How To Improve Your Saturday When You Are Depressed
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The past few weeks I have felt like my depression was getting worst due to several events. One of my college classmates passed away and the same day my cat bit my arm and it got infected. Which caused me to have a breakdown last Saturday before going to Emergency Care. I also began to feel like I could do more with my life, especially after spending so much time on social media.
So yes, lately I have been feeling down. I am lucky to have an amazing husband who cheers me up and takes care of me in these moments.
But this article will show you how I transformed a depressing day into an amazing day all by myself!
The struggles of depression
Here’s the thing when you are depressed: it’s really hard to get the motivation to do anything. Yes, you know that you should go hang out with friends, that you should get out of your couch and stop binge watching Netflix when the sun is out.
But depression makes those simple tasks really hard.
Yesterday was one of those days. First I woke up at 11 am because I needed to catch up on my sleep from the week.
Okay, let’s be real, we watched Game Of Thrones until 2 am. We got the HBO subscription on Amazon (Get one month free here) a few months ago and started to watch the show from the beginning.
And then, I honestly have no idea of what I did on my laptop until 3 pm. I probably was on Facebook and Twitter instead of living my life.
Depression during a Sunny Saturday
When my husband came back from a work meeting in the afternoon, I realized that it was sunny outside. And I knew that I had to get out of the house.
I knew that staying home on a sunny Saturday would make me feel even more depressed. It would make me mad at myself.
I was supposed to hang out with friends that day but was already looking for excuses for not going. I told them that it was too sunny watch a game on TV so I would go to the beach instead. Plus, my husband had to study for a big exam so it wasn’t helping.
I lay next to my husband and started the usual negotiation:
“Nah, I don’t think I will go to the beach or my friends, I’m too lazy to drive. But when you’re done studying we can go take pictures of the sunset!”
See what I did there? I postponed, and I knew that by then I would find another excuse to get out of it. Because even if all of this sounds fun, depression makes it hard to do.
The 5-second rule
Lately, I’ve been listening to Mel Robbin’s audiobook the 5-second rule. You can find it here.
I love this audiobook!
First I was thinking that it didn’t make sense to write a whole book for a simple rule.
But here’s the thing, the book is more than explaining the 5-second rule, it’s about getting the motivation to get things done and change your life!
You need to listen to the audiobook to fully understand. Just know this, Mel Robbins will empower you to do anything!
How does the rule work?
When your intuition tells you something, simply count 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and just do it. That’s right, do it before your mind starts looking for excuses.
So I thought about Mel Robbins and told my husband, “you know what? I going to the beach!” And I did just that!
My afternoon at the beach
I went to Google on my phone and searched for beaches near me because I wanted to try a new place.
I found a cool park only 20 minutes from my house that I had never visited. It’s now my favorite beach!
First of all, there was plenty of parking spaces available and it was free! The beach we usually go to has paid parking …
Then, there was an event with live music which was really cool.
I got to the beach and walked only a few feet away from the path to end up in an area just for myself. From there, I could listen to live music coming from a house on top of the hill with people celebrating something.
It was so peaceful. I set my picnic blanket on the sand/rocks and got In The Moment and Bella Grace out of my bag.
Then I took a few photos and videos with my Go Pro Hero and shared a few stories on Instagram.
I was having a good time by myself.
After playing with my camera, I started reading my magazines and didn’t see the time pass.
When I finally was ready to go home the sun was setting so I took a few more pictures!
On the way back to my car someone who was at the event on the beach started talking to me and we laughed about the fact that we weren’t in shape to climb the hill up to the parking lot. And I have to be honest and let you know that it wasn’t steep at all 😀
It was the perfect afternoon at the beach and I am glad that I went.
After the beach
By the time that I got home I received a few messages from my friends asking where I was and when I was coming over.
I was in such a good mood, that as soon as I got home I told my husband “let’s go now” and texted my friends to let them know that I just came back from the beach and we were about to leave!
I didn’t let the time for my mind to find excuses and hold myself accountable by texting my friends right away.
That night we had a lot of fun and I was glad that I forced myself to get out of the house on a sunny Saturday.
GET THE AUDIOBOOK FOR FREE!
I’m so excited to let you know that Audible offers 2 FREE audiobooks to the readers of Hello Peaceful Mind.
Here’s how you can get your free copy of The 5 Second Rule:
- Subscribe to the 30-day Audible free trial by clicking here
- Click here to get The 5 Second Rule audiobook
- Select Buy with Audible Credit, you should have received 2 credits for subscribing the previous link
- Then you will be able to listen to it online or on your phone!
Further Reading
- The One Thing That Motivated Me To Change My Life And Be Happy
- Learn How to Live a Healthy Life and Love Your Body
- The Best Audiobooks That Will Change Your Life
- The Best Tools To Improve Your Life And Be Happier
- Everything You Need To Know To Stop Stress
Over to you
Did you read The 5 Second Rule? What did it help you take action to change your life?
Courtney - Unfiltered Mama
September 19, 2017 at 7:38 amI’m so sorry for your loss! I’m glad you made the most out of that day. I, too, become so angry with myself when it’s a nice day out and I wasted it by thinking about how I should’ve went out to do something. Some days I’m just really lazy though lol.
Janice Cass
September 19, 2017 at 5:50 pmI’d luv so much to write if not my journey, then bits of my journey. U inspired me.
From dealing with being fostered, placed in a children’s home then childabuse to mother blaming me at 6 til recently. Having to still live in that home. My journey to now having PTSD, RELATING TO YYR DEPRESSING SATURDAY AND GUILT OF WASTED DAY.
TO NOW. WHO I AM NOW, my journey of trying to make sense of the past 52yrs trying to search for snippets of happiness in all that, finally realising I’m a great great person with a few cracks, I can’t fix the cracks but I can’t still do everything thing I was meant to do in my time but I can do it better as u bring so many life experiences with me that it opens things up 2 me. I know my journey isn’t over and some crack still leak slightly, no often . But my gratitude everyday for everything, is getting me through most everything.
Thank you for sharing it was an inspiration to me and knowing I’m not alone feeling like that sometimes, that really helps. X