Black Dog Days and Some Remedies that Work
Some days just kind suck. You take a few punches to the gut, your thoughts get stuck into a darker groove, and you can’t flip the switch back to positive thinking. Trying is almost like pushing a boulder up a hill, only to get too tired just before getting over the hump and rolling all the way back down again. It’s not often, but sometimes I get stuck in these kind of ruts, ruminating, almost like I’m determined to keep digging to the deepest darkest place I can get. I don’t know why it happens like this, if some days it just compounds of if there’s some masochistic enjoyment from occasionally being a brooding grouch. Fortunately it doesn’t last long, but it sure as hell isn’t productive and sometimes you gotta speed up the process and get on with your day. As I’ve gotten better at noticing when I’m in a funk and understanding it’s kind of a perverse choice to feel that way, I can take myself out of it when I need to. Here are a few methods that have worked for me. Sometimes different ones work on different days and sometimes it takes a combination.
10 Deep Breaths
Cliche as all hell, I know. Think of this one as a remedy for low-level negativity or to loosen the first brick in the wall. A lot of negative emotion is tied to a negative physical state (frowning, slouching, tight chest, etc.) and a negative emotion state also tends to induce a negative physical state — vicious cycle, right? I read somewhere, “Our mind is the sail and our breath is the wind”, so it’s a good place to start. Sit up straight, throw your shoulders back, close your eyes and take 10 long, slow deep breaths. In through the nose, hold it for a few seconds, and out through the mouth. Try to focus only on the breath and the rising of your chest on the inhale and the soothing, softening of the body on the exhale.
Visually Externalize the Negativity.
This one takes a little more effort and imagination, but I’ve found it to be very effective. The basic idea is to separate the mental perception of ourself from the emotions that are bothering us. You want to get away from thoughts like “I’m angry” and “I’m anxious” and “I’m blue”, as these frame the emotion as something that we are rather than something we’re experiencing. Think of the emotions as something affecting the real you from outside. I imagine my individual worries as bricks I’m carrying around in a backpack and accept the fact that sometime, I just gotta carry them around, like it or not. Winston Churchill referred to his depressive episodes as his “black dog”. There’s just something therapeutic about acknowledging that something from the outside is fucking with you, but it’s not actually part of you.
Force Yourself to Smile
Preferably in a mirror. Surprisingly effective. Be a silly little bitch and realize that (while not necessarily a bad move) it is a choice to take life so seriously.
What are your go-to tactics for shaking yourself free of the Black Dog?
