Daily 5
August 7, 2020 6:58 AM   Subscribe

Depression filter: I'm a person who suffers from chronic depression and have for years. I'm curious what things others do to manage. If you're in this camp too, what are 5 things you to daily to help you manage? I'm looking to add a few things to my repertoire.

I'm not necessarily talking about creating routines, although "having a structured day" could be one of the five things. Other examples would be things like: every day I sit on my porch and drink tea when I wake up in the morning or I force myself to do a skincare routine even when I don't want to.

The things should be directly related to keeping depression in check.

I'm interested in answers from wacky to mundane. And I'm hoping for more detailed answers than basic "diet and exercise." What kind of exercise? Hike up a hill in your backyard once a day? What kind of diet? Make sure to eat one Fun Thing a day?

[5 is just an arbitrary number. Could be just two things or maybe a hundred?]
posted by eggs to Health & Fitness (18 answers total) 53 users marked this as a favorite
 
1. Limit staying up late with a screen.
2. Interval training on a treadmill or HIIT to get the jolt of endorphins
3. Trying to focus on anti-inflammatory foods and avoid foods that are likely to increase inflammation since inflammation in my physical body often makes me feel depressed.
4. I don't like this because it's not very "mindfulness friendly" but I've discovered that planning a vacation in the future even if just a long weekend gives my brain something to look forward to that breaks the monotony of regular life. I try to have a short vacation or self care day off planned regularly.
posted by crunchy potato at 7:12 AM on August 7, 2020 [5 favorites]


My self care kit includes:

Taking a shower before I go to bed so I am all clean before I get under the covers.

Washing my hair slowly and deeply at least once a week, because with quarantine I tend to skip wash days which leaves my scalp pretty greasy.

Actually taking my meds on time and tracking each dose in my Medisafe app.

Getting out of bed and moving to another room in the morning so I don't go back to sleep.

Eating a green apple. They are good for you. It makes a difference.

Drinking around 2 liters of water a day.
posted by Kitchen Witch at 7:18 AM on August 7, 2020 [1 favorite]


1. Medication
2. Walk a lot (although a short youtube workout is more effective probably)
3. I keep a gratitude photojournal
4. I pursue my goals very doggedly. I'm in the ACT camp and believe that to shake off depression you have to move forward with your life (see: ACT summary and this book)
5. I talk to friends and family and pray every day. Feeling connected helps a lot. I know people who have pets that also help with this.

Yes - also daily showering. I feel a lot better if I am clean and hydrated.
posted by existentialwhale at 7:26 AM on August 7, 2020 [5 favorites]


1. Taking B, D and methylfolate vitamins every day. I don't notice it when I slack off or run out for like a week or more, but then when I start again the difference is real.
2. No Facebook, news or NPR as I'm waking/getting up. I have a rotation of "cheerful" albums and Pandora channels that I put on when I'm trying to get my shit together in the mornings. (I am not a morning person, and require a lot of transition time between my alarm and when I'm actually awake and ready to leave for work.
3. Since it came out in March, I unwind just before bed by watering my plants and talking to my animals in Animal Crossing. (As opposed to other games. No Diablo before bed!)
posted by ApathyGirl at 7:50 AM on August 7, 2020 [2 favorites]


1. I get up and go to sleep at the same time every day.
2. I walk my dogs every day, early in the morning. It means I see some people at a distance and also have calm dogs when I work at home.
3. I shower every day, even if it's only a brief one when I'm back from the walk, and I fix my curly hair up in some way, including wacky-colored temporary color, if I'm feeling bold.
4. I talk to at least one person I know a day, either on the phone or via an IM or text exchange.
5. I take 5,000 IU of vitamin D every day. There's limited data on it reducing COVID-19 symptoms, and lots of data on it helping with depression, energy levels, and autoimmune concerns.
posted by answergrape at 7:55 AM on August 7, 2020 [5 favorites]


1. Long hugs from my husband and kids, ala "hugging until relaxed" technique from David Schnarch.

2. Food and drink treats. Lately it's been homemade ginger beer and chocolate chip cookies baked by my son.

3. Biking with our e-bike. It's a Tern GSD, so my husband peddles and I ride on the back. We can talk while we ride, and hills are Nothing.

