Get It Done When You're Depressed (15 page)

When you’re worried and thinking way too much about not getting things done, ask yourself realistically how long a project will take and then think of the time you’ve spent worrying about it. Now think about how you’ll feel when you get it done and especially how accomplished you’ll feel when you go to bed at night. This should make your choice of what to do a lot more clear.

Did you know …

Remember:
The time spent worrying about what you have to do simply doesn’t equal the time it takes to do the project. Save yourself some time and do the project.

Sleep helps regulate the brain chemicals that control your emotions, and as a result, the amount of sleep you get can significantly affect your depression in a positive or negative way. Regular sleep patterns set what’s known as the body’s
circadian rhythm,
and when you get enough sleep, you wake up refreshed instead of having to fight tiredness and low productivity the rest of the day.

Circadian rhythm refers to the internal body clock that helps you maintain the 24-hour cycle of brain activity and hormone production essential to a healthy mind and body. The more you know your personal circadian rhythm and what it takes to maintain it, the better you can control the depression that affects your sleep.

As you’ve probably noticed, getting things done after a bad night’s sleep can be extremely difficult even when you’re not depressed. Trying to get on with your daily tasks when you’re tired
and
depressed can be nearly impossible. Regulating your sleep schedule can directly affect your productivity in a positive way.

To find what works for you, you must first figure out which sleep problems are caused by depression and which ones are the product of work worries, relationship problems, or having too much to do. Examine what problems come and go depending on your mood. If you’re normally a high-energy person and you suddenly see no point in getting out of bed or if you find you can’t sleep at all due to tossing and turning, these might be signs that the sleep issues are depression-related. If your sleep problems are around even when your mood is more stable, these are the areas more under your control. Look to change those areas first.

Do you recognize any of these signs of depression-related sleep problems?

I have eight-year-old twins. When they have a slumber party, they are really noisy and never want to go to sleep. I try hard to remember that they’re just little girls and this is normal, but on my down days, it just feels like too much.

I talked with my nurse practitioner about this and she had an amazing idea. She explained that all the light from the bright rooms and the DVDs the girls watch, along with the junk they eat, can cause a lot of pent-up energy. She suggested that one hour before bed, I turn off all the lights in the girls’ room and light candles. The kids
love
this. I then heat some washcloths and sprinkle them with lavender oil. The kids lie on the floor and put the lavender-infused cloths over their faces. I tell them to just lie there and breathe in the great smell, and I do this, too. We are then in this fabulous low-light room filled with the scent of lavender. The girls’ energy has completely changed by time we’re done. I say, “Keep relaxed when you get into bed and talk in really low voices.” I then read them a story and they fall asleep so much more easily. This helps me sleep a lot better as well.

When I’m depressed, I wake up around 4 in the morning and start to worry. All the things I know I should have done the day before and all the things I have to do that day start to swirl in my head. I worry about things much more than I need to. I go over conversations and have to deal with the stress of not having enough sleep. I’m not the type of person to sleep too much when I get depressed, but I do have trouble getting
enough
sleep.