How to find joy in moments...of depression

How to find joy in moments...of depression

November is a deadly month: gray, leaden, dedicated to the deceased, and, to make matters worse, it is one of the busiest months of the year. I suspect this: the antipathy felt by many towards the Christmas holidays results from the fact that, the month before, they have made an indigestion of work and duties. And, more, the lack of sunshine has on us the effect of a superquick train that passes over us with all of its carriages.

                                     Chocolate, in small quantities, is strongly anti-depressive ...

How to recover in times of deprime, as the French call it, or frankly depressing, as we say? Work, school, gray weather, interpersonal difficulties, disappointments, health problems .... Anything can help to get a little depressed. I provide here some ideas that might be useful to cure melancholy or mild depression (for the serious one, we need a doctor). In fact, they are things we know: but it is useful to remember them, because we tend to forget them in times of need. So here is my list of "life-saving" activities: everyone can adapt it to suit hs/her taste and characteristics.

Cooking: one of  (at least for me) the most rewarding and anti-depressive activities is cooking (that's how I filled with recipes, especially desserts, the pages of my blog ...). Cooking is highly creative, practical, concrete and fun, even when you burn the cake in the oven! Note: I wrote "cook", not "eat." Eating when you are depressed can be a double edged sword, leading to binges and to accumulate weight, as to unhealthy habits. Instead cooking  is much more creative, active, not passive: it puts you in action, rather than keeping you lying on the sofa like salamis; it is a means to provide the best of you to others. Use well your hands and ability to prepare something good; in all senses.

Tidying up: tidying up the house or doing housework may seem a burden, but in some cases and, if chosen according to your character, houseworks are highly relaxing: in fact, in the end, you can look around yourself with satisfaction, because a small slice of the world has improved its appearance thanks to you. Tidying up is also highly therapeutic: it promotes mental clarity and is a kind of purification. After the reorganization, you feel more serene and lucid. Marie Kondo, the author dedicated to this subject, has made a fortune with this mantra: and I am sure that the poor bear who stands that pest of Masha hangs in because he's a perfect "house-bear", used to keep his house impeccably (then Masha arrives...).

Sport and physical activity: I do not need to say it, because I live in the middle of a sport-scientific high school (so much so that I had to start doing physical activity too). Needless to say, sports raise the metabolism, eliminate the sense of lethargy, raise the level of endorphins (responsible for our feelings of pleasure), improve health, fight depression etc. etc. etc.

Walking in nature: nature is a source of beauty and communicates peace and serenity, or at least positive feelings. Walking in silence, admiring a view, waiting for the sunset, are small gestures but they can insert something beautiful in our lives, making us more aware of the beauty around us.

Windowshopping: this is the English definition, which has no analogues in Italian; it comes to shopping ... without buying anything, but admiring the shop windows. Since there is compulsive buying (as well described by Sophie Kinsella), my advice in case of melancholy is to do window shopping. It costs nothing, no one among your relatives will accuse me of pushing you to compulsive buying, and it fills your eyes with many beautiful things. Learning to look, to discover, to admire, to enjoy disinterestedly the things surrounding us is highly therapeutic.

                                   Bach is the most "anti-depressant" musician that I know.
                                       
Music (especially classical one) has a great power over our state of mind; but it must be beautiful music, soothing (not heavy metal!). In military units on mission listening to classical music, for example, helps to protect soldiers against traumatic stress syndrome. I recommend especially the most evocative and melodic music, that elicits positive feelings: in particular classical music, but also the one for movies (some soundtracks are wonderful) and not a few pop songs. Everyone has his /her own taste, however, in the field of classical music I recommend Bach, first of all, Chopin, Beethoven, Sibelius, Smetana, Liszt, Schumann and the baroque and romantic music in general; for film music (which comes from the romantic symphonic poem), the best and most "soothing" soundtracks are those by Ennio Morricone and Hans Zimmer, James Horner, Nicola Piovani etc. (it continues)