How to Overcome Depression During Recession

Richie Mogwai September 30, 2009

Who doesn’t get depressed these days? Maybe only those lotto-winning individuals or otherwise people born with a silver spoon stuck in their mouths!

Depression is a natural thing and how we love to call them the blues. But cheer up! It’s not the end of the world. Remember what US President Abraham Lincoln once said? “This too, shall pass.”

The truth is, sooner or later everything passes including economic depression—or even your own depression, yes, the one that you’re stuck with right now. It is so easy to shake it off, here’s how:

You want to go shopping but you don’t have big bucks? Head to the nearest dollar store, where every item on sale is only worth a dollar. Avoid stores pretending to be dollar stores even when they’re not. If you find yourself stuck in any one of these dollar store wannabes, leave the place as fast as your feet can take you before the dollar claustrophobia sets in.

A dollar store pretender is not a jail, the door is wide open! The clue is simple. If you find any item priced at over a dollar, honeymoon’s over, baby! These days, it’s not hard to find a genuine dollar store. It’s not like you’re searching for a unicorn or a mermaid.

Salvation can’t be far behind. Follow “The Little Mermaid” Ariel in the Walt Disney flick, who finds it relaxing just to update her personal junk collection when she’s feeling down. Finding a great shampoo, hair conditioner, foaming bath, shaving cream, etc., at a dollar apiece will have a significant psychological effect on you, guaranteed. Watch your shopping bag fill up and you’ll feel even better.

Come to think of it, you got all the stuff you need for just ten bucks altogether. Are you still feeling the blues? Head to the thrift store the next! If you live in a major metropolitan city, it can’t be far behind. Didn’t you hear someone say one man’s garbage is another man’s treasure? Don’t forget to drop a pan handler a few pennies on your way out and you’ll feel much better.

When you get home, try to do a little yoga on the floor to soothe your weary heart. If you were smart enough to get yourself one of those rubberized cupboard mats from the dollar store, these things will be a great substitute for a yoga mat.

Authentic yoga mats are expensive, they sell for at least $20 a piece but for $2, you can get an improvised mat from you know where. If you got them right, you have two pieces of rubberized mats, which are both six feet long, and they will do a fine job. Just make sure you have some clothes on when you go down on them, because they tend to stick to any moisture in you skin.

But even that has a simple solution. Steady the plastic mats on the carpet with a masking tape, which you can also buy for a $1 from you-know-where.

When you’re ready to go out into the world again, try the nearest public library, which is likely to offer free Internet kiosks. Most likely, you will be asked for a library card and Internet access may be limited to an hour, but how long will it take you to send your precious few friends some messages via Facebook or Twitter?

As you can see, the antidote to getting rid of the blues is living a simple life. Most likely, what brought you to your depressed condition in the first place was that ubiquitous plastic card. So stop using it, and take your freedom back. From there, explore the many things in life that are free and no doubt about it, you will enjoy the journey!