4. Yoga with Adriene on YouTube.

5. Knitting while listening to audiobooks from the library on the Libby app.

(None of this would help without weekly therapy and meds, of course!)
posted by alicat at 8:02 AM on August 7, 2020 [2 favorites]


1. Medication and CBD oil for when my anxiety gets bad
2. Unlike apparently everyone else, I do better with a somewhat irregular, late rising sleep schedule and have since childhood. Every time I've made an effort to get up early my depression gets way worse
3. For exercise I keep a yoga mat in my living room and use it for 15 minutes at a time when I'm watching TV. I've never enjoyed exercise so I have to distract myself
4. I actively write about my depression, I keep long rambly Google docs and when I'm feeling particularly bad I often comment on r/depression on Reddit to try and support others
5. I make sure to talk to friend or family on the phone or internet at least once every 2 days. It turns out I really don't need to see anyone, but if I don't hear someone's voice I start to feel very isolated
posted by JZig at 8:16 AM on August 7, 2020 [1 favorite]


1. Medication
2. Methyl B12, D, magnesium, and chaga supplements
3. 30 minutes of yoga around noon. I hate yoga A LOT but it does help. Back in the before times I would go to my rock climbing gym. Sigh.
4. 1 hour easy hike in the forest in the late afternoon with my dog.
5. Faffing about in the garden at some point each day with 'help' from said dog.

My dog is an important part of this. Keeps me to a reasonable schedule, which involves me actually getting out of bed and the house, always available for petting and is a A+ little spoon cuddler.
posted by ananci at 8:22 AM on August 7, 2020 [3 favorites]


For me, a few things have helped. No single item alone is a silver bullet, but in combination these things keep me going when my depression flares up:

1. Do the personal hygiene stuff. It's so incredibly easy to let it slip a little, then let it slip more. I have found, in particular, that oral hygiene makes a big difference. My previous-to-prior dentist has said he's seen correlation here in his studies of oral health as it affects general health. But the non-oral hygiene matters, too: You're getting up, doing a thing, and you yourself are the beneficiary. It's a good, easy inertia-buster.

2. Time-box your downtime. Take time to feel like shit, because, yes, you feel like shit. But set some limits. It's okay to say "I just can't deal right now but in an hour I'm going to go flip the laundry" or whatever. This is a way to add some structure without requiring a ton of planning, discipline, and focus. Take your day a task at a time.

3. Do tasks at all. It doesn't have to be every task that needs to get done. It doesn't even have to be a productive task. Make yourself a pot of tea with a cute cup and a little spoon and everything. Or wipe that one weird drip on the bathroom mirror. Something. Keep going if you can, or take downtime if you need it.

4. Practice gratitude. I know from experience this can be super hard to do alone in a depressed state, because it doesn't at all feel like there's cause for thankfulness. Try one of those guided meditations that give you cues about things to be grateful for, and maybe one of those cues will resonate. I'm the last person to claim you can "positivity your way out of depression" but what you think affects how you think. Injecting new and good things into your thought processes can, if nothing else, break some of the circling and repetitive thoughts that depression brings.

5. Be willing to fail sometimes. You don't always get it together to function, or you don't always function at full capacity, or your capacity is diminished. These things are acceptable because you are sick. Do not beat yourself up, just move on to the next task, the next hour, the next minute. You're worth just carrying on.
posted by majick at 8:24 AM on August 7, 2020 [6 favorites]


I have a bunch more in my profile.
Yes to the getting spiffed up as early in the day as you can. It makes you feel better.
If I don't get enough Vit. B12, I just drag. I take ordinary amounts of C & D.
I have arthritis that affects my ability to exercise, but when I can it's a big help. esp. Outside - sunshine, nature and fresh air are very helpful.
Music, singing if possible, is almost always a big help.
posted by theora55 at 8:38 AM on August 7, 2020 [2 favorites]


1. Meditate
2. Move (usually some amount of yoga, martial arts, or walking)
3. Try to limit social media (especially when I'm already in a self-critical state of mind)
4. Acknowledge and praise myself for getting simple things done (washed the dishes? yay! ate a healthy meal? yay! didn't eat that sweet-treat that would have made my deperession worse? double yay!)
5. Reach out to friends if it's really bad just to get some perspective outside of my self-doubt cycles

Also, not a daily thing, but getting out in the woods at least once a week does wonders for my state of mind.

Get a good night's sleep - that is one of the biggest factors for keeping myself above water.
posted by kokaku at 1:20 PM on August 7, 2020 [1 favorite]


1. Medication.
2. Journaling. I use Day One on iOS. I bought the upgrade so I can voice record. I journal more when I can just ramble and talk.
3. Therapy.
4. Gardening this summer. I <3 my veggies this summer.
5. Do my PT exercises. When I hurt, my mood suffers.
6. Get enough sleep. I need at least 9 hours a night. So even though my body wants to stay up late and get up late, I get my butt in bed so I can get up for work. I also try not to give into my late preferences on the weekend.
7. Coloring makes me happy.
8. Cuddle Gidgette, my kitty who will let me cuddle her. Ear scritches for Ivory when she'll let me. Also taking pictures of them and working on their website.
9. Baking. I'm freezing cookies for our church winter bake sale (crossing fingers we'll have it this year). Also baking stuff for my coworkers. I'm the only one who'll eat things like zucchini bread, so I give most of it away.
posted by kathrynm at 6:20 PM on August 7, 2020 [2 favorites]


