Some years ago, I found a wonderful blog post by the DIY Couturier. When I looked for it today, I found that her blog no longer exists. After much digging, I found it on Scribd, behind a paywall. If I thought that the original author was earning a penny off this, I'd leave it as is. However, she wrote it for free publication, so I'm posting it here in its entirety.
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I hope you will share this with anyone who might benefit.
21 Tips to Keep Your Shit Together When You’re Depressed.
by Rosalind Robertson, The DIY CouturierA while ago, I penned a fairly angry response to something circulating on the internet the 21 Habits of Happy People. It pissed me off beyond belief, that there was an inference that if you weren't Happy, you simply weren't doing the right things. I've had depression for as long as I can remember. It’s manifested in different ways. I did therapy. I did Prozac. I did more therapy. My baseline is melancholic. I’d just made peace with it when I moved, unintentionally, to a place that had markedly less sunshine in the winter. I got seasonal depression. I got that under control. Then I got really, really sick. Turns out it’s a permanent, painful genetic disorder. My last pain-free day was four years ago. So, this Cult of Happy article just set me off. Just anger. Rage. Depression is serious debilitating, often dangerous, and it’s got an enormous stigma. It leaves people to fend for themselves. It’s bad enough without people ramming Happy Tips at you through Facebook. There is no miracle behaviour change that will flip that switch for you. I know, I’ve tried.
A friend of mine, surprisingly, suggested that I write something from my point of view because, manage to give an outwards impression of having my shit together. I was shocked to hear this. And I find this comical, but I see her point. I’m functioning. I've adapted. I’m surprisingly okay. I think the medical term is resilient.
So, here it is. My 21 Tips on Keeping Your Shit Together During Depression
