Depression is the biggest creator of negativity in life. You don’t have to be diagnosed as depressed to suffer from the negativity that depression brings. Being stuck in a terrible situation and experiencing the symptoms of depression is enough to trap you into a cycle that feels unbreakable. It can lead you to fail at meeting the responsibilities that you have in life, make you feel like you’re not enough and that you’re not strong enough to handle the things that life is going to throw at you. Your mind wandering is a dangerous thing, because it can lead you down paths that are too scary to deal with and that you just don’t want to.

The worse you think about yourself, the bigger the cycle of negativity gets. You can go from thinking about not feeling enough to believing the world would be better off without you. This can lead to feeling guiltier and guiltier about your own existence. If you are in a situation in your life that makes you feel vulnerable, whether that’s being unemployed and struggling or a domestic violence victim trying to get out, you’re going to spiral. This cycle of negativity is exceptionally hard to break and while you’re so exhausted by your own emotions, you can feel numb to anything that constitutes moving forward with your life. So, how do you even begin to break that cycle?

Living by a schedule and in a solid routine can really help you. The people who suffer with depression are not the best at making decisions, because really, they just don’t care. They’re not trying to feel depressed, but they do better with a routine in place. A visual routine chart can make a huge difference to the day, so creating a schedule with alarms alongside it and sticking to it is going to make all the difference to your life. Committing yourself to this schedule is so important for you to be able to break out of the depression that you feel. You’ve got to keep it as simple as possible and your routine should be very basic, very much surrounding your eating, exercise and your daily responsibilities. You need to eat, even when you don’t feel like you can, because food gives you energy to keep going through your day.

Energy is the biggest thing that depletes when you are dealing with depression, so it can be extremely difficult to want to do anything relating to movement or food; because it just seems like too much. You have to hold yourself accountable for your feelings and your actions, because if you don’t, you’re not going to survive it. Own yourself, own your schedule and make it feel right. Once you feel more secure, you can break free from those negative feelings dragging you right down. Set small and manageable goals, and you will be able to hit your achievements far better and far faster. Remind yourself that you CAN do this, and then go and do it.