10 Days to Get Out of a Depressive Funk
I am in a depressive funk, this month is the month Lauren died and it has all but taken me out. You can read my article on surviving grief anniversaries here https://changeyourmindset.com/2024/12/11/how-to-navigate-grief-anniversaries-a-step-by-step-guide/ I have not been to the gym in over a month now,frankly I am treading water so I used Chatgpt to “Create me a plan based on scientific research to get me out of a depressive funk within 10 days” Interventions should be supported by research, specific and should address my sleep issues as well as my screen time”
Ground Rules for All 10 Days:
- No screens after 8 PM (especially phone/social media).
- Journal for 10 minutes each morning before anything else.
- 15 minutes of outdoor exposure before 10 AM daily.
- Eat breakfast with protein within 60 mins of waking.
DAY 1: RESET + RELEASE
Theme: Declutter the mind and environment.
✅ To Do:
- Do a 20-minute “brain dump” in your journal. Write everything you’re grieving, fearing, dreading, or unsure about. Don’t edit.
- Tidy one space that stresses you out, even if it’s a junk drawer or your car.
- Nature Walk (30 minutes, no phone) – Research shows walking in nature decreases cortisol and improves working memory.
💡 Sleep support:
- Magnesium glycinate (if safe for you) + warm bath at 7:30 PM.
DAY 2: MICRO WINS
Theme: Start small, stack confidence.
✅ To Do:
- Make your bed immediately after journaling.
- Drink 1 full glass of water before caffeine.
- Do 3 tiny errands you’ve been putting off (mail something, schedule appt, put laundry away).
- Listen to upbeat music you used to love (nostalgia hits the reward system).
- 💡 Soul Nourishment:
- Write a letter to your sister. Say everything. Burn it, or keep it.
DAY 3: MOVE EMOTIONS THROUGH
Theme: Emotion = energy in motion.
✅ To Do:
- 10 minutes of somatic shaking: shake your limbs, bounce in place, yell into a pillow.
- Nature walk again, this time pick up one natural object (a stone, leaf, etc.) as a symbol of where you are.
- Box breathing before bed: In 4 – Hold 4 – Out 4 – Hold 4 (x5 cycles).There is a great youtube video you can watch here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oN8xV3Kb5-Q
- 💡 Sleep tip:
- No food or screens after 8 PM. Try pink noise (YouTube or app) to stay asleep longer.
DAY 4: CONNECTION CURRENCY
Theme: You can’t self-help your way out of disconnection.
✅ To Do:
- Text 3 people this: “Hey, I’ve been in a weird funk and miss our connection. Can we catch up this week even just for 15 min?”
- Do one kind act for someone else. Drop off a coffee, leave a sticky note, whatever.
- Grief Share or safe circle – Attend or plan to attend this week. Loneliness is rocket fuel for depression.
DAY 5: NOURISHMENT
Theme: Feed your body like someone you love.
✅ To Do:
- Make or order one beautiful, nourishing meal. Plate it. Eat it screen-free. Bonus if you play music.
- Try a 5-minute guided loving-kindness meditation (YouTube: “Loving Kindness Meditation – Tara Brach”).
- Take a 20-minute nap or lie in the sun.
💡 Soul Exercise:
- Write down 5 ways your grief has changed you. Not all growth is pretty — but it is growth.
DAY 6: CREATE ANYTHING
Theme: Get out of consumption mode and into creation.
- ✅ To Do:
- Create 1 thing with your hands. Paint, doodle, build a Pinterest board, bake, write a poem. Doesn’t matter what.
- Avoid all passive scrolling. Replace with 1 inspiring podcast (e.g., The Happiness Lab, Unlocking Us).
- 💡 Evening:
- Walk + phone call combo. Talk to someone while walking. It’s double-dopamine.
DAY 7: TOUCH GRACE
Theme: You’re not doing this alone.
✅ To Do:
- Go to church, walk a labyrinth, sit under a tree and pray — whatever gets you to a sacred space.
- Read Psalm 34 or Romans 8. Or write your own Psalm. Let God hold the heaviness today.
- Do 1 thing a future healed version of you would do today. Dress up, smile at a stranger, open a window.
DAY 8: PERSPECTIVE SHIFT
Theme: Zoom out and zoom in.
✅ To Do:
- Write: “If I knew things were going to get better by the end of this year, how would I live this week?”
- Write out your “survival playlist”: 10 songs that helped you through hard seasons before.