When I get depressed, I wait till evening and grab my tent and sleeping bag and a roll of TP and head down to my local park which has a relatively small forested area. I don't bring water or food or a way to start a fire. I do this whether it is summer or winter. This actually works even better in the winter.
I find that a good 18 hours of living with ABSOLUTELY NO creature comforts, not even food or water, oh, and not even a smartphone to entertain myself, really snaps me out of my depression. Something about stressing your body physically seems to do the trick. When I get back to my home the next day after suffering physically, seems to put a different light on all of the creature comforts I have. Just being able to be warm, make a coffee and food, be entertained by my internet or TV....it all seems awesome after depriving myself. It snaps me right out of my depression.
I know it sounds like a weird idea, but I wanted to share this idea for others to try. You may feel a lot better when you get back home after physically suffering. I actually got the idea years ago bc I took a tent out into the forest to kill myself, but found myself actually romanticizing the idea of sitting at my computer desk with a hot cup of cocoa and it made me put off killing myself to get back home and enjoy some stupid simple stuff.
I've had the same experience after spending 3 days in a Toronto police station cell. (If you are a guest at police holding cells you get no mattress, no hot food, it's freezing no matter what time of year and you get a space blanket and no pillow to sleep on your concrete bed with). When I got home, it was such a happy feeling.
I don't know, maybe it's the same reason why people self-flagellate in some religions.
But the next time you are depressed, remove yourself from EVERY creature comfort for as long as you can endure it. Make yourself physically suffer as harsh as possible. I can almost guarantee that when you get back home, your depression will have disappeared and you will feel oddly happy for the smallest things.
It almost feels like a reset button to me.
I find that a good 18 hours of living with ABSOLUTELY NO creature comforts, not even food or water, oh, and not even a smartphone to entertain myself, really snaps me out of my depression. Something about stressing your body physically seems to do the trick. When I get back to my home the next day after suffering physically, seems to put a different light on all of the creature comforts I have. Just being able to be warm, make a coffee and food, be entertained by my internet or TV....it all seems awesome after depriving myself. It snaps me right out of my depression.
I know it sounds like a weird idea, but I wanted to share this idea for others to try. You may feel a lot better when you get back home after physically suffering. I actually got the idea years ago bc I took a tent out into the forest to kill myself, but found myself actually romanticizing the idea of sitting at my computer desk with a hot cup of cocoa and it made me put off killing myself to get back home and enjoy some stupid simple stuff.
I've had the same experience after spending 3 days in a Toronto police station cell. (If you are a guest at police holding cells you get no mattress, no hot food, it's freezing no matter what time of year and you get a space blanket and no pillow to sleep on your concrete bed with). When I got home, it was such a happy feeling.
I don't know, maybe it's the same reason why people self-flagellate in some religions.
But the next time you are depressed, remove yourself from EVERY creature comfort for as long as you can endure it. Make yourself physically suffer as harsh as possible. I can almost guarantee that when you get back home, your depression will have disappeared and you will feel oddly happy for the smallest things.
It almost feels like a reset button to me.
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