Yes, I know this got real deep, real fast, however time is precious, so getting down to it:
This topic came across my mind after listening to a podcast about Seasonal Affective Disorder, which is the feeling of general fogginess, lethargy, or depression that comes as the days get shorter with the seasonal change. I experience this nearly every year, and I thought everyone else did as well. I asked my husband if he did, and he said no.
Soo, I decided to figure out what would help me, and I realized in addition to getting more sunshine (even though I generally don’t love the outdoors) and eating well, maintaining my current routines is the best thing for me.
I already have a good number of routines in place to decrease my depression and improve my daily functioning. For instance, i’ve discovered mornings are not a strength of mine. It’s actually more like anytime i’m tired, so, right after I wake up and right before I go to bed. This means I try to make choices to make my mornings and nights easier during the day when i’m less foggy and frustrated. The routines may seem extensive, but the mental auto-pilot i’ve created seems to really help my sense of stability and grounding.
Every night, I set my coffee maker to auto-brew my coffee 5 minutes before my alarm goes off. That way it’s ready to go after i’ve gone to the bathroom, brushed, and flossed. It’s good motivation to get me downstairs, plus there’s less instances of me forgetting to add water or coffee ground to the coffee pot (…both of which i’ve done in the morning). It’s just hard to make the coffee when I haven’t had the coffee! It’s a vicious cycle.
I pick out my work outfits for my work-week on the weekend. That way in the morning, I don’t have to make multiple decisions (pants, shirt, skirt, dress, boots, shoes?!) as well as coordinate all of them together. In the morning, I take my outfit off the hanger and put it on. No indecision, which is a huge morning struggle for me.
On Sunday, I pack multiple lunchbox items: cut up a few apples and make a few sandwiches, so my “lunch packing” on Monday morning consists of 2 tupperware containers and an icepack to keep them cold.
All of this to say, I need to keep up with my routines by checking in with them every once and a while to see if they are still serving their purpose, and if not, I’ll let them go or reconfigure. That’s what helps my depression.