As if COVID wasn’t enough, the fighting in Ukraine, rapidly escalating oil and gas prices, and the concern about radiation from Chernobyl, the site of the worst nuclear disaster in decades, add to the already heavy mix that screams DEPRESSION IS CENTER STAGE! Many of us have experienced some form of anxiety and/or depression since mid-March 2020 when the world went wonky. There’s been so much loss, uncertainty, and change since then that many of us feel discombobulated, or tossed down the depression rabbit hole more times than we can count.
The news headlines are incredibly depressing. The threat of war with Russia is juxtaposed with over 2 million people fleeing Ukraine, hoping for a safe place and shelter.
The good news is ordinary people and corporations are stepping up. Thousands of people in Berlin recently met Ukrainian refugees with open arms, offering them shelter and necessities – without being asked! Over three hundred companies – including Apple, Coca-Cola, many major airlines, Danone, Dell, Estée Lauder, Ford and GE, Procter & Gamble, and many more – have suspended work and/or services in Russia and Belarus, recognizing Russia’s bullying stance and saying “we won’t condone it!”
The world seems to be coming together to support Ukraine and its fight for freedom. Perhaps at no other time have so many partnered for the cause of freedom.
Yet …
All of this has exponentially increased our unease, our agita. Those of us who live with depression are more often being brought to the edge of the depression pit, and many may be taking tumbles regularly. I’ve stood at its edge a few times these past few weeks, seriously considering allowing myself to tumble in.
But I don’t. I know what the cost is – my well-being, my productivity, my sense of peace. When I find myself standing at that edge, or when I feel like going down on the floor and curling up with my dog (a sure-fire way to trigger my depression!), I stop.
Instead, I turn to one of my tried-and-true depression buster strategies. I call my dog over, turn on some upbeat music, and we dance – well, I dance, and he plays. We both have fun and voila! Depression flies away! Amazing how doing something so simple can have such a profound effect!
As I’ve talked about in my book You Aren’t Depression’s Victim, having a strategy to help bust your depressive mood is a lifeline – and a blessing we all need right now. Dancing to upbeat music is just one of mine. What’s yours? What action can you take the next time you feel yourself about to fall over that edge or feel like you’re going down a dark tunnel? What can you do to help yourself in that moment? It may mean doing something that feels silly. Let’s face it – dancing around the living room, shouting yahoo with my dog looks pretty silly, I’m sure. But it lifts me up and makes me smile. So, looking silly, well, I’d suspend THAT judgment if it helps you feel a little better.
If you haven’t answered the question – what can YOU do – yet, stop a moment and ponder it. Then write something down quickly that might be helpful the next time you react to something stressful. That small action you take could make a BIG difference. So try it and see!
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