In my book, How To Heal Yourself From Depression When No One Else Can, I talk a lot about the concept of momentum – and why focus on this instead of healing actually works to help you feel better … and heal. Here’s the basic principle. When you feel crappy, it’s easier to keep feeling crappy. But when you feel even a little bit better, it’s easier to keep feeling better.
The mistake most people make when trying to feel better is to try to get to their goal instead of moving toward feeling better.
The way you make sure you don’t fail is by taking such tiny steps in the right direction that you create momentum instead of getting stuck in overwhelm/frozen mode. Once you get moving, it’s easier to keep moving. But if you go “too big,” and get buried in overwhelm, you’ll end up not feeling better at all.
I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.
The tiny steps I teach in my book, How To Heal Yourself From Depression, are what I call micro-movements. But since my next book isn’t out for awhile and I know many of you need this pronto, I’m going to share here, now.
Here are my simple checklists that you can reflect on as often as you need. They’ll help you with concrete self-care rituals that will help create momentum so you can feel better … which then makes it easier to feel better.
If you do even a few of these little things, you can shift the energy field in and around you and create the momentum to feel a little better and better … and better.
Daily basics
- Fill up a water bottle to drink throughout the day
- Open the blinds and windows in your house (air and light are huge energy shifters)
- If you have medications or supplements you take, take them all out in the morning and put them in a little dish. Keep them close to you to make them easier to take.
- Reply to texts or emails as you’re able. If this feels overwhelming, create one simple response message and copy and paste it to various recipients.
- Shower or change your clothes. If you can’t get dressed for the day, put fresh pajamas on.
Healthy activities
- Do a tiny bit of something you love. For example, if you love drawing, commit to just taking out your supplies, then see how you feel. If that feels doable, focus on the next step, which might be making your first few marks. If that feels okay, do the next step. But move toward doing something that might shift your energy.
- Get out of the house. I promised I wouldn’t tell you to take a long walk, but how about the micro goal of walking to the corner? And if that’s okay, to the next corner. And so on. Humor me?
- Get grounded. You’ll be learning more about this later when we talk about strengthening energetic boundaries, but here’s a quick tip to start. By connecting to the earth’s surface, you can help your body calm down and be more balanced. Simply put your bare feet on the dirt, sand, grass, or unsealed concrete and chill out for a few minute.
- When chores such as doing the dishes, opening the mail, and more feel daunting, work in small steps — aiming to open just a small stack of the mail or do just a few dishes.
Emotional self-care
- If you feel anxious, try to move, breathe, and eat more slowly. Slowing down in this way signals to our body that we’re safe to relax.
- Free YouTube videos and book: All of the exercises on my YouTube channel and in my book can help you clear stuck energy and feel better. Set the timer and plan to do 5 minutes. If you want, do 5 more.
- Low-cost classes: If you have the desire to do some deeper healing, all of my 90-minute $39 class recordings are available here: https://amy-b-scher.mykajabi.com/store
Additional ideas
- Resist triggers. When we’re in freakout mode, we tend to choose activities or expose ourselves to triggers that perpetuate it; perhaps because of the chaotic energy that drives it. Be gentle with yourself and don’t tune into things or people that trigger you.
- Reduce overwhelm: Limit social media exposure and activities, even they are positive. Too much of a seemingly good thing can create chaos too.
- Shift your surroundings. Your surroundings are part of the energetic relationship between you and the world. When you re stuck, you often become stuck in the midst of the patterns and energies that surround you. These micro movements in your environment can help: move the direction of your bed or furniture, change art or colors in your room, clean up clutter (even if you have to put it in a box to get it out of your way temporarily)
I hope these help. Happy micro-movement’ing.
