1) Get enough sleep!.
Sleep is an integral part of preventing depression. Balance your life with enough rest and play everyday. Aim for six to eight hours of sleep daily.

2) Make Plans!
Get some organisation in your life. Keep your activities organized so that they can come at expected and regular intervals. If your weekly, daily
or monthly routine is planned then your body & mind has time to get used to it.

3) Manage your stress!
Keep stress in check and avoid what triggers your stress (if you can) if not then live in the moment and deal with ‘what is’, if you keep in the here and now, you can deal with the current situation more effectively. Perhaps you could imagine that the ‘problem’ is happening to someone else, how would you advise them to act? Doing this will allow you to step back and see the solution more easily as you will be dis-associated. As when emotion goes up, intelligence goes down!

4) Move!
Sunlight and exercise can help the brain to function at a higher level, energising us and making our mood lighter. So catch the sun, take a walk, do some gardening –whatever, just get out and about as much as you can and build up the exercise gently if you are currently unfit.

5) Choose carefully what you put in your body!
Avoidance of recreational drugs is highly recommended.
If you drink alcohol then be drink aware and moderate your drinking, alternate alcohol with a soft drink etc, as too much alcohol can affect your negatively affect your mood and self esteem.

6) Eat well!
They do say eat like a king at breakfast, a prince at lunchtime and a pauper at night and if you have a good breakfast, perhaps porridge and fruit, a mid morning snack, perhaps a handful of nuts, a nutritional lunch like a soup and a sandwich and then a healthy dish in the evening, like a pasta dish- not only will your body begin to look and feel better but so will your mindset. Good eating habits and good health are important when avoiding depression and maintaining happiness.

7) Have fun!
Laugh, joke, watch a comedy, lighten up, nothing avoids depression better than a good laugh. If you cant find anything to smile about now, then think back to your past, when you did something ridiculously funny, or someone else did!

Give yourself permission!
Just say to yourself ‘Today I give myself permission to let the stress go, to be kinder to myself and to enjoy my day, whatever it brings’ – Give it a go, after a few days you’ll really notice the difference.

To Your Success!
Loran