Depression Diaries, Journal 3 - On The Rare "Good Days," Do NOT Procrastinate!

I don't know how long has it been since I could genuinely say, "It's been a good couple of days!"

Well hello! It's been a while, hasn't it! These occasional, rare good days have been quite difficult to come by. And if you are dealing with major depression for sometime, you know what I'm talking about. It's one of those days when you wake up in the morning and somehow, you feel fresh, more energetic than the day before. There usually aren't any specific reasons behind this feeling good, you just do. And you know it inside you!

But dear good day, you mischievous bastard! You're not here to stay and I know it! I've tasted your deception on multiple occasions!

No, I'm not saying we should all start becoming pessimistic and be negative and be all like, oh what's the point. I'm gonna get depressed again in a few days time etc etc. No, No. Not at all. Yes when I put it like this - The good days are not here to last, it does sound a bit negative and pessimistic. But that's not the big picture here.

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The big picture

The big picture is to not slack. The big picture is to anticipate a time which is not as great as now, and make sure you're prepared for it mentally. The big picture is, this is the most important one, to make full use of the good day and be as productive as possible.

As is often the case, you were probably not as productive as you could have been on the bad days. Probably zero productivity on some day depending on how bad the day was. These rare good days should therefore be used to the fullest. These good days should be used to make up for lost time, if you may!

Do NOT Procrastinate!

We often tend to get carried away, a little overwhelmed on a sudden good day. I have even fallen for the trap to think my depression is all over now and it's gonna be fine everyday from now. This needs to be avoided. I'm not saying the bad days will come back, but it will bro!

So don't fall into the trap of just taking a day off, thinking I'll get it done tomorrow! Tomorrow might not be a good day! You've had enough days off, get your lazy ass off the bed and get stuff done!

And trust me, being productive feels good, really good! If you've accomplished something on your good day, the feel good vibe gets enhanced (its to do with endorphins and dopamine and different neurotransmitters in the brain, not hocus-pocus!). This might in fact increase your number of good days in the cycle!

So stop procrastinating and get to work!

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So how have I dealt with my rare good days!

With everything locked down I've had a couple of tests I've been pushing back for the past week. I wasn't feeling like it! Neither did I feel like preparing for it. And even today I was on the verge of pushing it back with the excuse I haven't prepared, and I quickly realized I was getting into Mode : Procrastination!

So I just decided to go for it and I'm glad I did! I did surprisingly well on both tests! Made me feel confident about my residual knowledge on Respiratory Medicine and Gastrointestinal Physiology! I even got a bit of reading done. This has gotten me looking forward to tomorrow, with the intent of being even more productive!

This is not to gloat, but to send the message,

Sometimes you can surprise even yourself, just by believing in you!

So take the leap, take the first step. Everything from there on is going to be better! Remember,

If you don't take the first step, the remaining steps are going to consume you.

Wow, I feel like a baba or guruji or something with all the philosophical quotes LOL! I'm not going to extend this further!

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Until Next Time!

Stay Safe! Stay Mentally Healthy!