What is the Best thing you can do for yourself?

Been There said:
I have been diagnosed with having manic depression disorder. When I feel low and down trodden, I can feel instantly better if I give someone something of value. Elvis Presley also had this illness and was the reason why he would buy a stranger a new Cadillac.

I don’t buy people a new Cadillac, but I will pay for their dinner or pick up their grocery bill. If I get to thinking about my parents and losing them when I was 9 years old, the pain can sometimes be very overwhelming. I kept thinking if only my mom and dad were alive and with me. It was a horrible few hours. I went into the grocery store and got in back of a lady with a grocery cart full of food and a small child sitting in the cart and chewing on a cookie. When the clerk had finished ringing up her cart, the bill was $144.00. I said to the lady, ‘Excuse me, Mam. If you don’t mind, I would like to pay for your groceries.” She looked at me with a stunned look. I said, “OK?” She nodded ever so slightly. When I walked out of that store, I felt 100% better than I did when I walked in.

My Therapist told me that by doing this, it gives me an ego boost and makes me feel people connected. It also relieves stress and seeing people smile also makes me smile. He said that it’s an all around boost to my emotional support system. I do this maybe 5 or 6 times a year and each time, I enjoy it more. I will add that my Therapist also told me that right now this is not a problem, but if I see myself beginning to do this more and more, we may need to have a more serious conversation about this.
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I'm so glad to hear this has helped with your disorder. I may actually try something similar. I am also prone to anxiety and depression, and psychologists say there is nothing more healing than giving back to others to achieve true happiness.

My company was affiliated with the Ronald McDonald House, and when I visited headquarters I always requested to volunteer to serve food to terminally ill children and their parents. There was no better feeling than knowing I was helping to improve their lives by simply offering my services.
 

The best thing I can do for myself at this point is to appreciate what I have, try to stay active and mobile, continue to travel and enjoy different experiences and make sure my husband, who is 8 years younger, is provided for if I pass first. All those boxes are checked.
 
Create something.

I'm in the process of building an entryway table/shoe rack. I'm sitting in the back room of the house typing this, right outside my wood shop, waiting for the paint stripper to work its magic on the finish of an old oak dining room table I picked up for free off Craigslist. The wood from that table will used to build my entryway table.

I have several other projects in the planning phase right now. I don't think I'll ever run out of things to build.

That's what I do for myself, anyway. As long as my health holds up, I'll keep building stuff. There's also some software I'm going to write this winter. It's not the same as building something tangible, but it's something to create.
 
Gaer said:
Well, When an unhealthy thought creeps into my mind and makes me sad, the best thing Ican do at that moment is to
KICK IT OUT OF MY HEAD immediatly and replace it with feelings of thanks, of love, of gratitude for being alive and healthy,
for my kids, for everything! The best thing I can do for myself is stay cheerful and full of expectancy for wonderful things
to happen.
and,
Now that allergy season is over, maybe I can start wearing mascara!
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Great ideas! If my unhealthy thoughts involve a worry that something not so good will happen, I try to counter with an opposite positive thought immediately.
 
Been There said:
I have been diagnosed with having manic depression disorder. When I feel low and down trodden, I can feel instantly better if I give someone something of value. Elvis Presley also had this illness and was the reason why he would buy a stranger a new Cadillac.

I don’t buy people a new Cadillac, but I will pay for their dinner or pick up their grocery bill. If I get to thinking about my parents and losing them when I was 9 years old, the pain can sometimes be very overwhelming. I kept thinking if only my mom and dad were alive and with me. It was a horrible few hours. I went into the grocery store and got in back of a lady with a grocery cart full of food and a small child sitting in the cart and chewing on a cookie. When the clerk had finished ringing up her cart, the bill was $144.00. I said to the lady, ‘Excuse me, Mam. If you don’t mind, I would like to pay for your groceries.” She looked at me with a stunned look. I said, “OK?” She nodded ever so slightly. When I walked out of that store, I felt 100% better than I did when I walked in.

My Therapist told me that by doing this, it gives me an ego boost and makes me feel people connected. It also relieves stress and seeing people smile also makes me smile. He said that it’s an all around boost to my emotional support system. I do this maybe 5 or 6 times a year and each time, I enjoy it more. I will add that my Therapist also told me that right now this is not a problem, but if I see myself beginning to do this more and more, we may need to have a more serious conversation about this.
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Interesting..doing something nice for others is a great emotional booster .. even in small things. 👍
 
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