Spirit "lifts" :)

So a few posts back I "came out" about my depression. I plan to continue blogging about it, as I find things that make this path easier, but today I wanted to specifically talk about the things that help me DRASTICALLY as I fight!

1. Excersise.

-I start my morning with a walk, with Ayden! We wake up, eat a good breakfast, and GO! We just go through the neighborhood (so maybe a couple miles total), but I usually feel a lot more awake & happy when I get some fresh air, and get my blood moving. Recently, I've "upped" my excersise routine, by adding an evening run with my hubby too! Again, just through the neighborhood.. but, it.feels.so.GOOD. The days when I'm not able to get out and move around, I notice a major difference in my over-all mood. Get out, and move around! Take your babies with!

2. Eating healthy.

This is HUGE. Even more so than the excersise. If you're not putting vitamins, minerals, protein, healthy fats, (all the good stuff) in your body, you're just digging a hole for the depression to get worse. I'm reminded of this fact, when I choose a cookie, chips, (etc.) for a snack instead of a good piece of fruit or a handful of veggies. (I have a horrible sweet tooth that I've been working on breaking for almost a year now..)! On days when I manage to eat a very healthy, the difference in my mood, just like with excersise, is MAJOR. When I combine the two? Pure bliss!

3. Prioritizing "me time".

-Impossible, right? WRONG! One of the biggest issues that women dealing with PPD have, is that they THINK every time they pass their child off to someone else so they can get something done, or do something for themselves, their being a bad mom. Satan LOVES when we believe that to be true, but most often it's not true. You should never feel bad for asking your spouse, or another family member/friend to take over so you can have a much deserved break. After-all, you can only be a good mother if you're good to yourself too! YOU are just as important as your child, so treat yourself every once in awhile. Go to the movies by yourself (recently had a friend that chose this for her "alone time" and loved it), make a little "mom cave" somewhere in the house so you can escape and do something you really enjoy (perhaps sewing, writing, scrap-booking, reading, or just praying), go for a drive just so you can blare your favorite music with the windows down, get ice cream and eat it ALL, take a long bubble bath!

4. Talking with friends.

-God created our friends for a reason: so we could have someone to lean on when we go through the "valleys" of life. I am so blessed to have the group of friends I do, and to live so close to the majority of them.. I am very, very thankful for that. I chose to tell my closest friends about my depression at the beginning, because I knew I couldn't do it without them by my side. Tell SOMEONE about what you're going through, and do it often! Keeping it bottled up inside does nothing good for yourself, and often times makes matters worse. That seems awfully cliche, and you'd assume that most people realize that, but when depression gets the best of you it's very hard to remember these things. So talk with your friends, meet with your friends and let your kiddos play while you chat, and tell them what's on your mind. God uses us, and our friends to help each other. :)

5. Most important: spending time daily with God (multiple times a day, even)!

-Devotions, time alone in prayer, time with my husband in prayer, time with Ayden in prayer, and time that all 3 of us spend in prayer- all of these are a must for me. I am SOOOO thankful we serve a God that is willing to listen to us 24/7 because I pray around the clock! And I'm so thankful that He doesn't get annoyed with the frequency of our prayers, but rather delights in the fact that we want to spend our time with Him. It's as simple as this: if I don't spend time with God every day, I have a horrible day. He wants us to need him like that. Actually, He designed us to need Him like that! So I strongly encourage you to spend time with the Lord every day. He understands that as mothers we sometimes don't have 5 minutes to ourselves every day, but that certainly doesn't mean we can't talk to Him. Pray to Him while you're playing with your children, while you're cleaning up the thousandth mess of the day, or while you're doing the laundry.. again. He doesn't care if you aren't able to give Him your undivided attention every time you pray, He really doesn't. Of course, it's good to also have time in prayer where your attention IS undivided, but don't beat yourself up if it's not able to happen until bed time.

So, I realize if you're a mother reading this (and maybe also struggling with depression) you understand that it's incredibly hard to find time to do ANYTHING, let alone the things I've mentioned above. However, you can really make it work even if you have the craziest schedule. The results are so worth it, and if you are struggling with depression, you can't afford NOT to do these things. And, 4 of the 5 things, you can do WITH your children! "Prioritizing me time" is the only one I recommend doing completely on your own.. ;)

Our bodies are temples. We should treat them as such, even if we aren't depressed!

I hope that you're able to find time for YOU this week.. even if it's just a quick phone call to cheer you up, or a warm bath to relax you, or eating a ridiculously good grapefruit with brown sugar sprinkled on top in your "mom cave".. while reading your favorite magazine. Remember that you're a better momma when you're taking care of yourself! :)

Healing through Him!

-Abby