A Way Out of Depression
I know the feeling all too well—stuck, low energy, hopeless. Directionless and numb. It’s like I’m walking through a fog, unable to find my way out. I know what I need to do but can’t seem to get myself moving. I become desperate to feel something—anything. Desperate to pull my life back together. But instead, I shut down. I stop taking care of myself. My house grows dirty and cluttered. My creative drive vanishes. I stop cooking healthy meals for myself and my family. I drift into survival mode, where everything feels heavy and meaningless.
I’ve cycled through depression enough times throughout my life to recognize the patterns. It took me years of stumbling through these moments to figure out what helps and what doesn’t. Slowly, I’ve learned that fighting myself only makes it worse. What doesn’t work is judging myself harshly, forcing myself to perform, or ruminating on all the ways I’m screwing up. Those things just tighten the grip depression already has on me.
What does work is simplicity. When I’m at my lowest, I’ve learned to keep things small and doable. It’s about breaking through the heaviness with one tiny, manageable action. Something as simple as taking a shower, stepping outside for five minutes of fresh air, or sitting quietly in the sun can make a difference. These things might not fix everything, but they’re enough to start shifting my momentum.
There were times, though, when even deciding what to do felt impossible. Depression has a way of clouding your ability to think clearly or make choices. That’s when I realized I needed a safety net for those moments—a list I could turn to when I didn’t know how to help myself. It’s a simple list of small, easy actions I can take to climb out of the hole, one step at a time.
Here are some of the things on my list:
Take a hot shower, even if it’s just for a minute.
Drink a glass of water.
Sit outside for a few breaths of fresh air.
Put on a favorite song, even if I don’t feel like dancing.
Write one sentence in a journal.
Take a short walk outside.
Light a candle or incense .
Be in nature.
Dress up a little - makeup, hair, nice comfy outfit. Even if I’m not leaving the house.
These actions might seem small—even insignificant—but when I’m at my lowest, they’re often all I can manage. And that’s okay. Small actions can build on each other. One step turns into two, and two steps can lead to three. Over time, those small, simple moments have brought me back to myself.
This isn’t a perfect system. Sometimes I don’t even make it to the list, and that’s okay too. Depression is messy and unpredictable, and the key for me has been practicing self-compassion instead of self-criticism. I try to remind myself that it’s okay to not be okay. The important thing is to meet myself where I am, without judgment, and start small.
If you’re in a similar place, I hope this idea helps. I know how hard it is to climb out of that fog, but you don’t have to do it all at once. Just one tiny action can begin to light the way forward.
