornaments, as well as garlands and other assorted decorations. The tree is always put up at least two weeks…
What to Do During the Last Two Weeks You’re Waiting for Your Antidepressant to Kick In or Self-Care for Mild Depression
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 read ), you may feel almost as if you’ve been reborn. After having…
What to Do During the First Two Weeks You’re Waiting for Your Antidepressants to Kick In or How to do self-care with major depression
The key words here are indulge yourself. Listen, you’re having enough trouble getting out of bed every day and going to work or school. You don’t need to push yourself. Think of yourself as an invalid recuperating from a very debilitating illness. You have to pamper yourself, body and…
Doing Cocooning Right
We depressives are frequently drawn towards cocooning, the practice of hanging out in our homes for most of our free time. I think that usually that’s due to a lack of energy, but also a need to be “safe” in our own little nest. Given that it’s winter and…
Keeping Your Senses Alive When You’re Depressed
When you’re clinically depressed, you may lose touch with a lot of things. Your relationships, the feeling of being present in the world that most people take for granted, and even your sense of self. Losing touch with your senses is is an almost universal experience among people with…
Depression and Your Nutritional Health
Last fall I started to feel that my antidepressant medication (Wellbutrin) wasn’t working. I had noticed that I hadn’t really been getting anything done around the house for a while, but things started to get worse. I started actually having depressed thoughts, and having more issues with anxiety. I…
Scented Baths
Baden-Baden Bath The Baden-Baden bath is a bath that you will want to repeat frequently. Its lovely pine scent and its carefully mixed ingredients will create a body of water similar to the curative mineral content of the renowned springs at the luxurious Baden-Baden spa in Germany. Select an…
What to Do (On and Off the Web) While You’re Waiting for Your Antidepressants to Kick In
I’ve been there; I’ve done that. I’ve suffered from depression nearly my whole life and wasn’t diagnosed till I was 27. I know all the stages you go through when you’re waiting those six interminable weeks for your antidepressant meds to start working. So, as my gift to you,…