How To Unicorn

Fun and practical tips for living your most magical life

A Unicorn’s Guide to Dealing with Depression

A Unicorn’s Guide to Dealing with Depression

Usually, when you think of unicorns, you might imagine a brightly-colored land with majestic creatures happily frolicking about. You might not picture a unicorn huddled up in a dark cave avoiding everyone and everything because they’re dealing with depression.

Like most people, I struggled with 2020. I felt fortunate to have a job and place to live, but I still experienced a sense of loss, constant anxiety, and dread.

I felt that if I stuck to the strategies I learned in therapy a few years ago, in addition to my regular routines, that I would be okay. For the most part, I was – at least until winter came.

I am prone to seasonal depression and the holiday blues during non-pandemic times. I anticipated that last year would be worse, but I was still surprised by just how awful it was.

There were a few things that created the perfect storm for a super-sucky sad time:

  • Unable to see friends and family because of the pandemic
  • Dark, gloomy weather
  • My husband and I both caught COVID and spent the first half of our holiday break extremely sick, and the rest of the time recovering
  • Our dishwasher broke, which led to our place turning into a complete mess while we were sick

Even after recovering from COVID, I struggled. I missed seeing my family and friends. I didn’t feel like doing any of the things I usually enjoyed. I knew I should talk to someone (like a therapist or psychiatrist) but struggled with executive functioning. I didn’t have the energy to look anything up or book appointments.

After spending some time thinking about what my next post should be about, I decided I would share some of my strategies for dealing with depression. Please note that I’m not a medical professional. If you’re able to see someone, I highly recommend it. (Now that I’m feeling a little better, I plan on booking an appointment with someone myself.)

I’ve struggled with depression and anxiety for most of my life. I thought it was just part of the human condition. It wasn’t until I was older that I learned some people are wired differently. I didn’t always have insurance or the finances to go to a professional. These are some of the things that have helped me cope.

For the days you can’t get out of bed:

  • Invest in some nice pillows and bedding. If you’re going to be sad, you might as well be comfortable.
  • Look up and play some “depression” playlists on Spotify and/or listen to your favorite music. It sounds counter-intuitive but sometimes listening to sad songs can help you feel better.
  • If you have the bandwidth, watch your favorite shows again
  • Small goals: Switch sleeping positions, sit up in bed

For the days hygiene is a struggle:

I try to buy skincare and hygiene products that I will look forward to using. When I’m feeling blah, I feel like this motivates me to go through my usual routine. But there are times I still struggle, and these “hacks” have helped.

  • Dry shampoo for cleaning hair
  • Rinsing with mouthwash if brushing your teeth is too much
  • Have a “night” outfit and “day” outfit until you’re comfortable getting dressed
  • Small goals: Start with doing 1-2 things until you can go back to your usual routine

For the days you don’t have the energy to clean:

This is one of the things I struggle with the most. I’ve found it’s helpful to focus on one thing at a time. If I’m not feeling like cleaning my whole bedroom, I’ll start with just making the bed or picking things up off the floor. I will get to everything else when I’m feeling better.

  • Use disposable plates and utensils to minimize cleanup
  • Kitchen: tackle the dishes first
  • Bathroom: wipe down the sinks and seat first
  • Bedroom: tidy up the floor or bed first
  • Living room: pick things up first
  • Small goals: Start with the room you spend the most time in

For the days you don’t have the energy to cook:

  • If you’re able to, get takeout / delivery
  • Other meals and snacks that don’t take much preparation: lunchables, string cheese, mandarins, apples, peanut butter, protein shakes, soups, TV dinners, grilled cheese sandwiches
  • Small goals: Start with eating 1 type of thing, and build up to eating more

For the days you can’t stop doom scrolling/browsing social media:

  • Follow cute animals and artists, unfollow brands/advertisers and news organizations – or create a specific account for following things that make you happy
  • Watch cute animal compilation videos on YouTube
  • Join and post on online support groups
  • Small goal: Set a specific amount of time for these types of activities

Exercise:

This one is tricky because depression usually prevents you from exercising, even though you know it’s something that can help. If you happen to have the energy, these are some of the exercise activities that I’ve found manageable to do – even when I’m feeling blah.

  • Walking
  • Jumping on a trampoline
  • Roller skating
  • Swings at the park
  • Small goals: Sit outside

Activities:

Another tricky one. Sometimes you just don’t feel like doing anything, and that’s totally okay. If you’re able to find the motivation, the following activities have helped me when I’m not feeling great.

  • Journaling
  • Making collages
  • Coloring
  • Puzzles
  • Watching my favorite shows/movies
  • Reading
  • Taking a bath
  • Calming video games like Animal Crossing
  • Talking to friends
  • Small goal: Text a friend

If you’re dealing with depression and/or anxiety, I hope you are able to get help and start feeling magical soon. I also hope this guide is helpful. Remember you’re not alone.

Meri