This summer has been majorly uneventful for me, it's the usual scenario but writing for The Odyssey has broken the ritual of intense boredom. This is why, on the recovery from a major depressive episode, I have decided to give you 11 ways to break out of a depressive episode! These are techniques that I use to regain my mental balance and work fight my way toward recovery.

1. Be aware that what you’re experiencing is a depressive episode

I struggle with this, oftentimes I characterize this feeling of hopelessness as a bad day or a mood swing. It is not until a week or months later that I realize that the feeling I have is one of an episode

2. Ask yourself "what may have triggered this?”

Sometimes I have no triggers and others I do. My triggers are violence in all forms, extreme unhappiness with my body or outward appearance. I also have a bad habit of becoming absorbed in social media, I love social media and I work really hard to make a strong internet presence but I can become obsessed. What usually puts me in a depressive mood is not being able to fully experience my day. Depressive episodes make me sleep until at least 12 p.m. and can keep me up until 4 a.m. When my biological clock gets discombobulated and my days become flipped I usually have to shock myself out of the whirlpool of sadness.

3. Stop dissociating

I have a bad habit of being present in body but not in mind, this is an everyday situation for me but it only worsens during an episode. I can wake up, sit at the edge of my bed and zone out for minutes or hours. During this period I usually stop eating, I have no appetite and I barely drink water. My hair doesn’t get taken care of and sometimes I may not shower that day and pass out in my bed at sunrise. My clothes won’t get washed and folded and I refuse to leave my house. It’s exhausting but I work through it by starting with small goals.

4. Clean up

By this time my room is usually a mess, and the bathroom, the kitchen and everywhere becomes this huge pile of trash that I have to clean up. Be careful, when I blast out of one episode I have to be careful not become obsessive with the cleanliness of a place. My response to my “laziness” is to become an efficient cleaning machine. This mindset and the exhaustion that comes with it can easily slip back into an episode if I’m not aware.

5. Wake up, wake up, wake up!

As previously mentioned I love to sleep during episodes and my days can easily turn into nights, I’m the definition of “night owl” and because of this I have to set about 5-7 alarms to wake myself up. These early risings are accompanied by toast and tea, maybe some stretches and a snooze on my couch. The morning nap doesn’t matter, what matters is that I woke up and accomplished something. If I have already cleaned my room and managed to eat and drink something then my work for the day is half done. It takes me about a week to get my sleep schedule right so during this time I like to meditate.

6. Meditation is key

Seriously, meditation is awesome. I like to do yoga and stretch all of my muscles before relaxing into corpse pose. This is accented with music. Lots of music, everything from Arcade Fire to Vampire Weekend (their self-titled album is the best!). I love Beyonce, Janelle Monae, Prince and The Internet. A complex playlist helps with my self-reflection. It sets the tone with how I come to the mat and how I apologize to myself. Will the anger in the music drive me to deep movements that push my boundaries or will child’s pose include my tears? It’s a mystery but the music should drive you and make you feel, if it brings you from that sea of numbness into actual feeling that’ll help you to make it out of the deep well of depression.

7. Eat some food

I love to cook so after a yoga session I am usually very hungry, especially if I haven’t eaten properly in a week or more. Cooking is wonderful, even making breakfast puts me in a great mood. Choose colorful vegetables,make banana bread, use as much cheese as is needed for your eggs. This self-expression will make you happy, it will make the food taste better knowing that you’re actually enjoying something that you’ve made.

8. Create

Create anything, this can be writing, drawing, filming, doing your hair, whatever. As long as you can create something then you’re golden, creation and the happiness with that instills pride. Being proud of the work you’ve makes your back a little straighter and your day just that much brighter. Be proud of yourself and what you’ve accomplished. You’ve managed to make it out of bed, eat some food, clean and relieve tension with meditative exercise.

9. Go outside

Take a step outside of your house, go to the pool or sunbathe. If it's cold then get your coffee or hot chocolate and venture out into the world, sending just five minutes will help you to draw in fresh air and to relax. These five minutes outside may stimulate more creativity,more ideas and give you more energy plus it just feels good.

10. Go to sleep

You’ve made it this far, you can’t allow your depression to keep you up until late hours of the night. Set a bedtime alarm and stick to it, don't let things like your phone or televisions keep you up. If you keep a consistent bedtime it will help your body to repair itself from the lack of food, sleep and general feelings of ick after waking up from an episode. For those of us who suffer with oversleeping this tip can work in the reverse as well,set an alarm (or twenty) and wake up. Shaming off the arms of sleep will put your body in the groove to wake up and get going, the more you do this the easier it gets

11. Consistency

We've all heard it before, "consistency is key" but when going through an episode just repeating one or more of these steps helps to keep you grounded and level. Depression hinders you from fully enjoying the moment but fighting to stay present and in the present is what truly matters. Your depression won't win, don't give up the fight. There are people all around who love you and want to help. I hope that you can use these techniques to lead yourself down the wonderful road of recovery.