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What makes you happy, and what does not? The best way to figure that out is to track your daily activities. Keep track of everything you do during the day. You might also want to note when and how long you did it--as playing video games online for 30 minutes may have a very different effect if it is a four hour session. You might write things like "rode my bike to work" or "watched Netflix". Find a system that works for you. You could keep a small notebook with you or use the Memo or Notepad function on your phone to log activities. At the end of each day, look back over your activity log. Using a scale of 1 to 5 or 1 to 10, rate each activity depending on how it made you feel. "10" might indicate "very depressed" while "1" could mean "feeling really happy". For example, maybe you missed your bus and had to walk home in the rain. You might rate that as a high number on your scale. Maybe you had a nice talk on the phone with your mom. That might earn a low score on your scale. Keep in mind that it is important to be objective and stick with a specific type of rating system since people tend to magnify their symptoms when they are depressed. You may find surprises. For instance, you might figure out you really do feel better after walking after dinner--even though you keep stating you hate exercise. Or, conversely, you keep saying you like hanging out with Tamara but every time you have lunch together you feel worse afterwards. Spend a week or 2 tracking your activities and rating your depression. Then spend some time looking back over your logs. Notice whether there are certain activities that consistently rate really low on your scale. Then make sure to regularly spend time doing those activities. Maybe "reading for pleasure" always rates as a 1 in your log. Make it a point to allow yourself some time to enjoy that activity each day. It doesn't have to be a lot of time. Just set aside 30 minutes before bed and take that time to enjoy yourself. Depression leads to feeling overwhelmed, and can interfere with planning or prioritizing--which causes more havoc and a depression spiral. Having a clear list can help battle these problems. Use your activity tracking to help you. For example, if you know you have a stressful meeting on Monday, make sure to schedule some extra time for something you enjoy, such as reading a new novel that you're interested in. Knowing that you'll be able to unwind might make getting through the meeting easier. Make sure the "to-do" list is realistic. Too many things on your list can end up being counter-productive. Instead of focused, you may get overwhelmed and not do anything or feel bad that it was not completed. Depression can also make it difficult or impossible to complete tasks. Depression is a real disease, not just "feeling sad," and exhaustion, aches, pains, and more are real symptoms. Getting out of bed and taking a shower may be accomplishment enough on some days, never mind cleaning the oven or returning an email. Do not treat the to-do list as something that trumps your need for honoring physical symptoms. Prioritize self-care. A common error in to-do lists is not prioritizing your emotional needs--not just work, school, home maintenance, or the errands. Doing things that make you feel good and take care of yourself is just as important--sometimes more so. Putting time aside to play with your cat, take a walk, pray, speak to a friend, or draw can make it so you can tackle the other things. Once you've started to understand what triggers your depression and what makes it better, you can start challenging yourself to make some positive changes. Figure out what would make you feel better and set some goals to make that happen. Make sure each goal is specific. For example, instead of saying "I want to eat healthier," try saying, "I will eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day and I will cut out fried foods. Create attainable goals. Instead of saying "I will find the perfect partner to spend my life with," say, "I will go to the party that my friend is throwing and let him introduce me to some of his other friends."
Write down your activities. Rate your depression. Schedule more activities that make you feel good. Create a "to-do" list. Set clear and specific goals.