TO WRITE: What little things help?
If someone recently diagnosed with depression were to ask you what helps you cope, what would you say? Chances are you'd mention medicines, therapy, maybe ECT. But what other "little" things help you on those tough days too?
For me, talking with friends (especially those who personally know depression) over coffee often helps. Also on my list are browsing bookstores, looking at magazines, petting my cat Onyx, chocolate (in moderation!), exercise -- even a little bit such as a walk -- and, of course, sitting down and writing.
Play with this...
Make a list of things that ease your depression. Then choose one or two and describe them in detail. What do you do? How does it really feel? Why do you think it helps? Write continuously for 15 minutes. Perhaps you'll develop new appreciation of these activities or find new ideas.
Beth
About Me
- Elizabeth Maynard Schaefer, Ph.D.
- My book, WRITING THROUGH THE DARKNESS: EASING YOUR DEPRESSION WITH PAPER AND PEN, was published by Celestial Arts in June 2008. I've been a science journalist, textbook editor and author, poet, memoirist, creative writing instructor and -- sometimes -- a bipolar depressed person, since earning my Ph.D. in biology at Stanford University in 1991. For the past ten years, I've combined my interests in writing and mental health by teaching creative writing to other people with mood disorders in a class meeting at Stanford's Psychiatry Department. I speak on mental health topics, both personal and professional, to a wide variety of groups.
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