Depression stage one: Can’t get out of bed

Plan: create a reward system.

Okay, here is the Plan: I get out of bed and I get a reward. That is pretty simple. What type of reward would get me to get out of bed? Because we also have to consider the self-care aspect of breakfast we should make that a part of the reward.

We have established the need for breakfast and getting out of bed so here is the reward:

Get out of bed and get a bowl of ice cream.

Awesome! I am now out of bed. But, still with the self-care in mind, I need to get dressed. Wandering around in jammies is a really nice thing. Still that should be a reward not a given. So now what? I know we need a reward for showering and getting dressed.

New reward:

Get out of bed, take shower, and get dressed and I get a bowl of ice cream with a topping.

Success!

As you see I have a sense of humor and sometimes it is the only thing that keeps me going. Without humor we are lost in the darkness. Sometimes I am serious and sometimes not. You just have to make sure you have the ice cream on hand or you’ll need another reward for going out to buy the ice cream.