ON DEPRESSION

this …

I took this picture of myself, by myself.

I was saying that I’ve been learning more about photography to improve my skills for work, but I’ve noticed recently that it’s become so much more than that.
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I was in kind of funk a while back. Some of you know that I have depression and dip into that space from time to time. But at this point in my life, I have what feels like an arsenal of tools that I can choose from to help lift me out of it before it goes too far. ⁣
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The most simple but profoundly helpful remedies are sleep, eating fresh foods, not drinking, moving, meditation, and spending time with friends. Long walks, cleaning my space, putting on “real clothes” and brushing my hair even if I have nowhere to be…all extremely helpful.⁣

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Once I’ve gone through that checklist, the final step is finding new inspiration. In this case it was learning new photography skills, practicing them, and literally watching my photos grow and evolve with see-it-with-your-own-eyes-PROOF that change is possible 💪 ⁣

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Learning is what keeps my mind healthy. That, and consistently practicing the healthy habits I listed above. It all seems too simple to be effective but as I was reminded over these last several weeks of feeling down: I have the power to improve my mental health and shape myself into a person who is curious, open-minded, excited about life, and healthy.

⁣And so do you ❤️ ⁣