Good Afternoon, and Happy New Year. Sorry for not posting, been busy and so on and so forth.
So today may or may not be Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year (currently the score stands at 3 for (This Morning, Virtual Methodist and my friend Claire; it is possible that these sources are connected), 1 against (Wikipedia)). This is the day on which we all feel very miserable, due to having bankrupted ourselves at Christmas, not being paid for a few weeks yet, it's Monday, we're all getting divorced, and it's dark outside.
I have no idea whether it's Blue Monday or not, but I do know that I feel feck miserable today. It is unlikely that this is due to my impending divorce, and more probable that it has a connection with my doctor thinking that 2 weeks ago was 'a good time' to reduce my anti-depressants. I'm not entirely clear that I follow her logic, but she's very nice, so I went along with it, and hey, I can always go back and get them upped again. Once all the people with swine flu get out of the surgery, of course, cos I don't want to catch that. And also I like to get a bit of attention at the doctor's, and she might not have so much time if she has 300 whining people who woke up this morning and sneezed twice to deal with.
So anyway. Virtual Methodist is feeling good, and we're happy about that. Also, on Facebook the concensus seems to be that we're all enjoying the blue skies and sunshine.
Historically, the week of Blue Monday has not been a good one for WhyNotSmile. Three years ago this week was the big Thing With The Boss That Led To 5 Weeks Off With Stress. Two years ago was the Broken Arm. Last year passed uneventfully, as far as I remember, so this either means the effect is wearing off, or I'm Due. Hard to say.
But it's not like I need a special day on which to be miserable, for WhyNotSmile can be depressed on any day of the year, for no particular reason, and in great force.
So here are my tips for coping with depression:
1) Enjoy the little things. Like your new Christmas jammies, which have been through their first wash by now, and therefore can be worn with confidence that this is the size they'll stay, and they can be washed again without losing all their colour, so it's ok to wear them as much as you want. I hate that initial 'new jammies' thing, where you're enjoying them, but you have the worry that Something Bad will happen in the wash, so you don't want to wear them too much because then you'll have to wash them, and then you might never be able to wear them again.
2) Do little things. There is no point in attempting to restructure your entire life in January. The initial enthusiasm will fall away, and you'll be back to square one, but with less energy, and shattered dreams. Save the big things for an indeterminate day in the future. Instead, concentrate on the little things. People always need hugs. Give hugs.
3) Exercise. They always say you should exercise when you feel miserable. I'm sure it's great. Give it a go, and let me know what happens, kk?
4) Remember that sad is deep people's version of happy. Anyone can be happy. But it takes a great intelligence to see the misery in everything.
5) Likewise, valleys. We can all enjoy being on the mountaintop, much beloved by Christian musicians through the eras. But coping with valleys is something else. Sometimes we can even learn things from God when we're not in the middle of another hyper praise song, waving arms in the air, and yelling 'Amen'. At least, I think that's true. I read it on the internet, so it must be.
No comments:
Post a Comment