Writing a book is extremely difficult. Writing a book when you’re also battling mental health issues, like depression, is like playing a video game on the hardest difficulty… while blindfolded.
This post is going to be relatively short in comparison to some of the other posts I’ve made, as there isn’t a step-by-step list of instructions that I can give you. If I had a list like that, I’d be a billionaire by now, saving every person from depression like a Marvel superhero.
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I wish I could say that there was a magical pill that you can take and POOF all of your worries and troubles will disappear in an instant—that with this magical cure, you’ll be able to finish that book you’ve long been waiting to finish.
But unfortunately, there isn’t.
There’s just tiny little steps in one direction in the hopes that one day your hard work will pay off.
So, I can’t say what will work for everyone. Everyone deals with depression differently and everyone’s experiences are unique to them. What I can tell you, as someone who also deals with depression and anxiety, is how I try to deal with it when a low coming on. Being a creative during a depression low can be extremely hard and disheartening, so there is no perfect way to go through it, but I’ve found a few ways to make it a bit easier for myself.
Make space for yourself. Having depression can sometimes (at least for me) feel like I’m carrying a small elephant on my back (one of that is very demanding and rude to be honest). So, make space for yourself to enjoy the things you love to do. Writing? Sure, if that’s what brings you joy. But sometimes that’s just not possible with that elephant, so make space for yourself in other areas of interest. I often will try to read more during this time (listening to an audiobook in particular because my brain power is pretty low during mine) or watching a documentary on YouTube. Basically anything to keep me out of my head and distract me from that spiral.
Do not beat yourself up when your spurt of creativity is falling flat. I have a hard time following through on this one sometimes, because as an author with a tight schedule, I only have certain stretches of time that I can work on things. So, when my creativity doesn’t align with that, it can be immensely frustrating.
Clean and/or Feng Shui your space. I work from home for both my full time job and authoring, so it’s very easy for me to clutter my space up. As simple and strange as it may sound, I find that when my space is cluttered, my mind often is too. So, when I take the chance to clean things up, that can sometimes feel refreshing. This also can stand true for the overall layout of my office as well. Sometimes it just feels like I need to make a change and spice things up a bit by redecorating/moving things around. My energy is low during my bouts with depression, so it can often feel like a herculean task, but I always come out on the other side feeling like I took a breath of fresh air. I do it in small steps to not overwhelm my exhaustion, but over the course of it, those tiny little steps make for a more cozy environment that makes me feel even more at home.
Warm drinks and Pleasant Smells. This sort of lends to my previous one, but I will always preach that a warm drink partnered with a nice smelling space can make me feel so much more cozy. I love to drink both coffee and herbal teas so there is no shortage of drinks at my house, but I recently got a candle warmer for my office and it has been a game changer. That reminds me that I need to order some new candles…
Chill Playlists. I love music, so this one felt like a no brainer for me. I have playlists upon playlists for everything from wanting to feel nostalgic of what I used to listen to growing up all the way to curated playlists for every book that I write. But when I’m feeling depressed, I tend to lean pretty heavily into those lofi playlists, just to help relax me and calm my nerves.
It’s not a lot, I know, but it’s something I’m still navigating myself. If you can take even a small fraction of something away from this to help yourself feel better, than I consider that the best win I can have.
