Getting Yourself Out of Bed in the Morning is Definitely a Victory

How to defeat the war within yourself.

You got this!

I wrote a piece about anxiety and depression. My emotions were churning like waves during a storm. I felt as if my very survival was at stake. There was no bright side to what I was going through. All I wanted to do was sleep. But I didn’t.

I made it through the day and actually didn’t go to sleep until late in the evening. I used my time to read and write. I have a poetry fellowship and I went down to the office. I spent nearly three hours there. When I left, I felt accomplished and the darkness had receded away.

Keeping yourself busy during a depressive episode can help keep the darkness at bay. I call my episodes “the deep end of the pool.” Sometimes the depression comes on when I think about my mother. Other times, it strikes without warning. A battle is fought on the field of my mind. When that happens I either want to sleep it off or bury myself in work. I chose work.

Here are three ways to beat back depression:

1. Deep breathing exercises — Take anywhere from one to five minutes, close your eyes, and focus on your breath. Breathe in and out — slowly. Breathe deeply through your nose, hold it for 5–10 seconds, then release it through your mouth. Repeat as needed.
2. Stretch — I find that stretching helps relieve a lot of tension. Plus, you can do it anywhere — even on the couch. Raise your arms above your head and pretend you’re trying to touch the ceiling. If you type a lot as I do, give your fingers and hands a stretch break. Wiggle your fingers and turn your wrists. Stretching distributes your energy and pushes negativity away from your body.
3. Focus on a task — When I have writer’s block or just don’t feel like writing, I do other things to keep my mind busy. I might check my social media, play a game on my phone, or tidy up my work area. Believe me, there is plenty of things that can keep me busy at my house! The key is only to do a small task, something that shouldn’t take more than ten minutes, Once you’re done, your mind is clear and you can return to your writing.

The point is to get up out of bed and greet the day. There’s so much to do whether it’s in your home or out in the world. That is what living is all about. Depression steals time from us. We only have so much of it. Why give our time to negative thoughts? Get out of the dumps, blow the blues away, and shake off the angst. The world is waiting and wants you to be a part of it.