Do you ever get that feeling where you don’t know what to do with yourself?

Every movement feels almost delicate, fragile, like you’re not sure that’s what you should be doing or if you’re doing it right – even if it’s something you’ve done every day for as long as you can remember.  What do you do with yourself when you feel like that?  When the world around you feels foreign, alien.  When you don’t feel like you’re part of anything.  Separate, isolated, in your own bubble of being.

Depression has many faces.  Some are easier to wear a mask over than others.

Make yourself do something, anything, to try to get past that feeling. Something small and manageable. Make yourself a drink. Have a shower. Get dressed. Take everything one step at a time, one straightforward action at a time. Try not to look beyond the task you’re doing right in that moment. You don’t want to freak yourself out by taking on or thinking about too much.

Having people around can help too. If you can’t face leaving the house, ask your friends to come to you. Don’t start thinking that you’re imposing or asking too much – if they’re busy they’ll tell you. They’re your friends and they care about you, otherwise they wouldn’t be your friends.

And now I need to start taking some of my own advice (I’m always so good at giving advice to other people, but really bad at taking it myself).

I’ve made myself a drink, now it’s time for a shower.