For the Days When You Can't Get Out of Bed

I know how it feels, the mornings where the sun is beaming through the curtains, the birds are chirping and the day is right in front of you, but why? Why get up? I don't want to, I don't need to, therefore, I'm not going to. I know the weight depression has and it makes it feel like your bed is where you belong all day but that's not a life. I remember the fights I had with myself every morning trying to convince myself to get up. Here are some things that I did that I hope help you when you're struggling to get out of bed.

Think of things that excite you

For me, that was my clothes or makeup for the day. I like looking nice and for some reason, if I planned out what I wanted to wear that day it flipped a switch and I was up putting my best outfit together. It can be anything, maybe reward yourself at a certain part of the day to give yourself something to look forward to throughout the day. Doesn't have to be anything extravagant maybe lunch at your favorite place, or working as much as you possibly can and taking a nap. Think of something that would work for you and motivate yourself, you have the power to pull yourself out of bed you just have to think of the right things, so get creative with it.

Meditate

There's no one way to meditate, it's not all criss-cross applesauce on the floor with your palms up on your knees with the index and thumb pressed together. I mean if you want to do that that's great too. For me, I would lay on my back in bed and just breathe. The key to it is finding a rhythm. I would think of the sound of waves, as the waves rolled in I would inhale and hold it for a few seconds and as the waves rolled out I would exhale. Each inhale was an odd number, each exhale was an even number. I would count to ten and start over. What this is doing is making you focus on your breathing, your mind will drift here and there and that's okay; practice makes perfect. Once you get the hang of it you can start "reprogramming." Don't let that scare you, all I mean is you can tell yourself what you want to happen and feel throughout the day and somehow you start to convince yourself and motivate yourself into making it so. You can look up videos on YouTube and find what best fits your needs there.

Read

I always woke up in the middle of the night when things were bad because my mind couldn't really shut off, and in the morning it made it impossible to feel like I was rested enough to get out of bed. So what I started doing was always having a book on my bedside table. Nothing too exciting and nothing you're a huge fan of. Find a book that you had trouble getting into or one that you find calms you. This would immediately put me to sleep, whatever woke me up was gone and I could ease back to sleep making mornings a little easier.

Listen to music

I know I always have my phone with me and music is a huge motivator for me. Make a playlist and play it every morning to pump yourself up, and consider making a playlist to help you sleep.

Sit up

Simply sit up straight, don't slouch, and breathe. Roll your neck from side to side, lift your arms and stretch, always making sure to take in as much air as you can. Somehow this always worked for me, it was like jumpstarting an engine. It just made me ready for the day.

Mornings are tough for everyone sometimes, but they don't always have to be. What's great about this list is they all work if you can't fall asleep, so whatever troubles you are having I hope these help.