Play with the dog. Or at least give the dog the love he deserves
Go outside
Dote on my plants
SHOWER (I've never been a huge showerer, definitely a bit of a hippy dirtbag but oh my GOD does that one shower at the end of my depressed week LIFT A GODDAMN VEIL)
stretch
remember to put on good music
feed myself (my love language is FEEDING PEOPLE and sometimes I remember that I deserve to be fed properly too)
posted by Grandysaur at 11:33 PM on August 7, 2020 [1 favorite]


This changes as I try different tools, tips and tricks.
1. Medication/vitamins. Which changes as needed (and I force myself to get it changed even when I most don't want to deal with changing it).
2. Go outside. I stand on the deck for a few minutes if that's all I can do. Walk in the park, even a tiny bit if that's all I can do. Sit in the park if that's what I can do. Get the mail. Take out the trash. Drive to the store and SEE the outside. Even just drive around. Whatever, outside.
3. Zoom into a twelve step mtg (many days, not every day) (yours might be any group thing and/or self helpy thing and/or health education thing, etc). And/or text someone; helpful to ask how they are doing and get out of self.
4. Watch something interesting on the TV. I stay intellectually curious, entertained and/or nicely distracted.
5. Shower and put on something comfortable and/or that amuses me... something in a nice color, a favorite sweatshirt or surfer shorts or flowery pajama pants or my Kittens Against Trump tshirt and/or all of the above.
posted by soakimbo at 10:35 PM on August 8, 2020


1. An hour before bed, I turn off all screens and (get ready for it!) all the lights in the house and then light candles and live by candlelight. I find the little house on the prairie aesthetic to be very calming and lovely, and it helps me actually get some goddamn sleep :)

2. Making stuff with my hands, ideally somewhat physical crafts. Less counting like knitting/yarn crafts or thinking like, say, small electronics, and more like modelling clay that you really need to get into with your hands. It's therapeutic in the same way kneading dough is. Tactile crafts. Woodwork or wood carving, painting with watercolors, wire bending, sculpting, gardening have all helped.

3. Drawing the same thing every day. I make art and if I don't have to think about what I'm going to draw, it takes the pressure off and is a creative constraint to work within. I draw beds. I find it immensely pleasurable and fun since I would almost always rather be sleeping than doing anything else and I like to imagine a wonderful dream bed to sleep in or what a mouse's little mouse bed would look like. It's nice when you can see yourself improving.

4. Stretching and yoga. I like Donavan Barrett on YouTube because he's hilarious and incredible. It just feels awesome and gets me out of my head.

5. Weird one, but eating spicy things. I love making concentrated ginger "shots," or super spicy falafel with super spicy dipping sauce, or just putting tons of hot sauce on whatever I'm eating. There's probably a chemical reason, but it really does it for me. My cheeks flush, my brain goes a tiny bit drunk, and I get happy feelings. Like a lil mini orgasm or something.

Hope you feel better, sorry you have to deal with this.
posted by moons in june at 2:21 AM on August 9, 2020 [5 favorites]


Two things that have made the biggest difference for me over the past few years:

1. Exercise. There are three "types" that I use:

1a. The first is deadlifting heavy barbells ("heavy" of course depends on you). It is a technical lift that takes a lot of practise to get right, and is probably the single best bang-for-your buck exercise you can do. But, tricky without a gym membership or access to barbells, so:

1b. The other thing is kettlebell swings. Another great exercise that really gets the heart racing (important for the euphoric exercise "high" of delicious endorphins), that can be loaded a million different ways, for a million different set and rep ranges. A few kettlebells are much more manageable, and better adapted to smaller spaces, than even a single barbell with a few plates. But, given all the givens, kettlebells can still be tricky to get a hold of, so:

1c. Bushwalking/hiking. My partner and I have recently started regular (a few times a week) bushwalks/hikes of at least an hour, at varying intensities and in various places. Walk briskly, breathe deeply. The bonus here is you're out in nature as well, which is a proven depression-buster.

2. Food. The only real suggestion I have here is: try introducing more lactofermented foods into your life. There's a lot of research being done around the gut microbiome and its connection to general well-being, and there is some evidence that suggests that eating lactofermented foods - think sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, that sort of thing - is generally beneficial. Though, it's an acquired taste, for the most part.

Peace and best wishes!
posted by turbid dahlia at 5:12 PM on August 10, 2020 [1 favorite]


Environment!
1. Investing in a surroundings/items you actively like (instead of merely tolerating) goes a long way. Having something you can appreciate passively is helpful for your mood.
2. Maintaining those surroundings/items to your enjoyment level, as much as possible. I find a clean house contributes to a calm mind, between the exertion of tidying up, the satisfaction of looking at a neat space, and the confidence boost of having done a thing.

