When you are suffering from depression, it can be hard to find motivation. Even just doing small, everyday things can feel like a chore that seems impossible to complete. It’s not that we are being lazy, we just can’t bring ourselves to do the things we need to do.

The inner voices in our heads seem to tell us we need to get X amount of stuff done during one day or we aren’t successful or doing things right. Instead of putting this pressure on ourselves, however, which only adds to depression, we can take small steps each day that can help us feel happier.

Here are three positive steps we can take towards overcoming depression.

1. Break Up Your “Chores” Into Smaller Tasks Throughout The Week

It can be hard not to feel overwhelmed when we have a laundry list—and a laundry basket!—full of things we need to complete. Wash the clothes, fold and put away the clothes, dishes, make dinner—our list of things we need to get done can feel never-ending. When we can’t seem to find the motivation to get these things done, it can worsen our depression.

Instead of trying to do everything all at once, break up your to-do list over a few days. Give yourself grace when you can only complete a certain amount during the day. If all you can manage is unloading the dishwasher and throw the clothes in the dryer one day, then that’s all you can complete. There is nothing to be ashamed of when you can only work on  so much during 24 hours. 

Not only will getting smaller things done each day improve your mood by getting you to move around, but you will also feel good seeing that you were able to complete a task. Your house will be one step closer to being all picked up too. Plenty of research shows that decluttering and cleaning up, even when you don’t want to, can improve your mood! 

2. Practice At Least One “Self-Care” Moment A Day

Self-care isn’t just hopping in the bubble bath with a glass of wine or a good book. It’s not just putting a mud mask on or doing our nails. Sometimes, self-care just boils down to doing one small thing we enjoy a day.

Whether your self-care moment is reading a book, taking a hot bubble bath, or picking up a craft to do, it doesn’t matter. Among everything else that depression causes, lack of interest in our hobbies or activities we once loved can happen too. So when we aren’t participating in something we love to do, it can ultimately cause us more stress.

Start small. You don’t have to spend hours at a time doing something to get the benefits of it. Even if you only spend five minutes with a book you have been trying to read or go out to your garden for ten minutes and give your plants a good drink, do it anyway. It’s not about the time you spend—it’s that you are doing it! 

By practicing one small self-care moment, no matter what that may be, you’ll likely find that you are just a little more refreshed and happier than you were before.

3. Give Yourself Grace

The hardest thing with depression is that we are so harsh on ourselves and our own worst enemy. We tend to criticize and judge ourselves harshly, which not only makes us feel bad about ourselves but can worsen our depression symptoms.

When we are going through depressive states, it can be hard to just tell our inner critic to shut up. It can be hard for us to accept that we are going through another depressive state. We don’t want to be in this state of mind, but we can’t help it.

Try to counteract the negative critic in your mind’s voice by giving yourself grace. It helps to say, at the end of the day, “I know I did the best I could today and that’s all that matters. I’ll try again tomorrow.” So you’ll wake up tomorrow and try again. 

―

By practicing these three things every day, you can make strides to overcome your depression and find greater clarity. You don’t have to spend a lot of time practicing these habits, but being consistent each day can help you to get on your way to a better state of mind.

If you’re interested in learning more about my approach to therapy, please read more about depression treatment and connect with me soon.