This year, winter is coming – yeah, I know, it seems to come back every year. Sigh. Crazy. *chuckle*
My body knows even before I wake up that the weather is different that day. That’s the worst! Not even being able to get up out of bed and say, “Good Morning”. But this year I was/am bound and determined to not let depression take over my life. Because that’s what it does. I bought me a new swimsuit (because mine is in storage far behind other stuff) and a pass to the aquatic center. It wasn’t that easy though. If you deal with depression or know someone who does, you know it takes a long time for two “simple” tasks to happen. You go back and forth debating, rationalizing, making excuses for, reasons why you need it, reasons why you shouldn’t, etc – all valid and real in your minds eye. But it was after a hard day and I told my husband I can’t do this anymore! I need to a swimsuit/pass. He said, “DO IT!” So I did. I was dancing in my mind. Excited for the potential this suit and pass would give me!
The day arrived when my suit arrived in the mail. I got everything ready for the next days new adventure.
This adventure really comes down to this: I don’t want to deal with what I dealt with last year or the year before or all the other times I’ve dealt with depression. I KNOW I feel good or better when I exercise and eat right than when I don’t. This year I am going to do all I can to fight it. I’m going to fight for me!
I might still need to go to therapy. I’m not taking that off my needs list. But the costs of taking care of me and health potentials this offers me is probably cheaper than therapy and physically great for me. I’m calling my new adventure “Therapy”. Because it is therapy – I feel better after I leave, mentally and physically.
Since I’ve been going to the pool, I have been tempted to go and do more land exercise after I swim (run, lift weights, rower machine, etc). Although that would be healthy for my body, I know me and I would end up feeling that I’m not doing enough. So I resisted that idea and instead I am swimming (which is not really swimming – our aquatic center has a Lazy River which pushes the water along in a continuous circle (ish) – I run that course, do various arm exercises, leg exercises, core exercises while I go round and round) and I work hard in the pool. And for now, that is good enough. I leave and say to myself, “I did it! And I’m proud of what I’ve done!” The temptation to say I didn’t do enough is there but I’m learning to say, “I did enough! And I’m proud of what I’ve done!”
That’s my new adventure …. called “Therapy”. I will be updating my adventure as winter rolls along.
This picture is one I took after my first day of “water therapy”. Right after my “therapy”, I went and got a haircut. I said, “This is a new start to me. Welcome winter!”
Sincerely, Susan
COMMENT BELOW:
If you are in a similar situation (dealing with depression), what are you going to do to keep yourself healthy and perhaps help improve what you are dealing with? If you don’t deal with depression, what ways can you make your life better with health and nutrition?
