How I Generally Keep Depression And Discouragement Away

We all have dark days; days we just don't feel happy and motivated to do our usual activities. Days we feel we are not heading the right direction or we are not moving fast enough.

image: kaz-d.deviantart.com

The usual causes for me are:

1. when I suddenly notice lots of close pals getting on better than me with little efforts and having all the fun time in the world
2. when I try to think too far into the future, extrapolating my current state
3. when PHCN and traffic and the state of the country hit me hard on the same day
4. when I look too intensely at how slowly my life is progressing
5. when the internet that is meant to last a month finishes in less than a week, and
6. when I am just unhappy and depressed, and too depressed to find out why.

So how do I keep those days away?

Luckily, a large proportion of the usual causes for me are easy to avoid:

1. I no longer give people access to my WiFi so they don't run down my internet and I also try to make it last up to three weeks
2. I have managed to grow a very thick skin towards the state and affairs of the country. Everyday I tell myself that I live in a jungle and in a country that is a perfect example of what a squanderous life can become. I have turned the state of the country into a motivation to live productively.
3. I have become very less active on Facebook so I don't see all the day ruining pictures and updates of the people doing way better than me.

Then there are the causes I can't easily manage. I still have to think about my future and the path my life is following. Since finishing from university, all the significant progress I have made are in my CV and not in my bank account. And Benjamin Franklin's consolatory quote is losing its potency: "If a man empties his purse into his head, no man can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest." Also there are those days I feel my life loses its contrast and brightness for no reason. 

How do I handle those days off?

I'll tell you, but it is not as easy as it seems. And also not as ridiculous as it sounds. I simply pray and read my way out of depression. It's one of the benefits of being a christian. You don't have to bear all your burdens alone, especially the ones weighing you terribly down. Then I read about people with worse troubles than me. I take courage in their situation and hope from their success.