One thing I have found to combat depression is having things to look forward to. Planning things out in advance is half the fun – but if you don’t actually do them, they just remain fantasies.
So what gets in our way of actually doing the things we love? One: not feeling we look good enough when the day actually arrives. Two: not having the energy to participate and actually enjoy the experience. And three: surrendering to our doubts – instead of resisting them – which may sound something like this, “You really don’t need to be doing this. There are more important things that you could be getting done which would make you feel better in the long run.” (It’s funny and cruel how our ego tries to talk us out of enjoying our life.)
So here’s how we can combat these unimportant and irrelevant barriers:
1) Who cares what you look like! No one cares more than you. If you can remember that we’re all a little self-conscious and self-focused, it will help you to recognize that everyone is always paying more attention to themselves than they are to you. So don’t let your appearance stop you from doing anything.
2) Here’s the funny thing about energy: whether you realize it or not, it’s always affecting you. So, when you feel really tired and don’t want to go out, just go anyway. Because the moment other people’s energy hits you, yours will rise to meet theirs. The key is: you have to surrender to the evening’s events. If you choose to hold onto your dreary mood and “lack of energy” it can, and will block the others’ energy from entering and elevating yours. It actually costs you more energy when you resist having fun than it does when you partake in it. The choice is yours.
3) You need PLAY time!! We ALL do. It’s not okay to justify “going-going-going” and “working-working-working” all the time. I don’t care how much you think you have to get done. Because here’s what ends up happening if you deny yourself adequate play time: You wake up one day in your eighties and say, “Gee, I don’t recall having any fun in my life.” And that’s a real problem! You can’t sit on your death bed reminiscing about how hard you worked, how diligently you studied, or how clean you kept the house! Those are not the activities that bring you lasting JOY and memories that will have made your life worth living.
So keep the big picture in mind; figure out what matters most, who matters most, and where you’d like to spend the majority of your leisure time. Then start getting our regularly to play. Plan it in your day planner if you must – but make it a priority – a habit to incorporate into your regular routine.