So, daily things you can do with your environment to boost your mood:
a. Vacuuming.
b. Rounding up dishes from around the house.
c. Making the bed.
d. Scrubbing a toilet.
d. Wiping down a mirror.

These are all housekeeping things anyway, but I am I more motivated to do them when I think of them as mood boosters rather than tasks I absolutely must do. Unfuck Your Habitat is a really great resource for this -- it's specifically for people who have trouble with housekeeping, such as folks with disabilities or mental illness. UFYH provides a framework for getting it done without exhausting you. I also find the way the creator writes to be very soothing when I'm in a bad spot. She just Gets It.

2. Your body
a. take your pills on time.
b. eat on time. don't put off eating. keep small snacky things around -- sometimes easing into eating can help if you get depression frozen and can't bring yourself to eat.
c. keep on the liquids. Water is good, but if you torture yourself with thirst because the only thing you want to drink is soda but you "SHOULD" be drinking water, just drink the soda.
d. brush your teeth every day. I really like the toothbrushes that time the brushing for you, because they take all of the braining out of the task.
e. even if you're staying home all day, take the time to change out of pajamas and put on some deodorant, brush your hair, etc. In lieu of that, just make sure you change your underwear. It makes a difference!
d. moving. Bob and Brad's full body workout for beginners is probably the easiest thing to follow along to -- no coordination with music, the movements are easy, and they take it at a very relaxed pace in the video. You won't get an endorphin rush, but if you feel perked up afterwards, you can try something else next. If you're feeling alert enough to handle a musical workout, rajio taisou is a good choice. It's less draining/performative than American musical workouts.
e. try to poop regularly. I'm sorry. I know. Maybe not daily. But adding a couple of prunes to the end of a meal or as a 10a snack will really make a difference for your butt and I find that helps me feel better generally.
d. Hand eye coordination = good. do you live with someone? might that person be willing to play a game of catch with you? hacky sacks, batting a balloon back and forth, an apple, etc. Other things that can fill this niche but solo include crocheting, knitting, cross-stitching.

I ran out of spoons for this, sorry. I hope some of these ideas work for you or inspire you.
posted by snerson at 8:09 AM on August 11, 2020 [1 favorite]


I'm not sure if my answers count because none of them are strictly daily. Sharing anyway.

1. Every other day, go for a run first thing in the morning.

The first thing in the morning is really a personal thing and might not be the right choice for you. I found that running in the evening did not work for me, I was too tired/blah and couldn't get myself to do it. In the morning just became a habit that I could keep out of routine, without needing to think about it.

The every other day is to reduce impact on knees etc. I'd really like to get the rest of the days filled in as well, with other exercise, but I haven't yet found the trick to make other exercise "default" the way I have with running (I essentially need a recording telling me what to do, which I got in the 5k program, and which I have gotten too overwhelmed to sift through available options in other kinds of exercise programs)

This also forces me to start my day with a shower and imposes some basic personal hygiene standards.

2. Pay someone else to clean my house for me on a regular basis

This obviously involves having the money to do this. However, my house being clean provides a clear, noticeable boost to my mood, I consider the ROI to be somewhat equivalent to a therapy session (my mood charts always show a distinct upturn on the day after the cleaning help). And I cannot keep up with cleaning it by myself, especially when depressed, and when it's filthy it sort of feeds into my depression in a vicious cycle. (both because it feels gross and that makes me sad and because I beat myself up about not being able to clean it. Just removing "keeping things clean" entirely from the list of ways I can be disappointed with myself is worth a lot to me.)

3. Journal

Not long journal sessions, those tend to make my mood worse because when depressed I will ruminate at length, and when not depressed, journaling too much ends up sort of close to ruminating relapse also. Instead, very short journal entries in one of those 5-year line a day type journals. It helps me keep a basic sense of perspective that I otherwise lose, and sort of makes me aware of what I did that day and how I've been trending and that things have been different before.

4. Put on a moisturiser with spf

It feels kind of refreshing and good, tends to make me feel humanish, counts as self care and Doing A Thing.

5. Lie outside, in the sun, not moving

This one is actually the least daily one on the list. But sunlight (or maybe it's the vitamin d?) helps me, and it feels like self compassion to just, not move, and rest, and just feel my body and breathe and soak it in. I like to slowly rotate my body so all of it gets sun.

6. Kind of a weird one but I get so tired of having to think and decide things and figure out what to do and make myself do it. So I use NowDoThis to make myself a small list of small clear tasks and then I use it to order me around so I don't have to think or self-motivate through the tasking and can just pretend to be a robot which is soothing for me.
posted by Cozybee at 5:52 AM on August 12, 2020 [2 favorites]


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