It's no secret that it is hard to get work done while depressed.

It can be hard to even get out of bed when you are depressed and when you also have a lot of work to get done, it's even harder. It can be entirely paralyzing and overwhelming. I have been in a depression the past few weeks and I also have to move halfway across the country in less than two weeks. So, I wanted to share some how I have been managing to work, through my depression.

• Break down your goals into smaller, more-manageable, goals.
  I have a lot to get done before my move. I have to try to sell furniture, clean a lot, pack, work on art, and blog. It's a lot if I try to focus on it all as one big thing I have to do all at once, which is what I did initially. That leads to doing nothing at all because it all feels like too much. Once I decided to break it down. I got shit done. Today, I will clean, and finish that art commission. I did that, and a lot of my work was out of the way and now I have a smaller load to focus on.

• Reward yourself and feel proud of what you get done, even if it doesn't feel like enough.

Yesterday, I cleaned and got rid of some of the stuff I am not taking to MN. I got rid of many trashbags worth of clutter and then I blogged, and worked on art. It was all I could handle. So, I let myself relax, watch Netflix, have a beer, and unwind. It's important to give yourself a break. Especially when depressed. So, take it one day at a time.

• Try meditation.

I have been using guided meditation lately to start off my day. I find that using a guided meditation on releasing stress can really help set the tone for my day. I make myself do it even if I don't want to do so. It only requires laying in bed with headphones and relaxing and I have found it very helpful in starting my day in a positive light. It makes me feel more capable of tackling the jobs at hand.

Here is one for stress/anxiety/depression

You can look up many more on youtube to find one right for you.

• Don't forget to eat.

A lot of people tend to forget to nourish themselves when they are depressed. That only makes the problem worse. If you are going to get anything done you need to first fuel your body. Smoothies can be helpful if you are not motivated to make a complicated meal. Throwing in avocado/banana can make it a real meal that's easy to make and ingest.

• Be nice to yourself.

Keep an ear out on your inner-dialogue. Usually when depressed and overwhelmed you will find yourself thinking negative self-defeating thoughts. "I can't ever get all this done. I am useless. I should just give up" and so on. Use this strategy my best friend gave to me. She said not to think anything about myself that I would not say about her. It helped me to realized how mean I was being to myself and helped me filter and fix some of my internal, negative dialogue.

It's not going to be easy working through your depression but I hope these reminders can help you to get stuff done in a feasible manner while you wait for the worst of your depression to pass. Depression doesn't take breaks, regardless of how chaotic your life is. Remember not to push yourself too hard. Small, simple tasks. Relaxation. Rewards. Even if it's a cup of tea, reward yourself after you get a task done.