5 Things To Do if You Are Feeling Depressed in the Morning
Are you finding that more and more you are feeling depressed in the morning? Is the current stay at home situation making it difficult for you to not feel full of hopelessness and despair.
Or perhaps, even before all of this started, you found yourself waking up and feeling depressed in the morning, which tended, more often than not, to sabotage your day?
Waking up and feeling depressed is a horrible thing. It messes with the rest of our day and makes us miss out on a whole lot of living.
So, what do you do if you are feeling depressed in the morning?
#1 – GET OUT OF BED.
The most important thing to do if you are feeling depressed in the morning is to GET OUT OF BED.
The emphasis that I put on this small action is because it is so important.
When we are depressed, our inclination is to stay in bed, under the warm covers. And yes, sleep feels really good when we are depressed but the toxic thoughts that rear their ugly head are not.
When you are feeling depressed in the morning and you can ‘ t get up the energy to get out of bed, do your thoughts go to dark places? Do you start ruminating about everything that is wrong with your life? Do you think about what a loser you are? How you will always be alone? How lazy you are that you can ‘ t even get out of bed?
The longer that you stay in bed, listening to those damaging thoughts in your head, the more depressed you will get. So, get out of bed.
How? I have a number of friends who have some great ideas about how to get out of bed and stay out of bed. Get out of bed to go to the bathroom and then strip your bed of your sheets. Or remove the mattress from the box spring. Or cover your bed with junk. Whatever it takes so that you will not sink yourself back into that cozy den of dark thoughts.
So, GET OUT OF BED. If you don’t, your depression will definitely stay with you for the rest of the day, if not longer.
#2 – Take a shower.
Believe it or not, taking a shower can be an excellent cause for some relief if you are feeling depressed in the morning.
There are a few reasons why. The first is that taking a shower is something that people do on a day that is going to be productive – i.e. when they are seeing friends or going to work. Taking a shower will send a signal to your brain that today is not a day to stay home depressed but to go out in the world, whether you need to or not.
Also, scientific research has shown that hot (and cold) water can be a great anti-depressant. I know that a hot shower, with a cold rinse, or a hot bath can make all the difference for me on a depressed day.
So, take a shower. Wash your hair. Get yourself presentable and ready for your day!
#3 – Eat Breakfast.
I know. You are depressed and the last thing in the world that you want to do is eat anything, much less breakfast.
Eating when you are depressed is an essential tool for lifting your depression. Your body, and your brain, doesn ‘ t function optimally when it has no fuel. When you wake up in the morning and your fuel tank is on empty, the chances of you jumping out of bed and feeling 100% are slim to none.
So, after your shower, put something in your stomach. Something that will give your brain and your body the energy to face the day and get you out of the house and living.
#4 – Do something that makes you happy.
Once you are up, bathed and fed, the goal of your day should be to do at least one thing that makes you happy.
Whether it ‘ s watching a TV show, hanging out with a friend, taking your dog for a walk or having a hot bath, doing even one thing that makes you happy will raise your dopamine levels which in turn will alleviate your depression, even if for a brief time.
The very best thing that you could do for yourself, even if it ‘ s not one of your favorites, is to get some exercise. Exercise, of any kind, raises your dopamine levels and dopamine is essential for mood health. So, if you can get out there and walk or run or dance, you will be glad you did.
#5 – Believe that this will pass.
When we are depressed, it ‘ s very easy for us to believe that this will never pass, that we will always be depressed. When you are in the middle of a depression, the future always looks bleak.
What I am here to tell you is that, from the perspective of someone who isn ‘ t depressed, your world will get better. That the things that are making you feel so down today will not necessarily make you feel horrible tomorrow. If you can just get through this day then chances are that tomorrow, or the next day, your depression will pass and you will be happy again.
Of course, if you find that your depression isn ‘ t passing, or that it ‘ s getting worse, it ‘ s important that you get help.
There are different types of depression and some of them don ‘ t get better without treatment. In fact, some of them get worse the longer they go untreated. So, if you find yourself feeling depressed in the morning but find that your depression is not getting better, reach out to your primary doctor and let them help you get through this.
Feeling depressed in the morning is not fun. After a good night ‘ s sleep, before the day begins, one hopes to have just a few moments of peace to enjoy the corner of the world in which we live. When we are depressed, those moments of peace are stolen from us.
So, if you are feeling depressed in the morning, get out of bed, take a shower, eat some breakfast, do something that you love to do and have some hope. Depression is horrible but it doesn ‘ t have to ruin your life.
Do the things that you need to do NOW to manage your depression before it gets worse!
If you have made this far you must really be feeling depressed in the morning.
Let me help you, NOW, before your depression gets worse.
Email me at [email protected], or click here, and let ‘ s get started.
I am a NYC based Certified Life Coach and mental health advocate. My writing has been published on The Huffington Post, Prevention, Psych Central, Pop Sugar, MSN and The Good Man Project, among others. I work with all kinds of people to help them go from depressed and overwhelmed to confident and happy in their relationships and in their world.
