Good Tuesday morning to you! And welcome to Summer ❤

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a Truthy Tuesday actually ON Tuesday, but today I finally managed to do so :) It’s been a rough 2016 for me so far, but I’m still here and some days, that is an accomplishment in and of itself!

Last week was one of the first weeks in a long time (6+ months) that I didn’t feel acutely aware of my depression. I’m not sure what’s making the difference (a combination of things that I’ve been trying to do differently, I’m sure), but I’m so thankful for the progress, no matter how small. This improved mental state even regenerated a little creativity that had been lost.

Having to re-learn this whole life thing is teaching me a lot. I’ve been a little quiet (or a lot quiet sometimes) during this time while I sort out things because it’s hard to be present in the world when you’re not even fully present within yourself. But I wanted to write today because number one, I had the energy to do so, and also because I really want to keep this mental health dialogue going.

You often see success stories of people who have “overcome” their depression or other mental health issue, but what got them there? What was it like on that road to being “better”? Everyone’s journey is different no doubt, but one thing is for sure, it is NOT an easy one.

What’s been helping me? Honestly I’m not 100% sure that I can pinpoint exact reason(s). But I have been trying to do several things differently. Awareness really does help. So I sincerely encourage you to get help if you think you may be suffering with any kind of mental illness. It’s amazing how many things we may do to unintentionally sabotage ourselves, just by simply being unaware. Since being made aware of how my brain works, it really has helped me to be more careful with what I feed it. Because I am more prone to negative spirals, I have begun to really pay attention to what triggers the shift to a negative mental space, and conversely, what helps me to feel better, if even for a moment.

One thing that I can say for sure that has helped (and this totally deserves its own post) is spending much less time on social media. For a highly sensitive person, already prone to depression, too much social media is the worse. Not only is it a time-waster, but in addition to the passage of time, I was feeding my brain with things that only made me feel worse.

You should be doing more.

Why aren’t you doing xyz with your life.

Why aren’t you working out.

Why aren’t you eating healthy.

That’s why you’re fat.

Why are so xyz.

You’re not good enough.

Writing that was hard, but that is exactly what was going on in my mind. So limiting the time I spend there, the amount of people I follow, eliminating certain platforms, and not joining others, has definitely helped. So if you notice my inactivity/non-responsiveness, there’s your reason why :)

There are so many articles out there with helpful tips for coping, but the fact remains that nothing is 100% effective across the board. Which sucks. There will always be an element of trial and error in everyone’s case and that’s where I am. Some things have been helpful, others have not. But I’m trying, and honestly, that is the most important thing. I haven’t given up and I’m thankful to my family and friends for their support.

I didn’t really have a true point to today’s post, I guess it was more of an update… There’s always so much more to talk about on this topic, but I need to stop making these posts novel length lol.

Please feel free to comment and let me know what has helped you if you are also coping with depression.

I hope you have a wonderful Tuesday ❤

-Danni