Dealing With the Blues, Blahs, Doldrums

Have you felt a little under the weather lately? Not your perky self? Maybe you have had a cough, cold or the flu this season and have not been able to shake the fatigue and feelings from the illness. Or you have experienced some changes in your life and are not sure how to process through them. You are just feeling a little down and overwhelmed.

You may not be depressed, but you have some of those nagging feelings. You are tired and fatigued when you get up in the morning even though you are getting enough sleep. Your body is reacting to the emotions and feelings within it causing an overall blah feeling. Your body and mind are not slowing down enough to relax and enjoy the physical rest. You may feel like nothing will ever change, and you do not see a way out of your current situation. This is a sign of hopelessness that can pervade all of life. You lack the energy and motivation to make the necessary changes and feel like everyone and everything irritates you. It seems easier to withdraw from life right now.

I get it. Life feels overwhelming. You have piled everything on top of each other like a sink full of dirty dishes, and it is easier to walk by them than to plunge into them. You just don’t know where to start. You see what you need to do and you want to do it, but you just do not know where to start. First step. Separate situations and feelings from each other. When you lump everything together, that’s where the overwhelming feelings begin. Allow each situation in your life to stand alone.

Do not connect what you forgot to do with what you are doing next and then get irritated at someone else. They had nothing to do with what you forgot. When you keep adding up everything that goes wrong each day and keep carrying it, you make yourself tired, irritated, and overwhelmed with all that needs to be done right. Allow each situation and the feelings that go with it to be completed within the situation. Do not take your frustration out on someone else. Take a moment with each event, conversation, situation, or emotion and complete it. It is that self-talk/God talk that is essential – “Well, that happened. Can’t change it. I learned from it. I can release it. Move on.”

Within tasks that seem overwhelming to complete, it is focusing on the “one and done” concept. Focus your mind and thoughts on completing one task. Break it down into small portions and complete one portion at a time. “One and done.” When you see an achievement, it can motivate you to complete the next step.

Depression sees everything that needs to be done but does not have the energy to do anything. When you see everything at once, it is impossible to do anything. That is what creates the overwhelming feelings. So, focus on one small task, one aspect of the situation. Separate from the big picture. Begin with small daily purposes. Find something each day that brings a smile for a moment. This brings the glimmer of hope and helps you to begin releasing the blues.

(My book, Live Different Moments may help you take some more steps. Available at Tea Story in Upper)

Elaine J. Sturtz

Living In The Different