Get It Done When You're Depressed Read Online Free PDF Page B

It’s not going to happen. I have to find the most comfortable place I can and just sit down and work.
    Exercise
    Think about the problems you currently have with your work environment and answer these questions:

ASK DR. PRESTON
    Why is it often so hard for a depressed person to find a comfortable place to work?
    Because depressed people have trouble maintaining attention and concentration, lots of places may seem too distracting. Maybe you anticipate that it won’t be conducive to productive work, and that may be accurate. Or maybe, while depressed, you, like many other depressed people, have a general state of pessimism, with little energy and motivation and a mental state that predicts failure or frustration. In such cases, almost any environment could seem like it isn’t suitable.

Stop the Constant Search
    Constantly searching for a comfortable place to work can take a lot of your time. By planning ahead and finding or creating a space that fits your style, you can feel more comfortable and the work can flow more easily. On the other hand, if you can’t find a space that feels right, do the best you can and know that you’ll be more comfortable on better days.
    Consider these suggestions from others:
    • I have to have a clean desk, an aromatherapy candle, a printer, and a cup of ice.
    • I need my children to be in the other room and, if possible, completely out of the house.
    • I have to get out of the house. Being alone makes me more depressed. I work in noisy coffee shops when I have a paper due.
    • I shut the door at my office and put a “Working, available in two hours” sign on my door. People actually respect this.
    • I go to the library and work in a small room with no Internet access. I turn off my phone and force myself to work.
    • I telecommute.
    • I make jewelry and hate arranging my beads. I now make jewelry for a woman in trade for her coming in and cleaning my work space every two weeks.
    Remember: When you have a project due or especially work that requires sitting, think of the environment that makes it easier to get this done and create or find that environment. If you can’t find a place that feels comfortable, remind yourself that you have to choose a location anyway. Once there, stay put, work, and don’t change your mind.

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    Be Your Own Drill Sergeant
    People with depression use many different techniques to manage the illness, and it’s important that you know which techniques work for you. For some, a soft approach is needed. For others, tough love is more helpful. Even if you’re the type who responds well to softer language, you probably have days when talking to yourself in a kind and gentle way just won’t work. It might be that the depression won’t lift and getting things done is impossible, even if you use a certain approach that’s helped in the past. These are the days when you have to step aside and let someone or something else take over. Sometimes you need to call upon your inner drill sergeant and let him or her take over and get you back on track. This takes imagination and a willingness to be slightly silly, but you can do it.

Drill Sergeants Don’t Mess Around
    Wouldn’t it be nice on your depressed days if you had someone behind you saying, Get up out of that bed, soldier! Get dressed and look good and get in your car! I said get in your car! What do you think this is, Club Med? You have work to do, and I expect you to do it! And enjoy doing it! Now drive to work, or whatever else you need to do, and get on with your day! Enough of this time-wasting behavior! Get on with it! Hup! Hup!
    It might be that a good kick in the pants from your drill-sergeant self can help you get going. Think you don’t have an inner drill sergeant? You do. This strong voice is inside of you, even on your darkest days. You can talk to yourself this way and still be kind to yourself. You can say, Get up! Get out of that bed! Get going! Don’t listen to what’s going on in