Things I'm doing to fight depression

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-21-2003
Things I'm doing to fight depression
2
Sat, 11-22-2003 - 12:18am
This weekend I am hanging out with my boyfriend. I'm going to drag him along with me to the party store where I'm going to buy all sorts of Thanksgiving and Christmas lollipop and candy molds. I'm going to buy different types of chocolate, in different colors, different flavors buy filling, etc. and I'm going to make some chocolate lollipops and candies this weekend! ;-)

Then, my b/f gets the honor of standing in the kitchen with me while I boil water and melt chocolate, put them in molds, freeze them, decorate them, trim the edges. lol

I'm going to buy enough chocolate and molds and all the accessories to last me for the next few weekends. I'm going to make Thanksgiving candies and lollipops this weekend and On Wednesday, I will make a new batch and send it with my b/f to bring to his mom's for Thanksgiving. And in 2 more weeks or so, I'll start making the Christmas lollipops.

This should keep my brain occupied and keep my thoughts from turning to the aggravation, irritiability, anger and devastatating depression that plagues me daily. Having a structure for the weekend helps and just doing a project makes me feel a little more fulfilled. Hopefully, when I make the lollipops, I"ll be in my "hypomanic" phase, or as my pdoc likes to call it, "my mixed state" lol and I'll be able to whip out all these chocolates in no time flat! lol In any case, I'm deteremined to really learn all the different ways of making the chocolates, mint, decorations, etc. and I really intend on FOCUSING so that I'll know how to do it. Ordinarily, I get ticked off, through my hands up in the air and scream, "I CAN'T DO THIS!" I won't do that tomorrow.

Oh one thing I wanted to leave everyone with. I got this from a self help book and can't for the life of me remember which book it was from. In any case, here it is:

"When we refuse to entertain painful memories and stop providing them with emotional fuel, they lose their power to disturb us."

That statement has helped me out quite a bit throughout the past few years. What is

everyone else going to do this weekend to combat depression and unwanted thoughts?


Christina

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Sat, 11-22-2003 - 12:58am
I made little pink and blue candies for my best friend's baby shower this summer. :) Rattles, baby bottles, diaper pins, rocking horses. It was kinda fun. I bought the plastic squeeze bottle, and melted the chocolates in the microwave, a few seconds at a time. Then did a batch at a time, when I had a few minutes. It was kinda fun! And people liked them. :)








iVillage Member
Registered: 04-09-2003
Wed, 11-26-2003 - 1:29am
Christina, that's so true about powerful memories. My worst habit has been to dwell on

bad things that happened to me. Then I'd get mad and hurt about the event all over

again. This would be years after it happened! Some nights I'd lie in bed thinking about

how this person or that person was mean to me. I used all of this memory evidence as

proof that it's a harsh world and there was no reason to care about anything. My therapist

taught me to not think about those things. She helped me to interpret the events

differently. She'd show me the other person's problems or insecurities in each situation.

Then I wouldn't have to dwell on that stuff anymore. Now I usually notice when I find

myself thinking like that, then I stop myself and pick a happier thing to think about. It

helps so much!

On the chocolate thing: Chocolate cures all! It's God's best creation, besides puppies!

Take Care,

MariaC