Time To Enjoy Life

Every day,as a way of avoiding depressive mood swings,anxiety,and low self-esteem,I sit down and write my thoughts out listing what I hope to realistically accomplish in a certain time frame while committing to doing 1 or more activities to help boost my mood.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health,depression affects nearly one in 10 Americans,greatly reducing their pleasure,motivation and energy level. At any given time this negative emotion has caused me to become bored with life, to ignore the meaningful moments in life,and to go to the next day withdrawn and my creative energies drained.

Discovering what changes to make is now an investment that allows me to rest and recharge mind,body to improve the conditions around me.Recently I simplified my life by doing the following:

1.spend the first few moments in the morning remembering to enjoy whatever it is I'm doing- drinking a cup of tea,savor the food I eat and admire the sunrise.

2.sit calmly and meditate on the positive.

3.go for a walk when I'm stressed

4.stretching and breathing deeply while exhaling slowly

Certainly all of these activities cannot be done in the morning but I've found ways to include 1or 2 throughout the day and this has helped me to learn how to be good to myself.Even when this can only be done three or more times a week I find my spirit is lifted,I able to resume my usual activities and the sense of pleasure gradually returns. Most sufferers of depression and stress consider medication for relief from the blues,fortunately I've been able to test another approach that is effective for me and my family.

I see living evidence in my life that balanced positive thinking,talk therapy,and some type of exercise whether it's swimming,biking,jogging,dancing,and many sports can all be the ticket to feeling better,as well as enjoying life.