I am obviously a type B personality who has
accidently subscribed to a few Type A blogs. Every once in a while I read a
post that is so foreign to my world and my way of thinking that I have to share
my comments on it – just to put things into perspective. Here is a list from
highexistence.com. I joined the blog, because I did want to walk more and it was
one of their challenges. I do need to be challenged out of my comfortable rut
from time to time, but I also need to keep a balance. Some of these people can
be a little over the top.
Here are several suggestions for kicking yourself
out of a little depression: Their suggestions are first, my comments follow in italics.
1.
Stick your body out of a sunroof while the car is driving
I can tell you first-hand
this one is a lot of fun. If you don’t have
a sunroof, a window works just as well. Speeds of 40 mph+ make the experience
much more invigorating.
OK, this I will never do. I have in my
mind a vision of a low bridge or the sunroof snapping shut and Bingo, yes you
are no longer depressed, because in fact, you are no longer.
2.
Go experience nature Being outside just feels right.
This I can do and it works!
3. Destroy an inanimate object like the printer in ‘Office Space.’
3. Destroy an inanimate object like the printer in ‘Office Space.’
I’m not sure that I could actually
destroy anything. I did have a neighbor that used to chop up concrete with a
sledge hammer, whenever he was mad. No, I just clean.
4.
Dance! Remember that one time you got a bit tipsy and ACTUALLY danced
and didn’t care about everyone watching? Go do that again (being tipsy is
optional).
If I’m depressed, I’m usually too down
to get up and dance. I may turn on some music, as a starter, though.
5.
Exercise
Hormones are the best legal drugs out there. Pump some iron or
go for a run and get that adrenaline pumping.
Now I do go for walks and they help.
6. Watch the sun rise
You can’t argue with this
one. Wake up a bit early and remind yourself how refreshing this experience can
be.
I’m sorry, if I’m down, I generally
stay in bed. If I’m up, figuratively, I am usually awake and up and about. It’s
dark in the morning anyway and the day just sort of creeps up on you.
7. Scare yourself
Are you deathly afraid of
spiders? Go touch one. Pick a fear and go check and see if it still freaks you
out ;)
Sorry I am not going to keep a few
snakes around just to scare me out of a depression. I would be freaking out all
the time. No, looking in the mirror in the morning is all I really need to
shock the B’Jesus out of me.
8.
Run around in the rain
Haven’t you seen ‘Singing in the Rain’ or ‘The
Sound of Music?’
Again, sorry, I hate getting wet. If
I’m going to go out in the rain, it has to be a very warm rain, after a very
hot day and well, this usually doesn’t happen in November in Toronto.
9. Blast
your favorite badass song
My favorites are Bliss by Muse, You and Whose Army? by Radiohead and Without a Face by
Rage Against the Machine.
Again, my favourite music happens to
be folk music, which my husband calls, music to commit suicide by – not a good
idea!
10. Do something outside of
your comfort zone
Now we are back to cleaning again. I
do it a lot, but most of the time it is out of my comfort zone. And I know that
I am not going to do rock climbing, swim in a cold lake, or even take a cold
shower for that matter and I am never going to own a reptile of any sort!!
11. Scream at the top of your
lungs
Like
in all of those cliche movies where they yell in the rain on top of some
mountain… except do in right where you are, right now.
Then the neighbours or my family would
come running and I would have to explain that I was just bored and needed a
release and then they would be upset and I would have to comfort them and say
everything is fine, but they would know it wasn’t. I think that depression is less complicated.
12. Meditate Google “meditation
techniques” if you’re unsure of the best way to do this.
Most of the time I am meditating on
all the negatives in the world and that’s why I’m down.
13. Do something spontaneous
It doesn’t have to be crazy
or dangerous, just fine. Stepping outside your normal schedule and throwing
responsibility to the wind feels great.
No, I will not clean the house naked,
spontaneous as this may be. My motto – clean house, clean mind, take your pick.
14. Practice an act of random
kindness Giving
feels really good. Sometimes we forget exactly how good it is.
This I could do.
15. Get to know a stranger Truly connect with another
human being. Skip the small talk and ask about their goals and ambitions.
I get enough funny looks from friends,
when I ask these questions. I am not going to ask a stranger.
16. Do something illegal
Oh my gosh, did I just tell
you to break the law? Hell, yes. I did. Laws are made to be broken and it feels
great to do it.
Let
me introduce you to our mayor. He does a lot of things that are illegal and
maybe he feels great about it, but we don’t.
17. Drive fast…really fast
Think ‘The Fast & The
Furious: Tokyo Drift.’ If you have a Prius, maybe you should just skip to the
next one…
This is illegal too and dangerous.
Maybe I could just walk fast, really fast and hope that I don’t trip and fall,
then I would be really depressed.
18. Get Mad!
Anger is a gift. If
something is getting you down, express your frustration about it! Just getting
your feeling out can feel amazing.
I usually enjoy a rant now and then –
delayed shipments, inappropriate charges, big business bullying the little guy.
Yes I do this on a regular basis, depressed or not.
19. Attend a funeral It’s been said that nothing
makes you feel more alive than death.
I attend funerals for the sake of
other people, not myself. These are very sad occasions and the fewer the
better.
Obviously, differences in age, sex,
culture, I’m not sure what else, has a profound effect on how we see things and
our reaction to these things. For me nature, walks and acts of kindness, are
better depression routers than dangerous, illegal or disturbing acts – just saying.