How to create a depression routine.

Depression throws your whole life upside down and not in a very exciting way. There is something that changes in your perception of time when you’re depressed. Making it through another day can be a huge assignment. It is the first priority on your to do list. Managing your thoughts and trying not to make things worse (by forgetting to pay important bills or managing your finances) can take all the brain power you have left. It was like that for me though.

‘Simple’ things like taking a shower, eating, brushing your teeth are not that ‘normal’ anymore. Depression makes you forget about those things, you’re busy surviving or ruminating. Plus you need to go grocery shopping, go to the doctor, fill in forms for insurance and take your medications! Things are upside down in a way that action doesn’t come easily, planning is exhausting and making decisions impossible. You know you should be taking care of yourself but don’t know how and where to begin.

I got the advice to structure my day. Not in a very big way with many things but to start by setting an alarm for mealtime. I could be so absorbed by thinking or by managing my thoughts through blogging that I forgot everything else around me. I lost a few pounds, wasn’t hungry but as you know you need some fuel to recover, there needs to be a source for energy to come from. So eating is important.

Depression is a rebellious disease avoiding routines and patterns[1]. I’ve always thought I was chaotic… As mental illness is very unique to you, your routine is going to be too. The very first thing I did manage to schedule was my bedtime as sleep is very important to me. I go to bed at 22 o’clock and sleep ‘till 6. It doesn’t matter when I go to sleep, at six o’clock I’m wide awake. I can try to go back to sleep but my anxious brain won’t let me. All sorts of weird thoughts come to my mind and it’s better to get up than to fall into despair.

Next thing I incorporated was an alarm at 10 o’clock to brush my teeth. That is the bare minimum I get done. When I’m feeling lucky I might take a shower, comb my hair, you know, the daily maintaining that makes you look like a human. I need this time to do a little self-care. Self-care that I also try to plan into my day like blogging, reading, taking a bath, knitting, drawing and so on. This is still a work a progress and a great part of my recovery plan. As life goes on, your routine will adapt too. The three things I like to keep in mind – whatever is going on – to help me cope with depression are:

Getting enough sleep and have a fixed bedtime.

Getting three meal as day or whatever number is your go to but no skipping meals.

Set time aside to self-care. This is kind of a must.

Those are the anchoring points of my day. They help me to manage my mood. When my mood starts to fluctuate (between ok and ‘I don’t know anymore’) I can redirect it a bit through those actions. I have something to hold on to.

Do you think routine can be helpful when managing mental health? Do you want to share your routine or things that a vital for you to keep yourself the healthiest possible? As always, I like to hear from you in the comments.

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Notes, credits and further reads.

[1] Successfully coping with depression requires routine.

Having a routine doesn’t always equal making lists. Why making lists won’t make you happy.

Picture credits click here.