180 degrees

When I’m depressed the first thing that goes is my ability to connect & communicate. I shut down and spend time cooped up in my room. The second this is my hygiene. I don’t brush my teeth, don’t wash my face, and I’m too tired to shower. I’ll usually wear the same clothes all day. This happens like once a week, most of the time after a long week has occurred or right before a week with commitments that make me anxious. Sometimes that one day should be a red flag. Sometimes, the routine saves me before the first day even ends. Progress, not perfection.

What I obviously always forget when I get flooded in my feelings is that if I just put action into all of those things I’d feel the 180 almost immediately. The self-care first. At the first splash of water on my face, the first layer of toothpaste scrubbed along my teeth, and the feeling of my body rinsed off of whatever sweat and anxiety that was eating me up from the moments before. After physical refreshment I feel mentally able to share what keeps me captive with others. I choose who I share with carefully with the learned knowledge of who will understand each aspect I need to release.

What flips you 180?