Get It Done When You're Depressed (27 page)

Thank heavens for publishing deadlines. I know my work would drag on forever if I didn’t have a whole group of people expecting my manuscript at a certain time. It’s the only way I can write books and get them on the market. My deadlines can be intense, but still, they help organize my brain because I know that no matter what, whether I’m depressed or well, people are depending on me. If I feel too depressed to work, I know that if I don’t have a deadline, I’ll end up talking with a friend, going to lunch, feeling sorry for myself, and doing everything except my work. That, in turn, makes me a lot more depressed. I feel better if I know I have to turn in a project at a very specific time.

Limits are tremendously important and effective. You can have all kinds of good intentions when you want to do something, yet moments before going out to eat, working out, or going shopping, the immediate sensation often is one of fatigue, despair, and a lack of motivation. Even something as simple as getting off the couch is very hard to do in such moments. Once you get moving, though, it feels easier. The obligation to meet a friend, for example, puts extra pressure on the task and makes it a powerful incentive for you to get moving.

Being open to outside limits helps you get work done. Period. Your goal is to put yourself in a situation where someone or something forces you to work even when you feel depressed. Having an outside deadline helps you focus on what you
can
do instead of what you
can’t
do. When you feel unable to clean your house, have someone come over who kicks your behind and makes you focus on your work so you can have coffee together when your house is clean. Ask people at work to kindly remind you that a deadline is coming up. Put yourself in a place where an organization is depending on you. Do what you can to leave the timeline to others so you can finally have some relief from the pressure of having to do things by yourself all the time.

Here are some other thoughts to consider:

Remember:
When depression doesn’t allow you to be your own taskmaster, find someone or something that can.

Action and human contact can help reduce the symptoms of depression. Exercise is the best way to do both. But getting out and taking action is one of the main difficulties you face when you’re depressed. As with many of your depression symptoms, you have to work to make positive changes when you’re in the middle of a downswing, but exercise is so imperative to depression management that any effort you can make is well worth it.

Numerous research studies substantiate the idea that exercise helps depression. Most importantly, the research also indicates that it doesn’t take much exercise to make a difference. Just 20 minutes a day can help you get out and get something done. Depressed people often feel greater stress and get down on themselves for longer than the time it takes to actually get out and exercise. Remind yourself of this.

A good, brisk walk, for example, is one of the best treatments for depression. You might never want to walk when you’re depressed, but you’ll almost always feel better after you walk. You don’t have to walk far, and you don’t have to enjoy the walk (though you probably will after you start), but it’s important that you get outside and move your legs and swing your arms at least once a day. The more endorphins you can create, the better you’ll feel.

Do any of these signs you need to exercise ring true to you?

When my wife left me, my life fell apart. My work suffered, and I was depressed for the first time in my life. I now understand what a few of my friends have gone through. Before the breakup, I’d had down times, but never a depression like this. It was terrible. It went on for months and months and seemed like it would never end. I would go into the restaurant where I work and knew I
had
to work. I had customers who depended on me. This helped set up parameters that kept me getting out of bed.

That wasn’t enough, though, so I started working out—every single day after work, even when I didn’t want to. Every day. I lifted weights and took a spinning class. Then I started to run. I noticed results in my mood after a month, and saw a definite change in my body after a few months. I always felt better after I worked out. My energy increased at work. I actually started to look forward to things, and my depression started to lessen. It took a full year for me to consider myself fully recovered. I have no idea where I would be now without the exercise. And the best thing? At 50, I have the best body of my life. I now work out with weights three to four times a week and run as much as I can.

I know exercise makes me feel better. It’s getting started that’s the problem. On the depressed days, I have trouble changing into my walking shoes—that’s how nonfunctioning I feel. I had shoulder surgery last year, and that really threw me off. I saw the difference that lack of exercise made within a few months—not only weight gain, but a lack of physical well-being. I need to exercise if I want to feel better. I want to focus on the good stuff: improved body and mood!

At the heart of depression is a perception of powerlessness and helplessness. Action is the antidote for powerlessness. Seeing that you’re moving, working, and getting things done in the moment can combat the ever-present sense of powerlessness depression brings.

Exercise causes an elevation in mood that makes it much easier to keep going once you get started. Many other tasks and routines don’t have this immediate mood-boosting effect. Cleaning the house or paying bills might feel good after you get them done, but in the midst of the task, you don’t have the increased mood like you do with exercise.

Exercise can also help you have essential human contact that may be lacking when you’re depressed.

It’s very important that you set up an exercise program you know will work for you. For some people, going to the gym is a helpful, doable regimen. For others, just the thought of getting all the clothes ready, driving to the gym, getting changed, and then having to take a shower afterward is just too much. Pick an exercise that will
work for you
.

Here are some other thoughts to consider:

Remember:
You might never feel like exercising when you’re sick, but after you do the exercise, you won’t say, “Gee! I wish I hadn’t done that!” If anything, you’ll be proud of yourself that you did it.

The natural pessimism and lethargy that come with depression can work against you in many ways, especially in how you use your money to make life easier when you’re depressed. You might feel reluctant to pay someone else to get things done when you’re depressed. You might not feel worthy of getting the much-needed help money can buy, and the act of actually setting up appointments and taking the time to buy what you need might feel overwhelming. You might also feel outside pressure to do the work yourself, as it’s “not a big deal to do these things!” as some people ignorant of depression might point out.