Ok, folks. It’s time to get real here. I find that when I get honest about what’s going on in my life, it helps more people. So here’s a little tale for you.
At the beginning of last week, I twisted my ankle somehow. I had been walking around in the park for 2 hours and felt totally fine, but when I got home I could hardly get up the stairs.
I thought maybe it was some phantom pain that would go away in a few hours so I tried to ignore it. Much to my frustration, though, this biting pain in my ankle lasted all week and I could hardly walk.I work from home, and I make a point every single day to get out of the house and exercise. Whether it’s a jog in the park, a yoga class or just a short walk, I need that time outside of my home/workspace to feel balanced. Also, working from home makes it more necessary to get out and socialize with people.
Well – having a twisted ankle made none of this possible. I couldn’t leave the apartment or really even walk around at all for about 5 days. I have to admit, feeling isolated really took a toll on me emotionally.
I’ve heard a lot of people say (especially active people, athletes, etc) that getting injured causes them to become depressed. Although my injury was just a minor ankle twist, and I have no idea what it would be like to be seriously injured, I can totally relate to the feeling.
After going through some serious ups and downs last week I realized a few things that made me feel better and a few things that made me feel worse, so I wanted to share them here.
These tips aren’t just for people who are suffering from injuries and feel depressed – it’s for anyone feeling down, in general!
Injury & Depression Do’s & Don’ts:
DON’T:
- Sit around moping and feeling sorry for yourself.
- Compare yourself to others and assume everyone else is having the best time ever.
- Eat sugar. Sugar makes bad moods so much worse.
- Isolate and ignore emails and phone calls.
- Sit around analyzing your life.
- Focus only on what’s going wrong.
- Give up on moving your body at all.
- Sit around on Facebook all day.
- Watch only mindless TV.
- Think about all of the things you’re missing out on.
DO:
- Try to exercise in whatever way you can – even if it’s just stretching.
- Call people. Reaching out to others is the best medicine in the world.
- Try to help someone. The phrase “when you’re feeling helpless, help someone” is so true. Even if you feel down in the dumps, there’s probably someone’s day you could brighten just by saying “how are you?”
- Use your down time to catch up on a great book, write a new business plan, or work on something creative.
- Write in your journal. Morning pages can work miracles.
- Write gratitude lists. When we’re feeling crappy, it’s so easy to focus on what’s not going right. Focus on what is great.
- Read a little bit of an uplifting book every day – I recommend “Journey to the Heart” by Melody Beattie. It has just one snippet for each day of the year. Easy.
- Drink a lot of water and eat leafy greens. (Leafy greens are like sunlight to the body).
- Rest. Chances are, if you injured yourself, you’re probably like me and don’t take enough time to rest in your normal life.
- Meditate. Sit quietly and try to focus on your breath, just for a few minutes.
- Light candles. Play soothing music. Turn your home into a healing atmosphere.
- Check out these foods that fight depression and other effective natural remedies for depression.
- Again…reach out to people! Seriously, make that phone call. It’s the hardest thing to do but also the best.