18 Life Hacks for the Depressed

1. Always think in terms of good, better, and best. For example, flossing and brushing your teeth is best, but if rinsing your mouth with toothpaste is all you can manage, then call that good.
2. Paper plates and or dollar store foil baking dishes. If you can manage to cook but not do as many dishes, then consider using paper plates and foil baking dishes you don't need to clean.
3. Chewable or dissolving vitamins if swallowing big ones feel hard.
4. A pill container that tells you the last time it was opened.
5. Using a 10- or 15-minute timer to determine how long you spend tidying up your house. Work to the timer rather than attempt to get everything done.
6. Using ride share to get somewhere if the thought of parking or walking is too much.
7. Drive-through, curbside pickup, or delivery to get your medications or do banking. If your current pharmacy doesn't offer this, then consider switching where your prescriptions go.
8. Frozen mango chunks or similar, rather than fresh fruit. Defrost in your microwave. Buying, storing, and peeling fresh fruit can feel like too much pressure and organization (to eat the fruit before it goes bad) when you're depressed.
9. A toaster oven. Using a toaster oven can be a lot less intimidating than turning on your full-size oven. You can line the tray with foil to reduce clean-up. This can allow you to cook a small portion of food more quickly, so you don't have to deal with packaging and refrigerating leftovers.
10. Electrolyte powders. Dump the powder in a single-use water bottle. Use for the purpose of drinking more water if plain water is difficult for you.
11. Batch cooking spaghetti or something similar that you can heat and eat right away, to give you the energy to cook the rest of your meal.
12. Power bricks if charging your phone is sometimes too much effort or organization.
13. Putting two fitted sheets on your bed when you have the energy to do it. When you next wash the sheets, take the top one off to wash and leave the bottom one on. You only need the energy to do laundry, not remake the bed, too.
14. Extras and spares to reduce the stress of losing and finding items.
15. Freezing extra portions in ice cube trays. Example: If you open a jar of pasta sauce but know that the unused portion will go moldy in your fridge because you don't have the energy to clean out your fridge, then freeze the rest in ice cube trays. Or, throw the other half of the jar in the freezer, as is.
16. Baby wipes and paper towels for cleaning yourself, your kitchen and bathroom, and so on.
17. Keep items in your car. You might spontaneously have the energy to use them (like your sneakers) or deal with them (an item you need to return).
18. Using AI to help with planning, deciding, and communicating. For example, to decide on things to do, even within your own city, you can try roamaround (no affiliation).

Read the complete article available at Psychology Today!

Reflection:

Do you struggle with basic self-care when depressed? What helps you cope?

#Depression #Self-care #Tips

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