Read this if You Have Trouble Sticking to Healthy Habits

“I’ve tried some stuff, I just can’t seem to stick to anything.”

I hear this, or some version of this, whenever I talk to someone new about her struggles with depression.  In particular, her struggles with taking care of her health and wellbeing during - and in between - times of depression.

Most of the women I talk to know, or at least have some basic understanding, of the importance of taking care of themselves.  They know that eating well, exercising, and reducing stress can help improve their mood and prevent depressive episodes.  And thanks to social media, women are bombarded with more messages about the importance of “self care” than ever before.

However, even though women are constantly being told they should engage in “self care,” they often get zero guidance on how to actually get started - and stick to - a self care routine.

Through years of living with depression and coaching others with depression, I’ve learned the most important things you need to know to stick to a self-care routine:

1. Mold your self-care to your mood and energy
   You may not be able to do your favorite high-energy activities on lower-energy days.  Have a few go-to self care activities that you like for all energy levels, like a favorite restorative yoga video or meditation recording for low energy days and a favorite running route for higher energy days.
   
   
2. Choose doable habits that you like
   Don’t set out to change every single thing at once - it’s not sustainable.  Instead, pick one or two small habits to introduce into your routine, and then take more on once those have become second nature. Oh, and please don’t choose things you hate.  Healthy habits should be enjoyable and feel good.
   
   
3. Prioritize your mental health
   We all have the same number of minutes in the day.  In order to be successful, you have to dedicate some of them for yourself.  If your schedule is jam-packed, schedule your self-care activities in advance and make them non-negotiable.  Remember, if you’re not taking good care of yourself, you can’t take care of anything else.
   
   
4. Believe in the process
   For a habit to stick, you have to believe that you can make it stick - at least some of the time.  Depression makes it hard to be sunshine and roses all the time, but try to stay hopeful and optimistic in your ability to improve your health and your mood with small steps.
   
   
5. Enlist support
   It’s difficult to make all of these changes, especially when your mood tends to fluctuate.  That’s why it’s so important to find people you can rely on to keep you grounded and support you through your lower times.  I also recommend finding a community of women with depression who have the same goals you do.  If you're looking to start treating yourself better and stay more consistent with your self care, my group is a great place to start.  Click here to join us - we'd love to have you!
   
   
6. Stay compassionate
   The most important part of caring for yourself is staying compassionate and loving towards yourself, no matter what.  Even if you screw up, even if you have a bad day, even if you never get out of bed - be as understanding and loving towards yourself as you would be for a friend.  And then, when you’re ready, from a place of love, get up and try, try again.

Taking care of yourself can be the most powerful ways to boost your mood and keep depression at bay.  However, it can be hard to stick to healthy habits, especially when you live with the ups and downs of chronic depression.  Learning how to implement these tips can go a long way in helping you stick to healthy habits and feeling better, faster.

If you're still feeling stuck - you're in luck! I'm currently offering a FREE self-care audit where I take a look at your current self-care routine and identify exactly what's holding you back from feeling less than your best.  Click here for more information.