5 Small Ways to Win a Battle with Depression

Some days, getting out of bed isn’t going to happen. These aren’t for those days (and I understand those days, trust me). These are for the days when you’ve got a fighting chance, and I want to help you make the most out of those days.

Here are five that help me feel less like trash on days when I really need that.


Get up when you say you’ll get up. Even if it hurts and you’re tired and crying, a small part of your heart will say, “Wow. I still listen to myself.” That little glow of trusting yourself might grow into surmounting an even more difficult task next...

Take a shower. I don’t recommend a bath, despite all the self-care posts to the contrary. There’s too much of an opportunity to lay there in your own filth and stare at the water like an entranced oracle in the pool at Delphi. For hours. “There will be a victory,” my ass.

Put on makeup. Trick your brain into thinking you care about how you look. It’ll get confused, if only for a moment.



Go outside. Even just for a walk around the block. If you can get dressed, walk downstairs, and get a little sunshine, you’ve effectively reminded yourself that you’re a human being who can do things. Remember to wear sunscreen though, because the sun is a duplicitous bastard who wants to murder you with radiation.



Text a friend. Bonus points for letting them know you’re feeling shitty today. Because you are loved, and that’s really hard to see without a reminder from a brain that isn’t yours. Bonus bonus points if your friend is also sad and now you can be sad together, which is way less sad.



Maybe you won’t win the war (I think Science has to do that, tbh) but you’ll remind yourself that you’re a warrior, baby. And today, even better: you’re a winner.

Tag urself, I’m #textafriend. So much easier than fucking with mascara.