Part Four, Five, and Six

I probably could have included this part three, but it's worth noting on its own.

Get some light! Even if it's only one window, open your damn blinds! You need the light. Being in a dark room is suffocating!

Trust me. Open the damn blinds.

Air. You should get out at least once a day. Why? You need the air. And the light. And the exercise, and frankly, you need an excuse to get dressed and move from the spot you're sitting in. When you sit in the same spot for too long, you get stagnant. When you are stagnant you get all murky and depressed, like a dull pond or a spiderweb than just keeps on growing. MOVE!

I go to the mail every day. It's at the end of our street, so it's quite a while. About a block, maybe two, away. It's not much, but it helps. I think the walking helps too, though I'm not a big walker (I have a bad foot with arthritis).

But moving after being in my little bubble all day is huge. I get dressed, I sometimes chat with the neighbors (though if you hate this, use headphones), I get a little out of breath. I remember that there is more to the world -- and that the world isn't all bad -- than my little room. Taking that fresh breath is crucial, even if it seems pointless, it will catch up with you.

Breaking up the monotony -- can be small or big. Small: you've been on youtube for 3 hours? Change to reddit. Been on social media for 4 hours? Switch to a new website or watch a movie. Couch potato? Switch to Khan Academy and learn something. You'll still be on the couch, but you'll be smarter. Hate the world? Go to Zen Pencils or Great Big Story. It won't fix it, but you might feel something for two seconds and that's something. It builds, you know. It comes back slowly, but it does come back, and every little bit counts.

Now let's talk about the bigger moments.

Move from your bed to the couch. Seriously. Move from the couch to the kitchen. Switch your location every once in a while. It helps more than you know. If you don't live alone, talk it up with your housemates for as long as you can stand. You're building your world outside your depression, bit by bit. It doesn't feel like much now, but it will add up.

Lastly, plan things you want to do and do them, things you are excited about. Maybe you want to try that new taco truck, or go to your local theater. Or maybe you want to save up and do Burning Man. Do it. It gives you something to look forward to, and even if you only enjoy it half as much as you normally would due to depression, you're still enjoying it. And it's super important not to deprive yourself of experiences you would like, just because you won't enjoy them as much as you should. Who cares. Do it anyway. Again, it builds. Maybe this time you enjoyed yourself for only 5 minutes, but next time maybe it will be 30. It builds.

Keep going.

~ Emery