Was asked recently what helps with my depression. Listing them helps me remember. These below are mostly quick pick me ups. I’ll be adding detail to this list. 

1. The right breakfast. It’s taken decades for me to find the right kind of brekkie to have in the UK. Given how difficult it often is for me to get out of bed, knowing that all I have to do is pour some cereal into a bowl helps. Immensely. I used to lie in bed for hours l getting hungrier and hungrier and despairing about there being nothing I could do about this. Now, I actually want to eat this cereal, and it’s not bad for me. I also like Rude Health’s Brown Rice Milk, even on its own. 

2. Shower gel that smells happy. I respond really well to a rather strong smelling sporty shower gel. Another thing that rewards me for standing up. Not the best in terms of eco and natural ingredients – I used to love the gentle Rose and Cardamom one from Aesop – but Molton Brown Eucalyptus works for me. Shower gel doesn’t have to be pricey. I used to be into Imperial Leather soap.

3. Playlist – I follow Kaya Cansfield on Spotify. More on her in a bit. I’ve compiled some of my fav Kaya tunes. It’s a work in progress. Many are problematic in terms of lyrics but music makes me happy quickly. 

4. Psycle spin class with Kaya Cansfield. Not cheap, hard work, involves travel etc. but this pretty much saves me. I can lie in bed crying but I know that forcing myself to class will help immensely. There’s core work, arm weights and fantastic self belief chat. It helps me to feel in my body & I like being physically stronger. And I LOVE knowing that people like Kaya are out there. Meet her and you’ll see what I mean. Wholehearted generous beauty. 

5. Having a bath. I love water and I love being warm. 

6. Hanging out with animals. I have a Borrow My Doggy dog to hang with and I discovered Vauxhall City Farm which is ace.  Not as easy to organise as having a shower but. I might look into therapy animals too.

7. IGNORE SUGAR AND CAFFEINE. Fastest way for me to feel sad and awful is having anything sugary. I get palpitations and feel the crash horribly. I do keep eating Asian food and food with sugar in sauces because if I didn’t eat Asian food that would be horrible. For sweetness there’s dates, honey, peanut butter, and rice milk and err. Yeah, I don’t have a sweet tooth which helps. I also ignore alcohol because it’s a depressant. 

8. Yin yoga – stretches. If I can’t do a lot of moving, just getting into a position and holding it helps. Like hanging over to touch my feet. Or lying on my back with legs at 90 degrees. Or child’s pose. Emma Peel is a super yin teacher. Or there’s a book or app called Serenity Yin Yoga. Or there’s free videos on YouTube. 

9. Buddhify app. 

10. Podcasts – Page One, Meg John and Justin.