How to feel good again

I likely have a lot to share on this as someone who has experienced depression on and off throughout my life and have gotten myself out of it without many resources or support outside of myself.

Today I’m going to share six easy steps on how to feel better.

These are easy because I know how it feels when you have low energy and lost the spark for life. It can be hard to even get out of bed, but know if you got out of bed today, fed yourself and took a shower, that is enough and you’re doing amazing!

Life can be f*cking hard at times, please don’t be hard on yourself.

Start with small steps that over time make all the difference.

• Write out the things that bring you joy. I ordered a white board and wrote out “things that make me happy” so it was the first thing I’d see when I’d wake up and I made it my goal to bring more of those things into my life. They can be easy to forget when you’re in a melancholy type state. Some of mine included: walks through the park with Priya (my Chiweenie), calling my mom which is almost always full of laughs, writing in my journal while sitting under a tree, flowers, reggae music, homemade blueberry pancakes, sitting at the cafe reading, lighting lots of yummy candles and writing in my journal, chocolate ice cream, taking a hot bath while snacking on fresh berries and watching a funny show on my laptop. As you can see, the things that likely bring us joy are usually things that we can easily bring into each day and at no cost. When you’re struggling or in survival mode it can be easy to skip the simple pleasures. Include as many as you can in each day.

• Movement. You may lose energy or feel heavy because you haven’t been moving. I know this one can be tough at times, but even if it just starts with a 10 minute walk each day, dancing to one of your favourite songs, doing 10 minutes of sun salutations, or just one minute of shaking your body, do your best to move each day and keep that stagnant energy flowing.

• Try something new. Take a new online course. Buy some arts and crafts supplies, do something that will allow your mind to focus on learning and not on the same things that may be bothering you or bringing you down. Refocus on something fun and creative!

• Community. Connect with others and ask for support when needed. Check out meetup.com for gatherings or attend a sharing circle.

• Reprogram your subconscious. I’ve shared some affirmations here with you and in my membership Empowhered I have a section titled Mind Mastery which includes EFT tapping, affirmations, hypnosis and meditations. I also have tutorials on how to create your own tapping scripts there. I believe this work is so powerful. Our thoughts truly create our reality. We might be stuck in a rut and replaying certain stories like old records that just aren’t serving us. It’s time to create more empowering and uplifting stories! This doesn’t take a lot of effort. Just turn on the affirmations before bed or at night. I find that even when I listen to them once a day my vibration changes. You can find endless resources on YouTube as well.

• Take time offline. If you’ve caught comparisonitis, you need to get offline to release it! There’s no quicker way to bring down your day than to compare yourself to someone else’s highlight reel. I know, I’ve been there. Remember that what we see online isn’t the full reality, especially with all the editing and filters now. Taking a break from consuming (and perhaps replacing that focus on CREATING your new form of art!) will be empowering at this time. Be with yourself. Journal. Be present with what you’re moving through rather than scrolling and distracting yourself, from yourself. You should be your main focus right now. You deserve that attention and care. You deserve to be top priority. Give that to yourself. ;)

Remember, you aren’t in this alone.

Also listen to my podcast episode:

You got this love. Know that you are never stuck and you can always move yourself out of any state. Experience it, honour the process, allow yourself to feel it, then move through and out of it when you’re ready. Our natural state is pleasure and joy, we aren’t meant to feel crappy for extended periods.

Know that this is just a journey back to your natural state, and the timing of healing is different for everyone. Be gentle and loving with yourself.

Now go start at #1 and put it somewhere you’ll see it every morning!

I believe in you. I believe in us.

With love,

Krystal