Curing Your Depression

If you follow my blogs, you probably noticed last week that I didn't post any of my 21-year-old wisdoms. That's because last week was a really rough one for me. Jacob moved back to Kansas a week ago and I won't be able to join him until I graduate in December. So right now, we're back to being a part, and I really didn't expect to be as sad about it as I have been, but it really changed how I've been living my life lately.

This week I thought I'd do a little "preaching to the choir" and write about the things I do (or should be doing) to make sure I don't fall into a depressive slump. While I can't say these things will literally cure your depression (I'm an English Major not a doctor), I can say these are all things have made me feel better when all I really want to do is lay in bed in the dark.

My dad sent me this picture today and I cried. It broke my 2 day no crying streak. Oops.

1) Give in to Your Guilty Pleasures

When you're feeling depressed, it's the best time to give in to the things you really love and appreciate in life. This week I started by watching some sappy movies like both the "Father of the Bride" movies... then I watched them again. I don't feel bad about it either. I also bought myself a package of Oreos with no intention of sharing them with anyone else (I did share some with Taylor the other day though). Sugar is a must when you're feeling sad, as long as you're not going to be angry with yourself about it the next day. Another one of my guilty pleasures I've given into this week is listening to the Broadway musicals playlist I made on Spotify. I think I've listened to it almost nonstop on my walks to and from work with very little shame. It makes me happy and I'm not ashamed of it.

2) Read a Book

Personally, I believe there is no greater source of entertainment or distraction than a book. The pages of a good book will grab your attention and hold it. Before you know it, you're no longer thinking about what's going on in your life, you're thinking about what's happening in the book. It's an escape that is accessible to everyone, and everyone should take advantage of it. Right now, I'm reading "It" by Steven King, though that's not the book I read this week. Instead, I read a self-help book Taylor bought me for my birthday. It's a book written by the greatest fictional villain, Skeletor, from the old He-Man cartoons. Skeletor writes such wisdoms as: "If you don't have anything nice to say, say it in a stage whisper, then point and laugh,". The book was funny and it made me laugh, which is something I needed.

3) Call Your Best Friend

Today I called Julianna and I talked to her for a solid two and a half hours. We didn't really talk about anything in particular. It just felt good to talk about anything and everything we wanted. She asked me how I'm adjusting to living alone, and I did my best to explain exactly what it was like without crying like a baby. We talked about drama from high school and how lame it was to be so worried about it back then. We even looked at bridesmaid dresses together. When you're going through a tough time, it's so easy to isolate yourself, but you shouldn't. Your best friend wants to hear from you. Your parents want to hear from you. They don't care if you're sad; they certainly don't care if you want to just talk about nothing. They want to talk to you, and you'll feel better after talking to them.

4) Invest Your Time in Small Projects

You might be thinking to yourself, "Emmy, you have a weekly blog, you're writing a book, and you write music. What small project could you possibly be adding to this list of things you procrastinate on?". Well I'm glad you (didn't) ask! It sounds really dumb and childish, but yesterday Jacob and I made playlists for each other. We both picked 20 songs we thought the other person would like. Mine had songs that told Jacob exactly how I feel about him and Jacob's had songs he knew I loved mixed with songs he knew I'd like. He gets brownie points for putting my favorite Elton John song on the playlist and loses those brownie points for suggesting my playlist would have been better if "Life is a Highway" was on it (insert the eye roll and laughter here). Spending time thinking of songs gave me something to keep myself occupied. It also provided a time to listen to some really good music and reflect on how amazingly lucky I am to feel the way I do about Jacob, even though he's far away.

5) Appreciate Your Alone Time

I struggle with this one, because I have always hated being alone for as long as I can remember. However, I think some really amazing things happen when you let yourself be alone. You experiment with the way you look and dress, you take care of your skin, take longer showers, you sing louder, and you let yourself feel okay. When you're not sitting around feeling sorry for yourself you become yourself. I find when I'm left alone, I try on all the dresses in my closet and strut around my room like I'm some cheap knock-off of Kate Upton. I don't know why it makes me feel better, but it does.

It sucks to be lonely, nobody likes that, but it doesn't suck to be alone. The lonely is temporary, so learn to be your best friend, because you're the only person who can truly ensure you're doing okay. Take care of yourself when you're alone, because you deserve it. You deserve to love yourself.

Maybe I don't really know what you're going through, but all these things really help me when I'm feeling down. Hopefully they'll help you too. If you're feeling down and you need someone to talk to, you can always talk to me, because chances are I'm feeling the same way or, at least, I've felt it before too. It's okay to be sad, but don't let it keep you down and out for too long. The world holds so many great things for everyone. Sometimes we just have to wait for it.