Tips for combating depression while being disciplined about your goals

Determine the why behind your goal. Think about ALL the reasons why you are working towards your goal and then write them down! Writing them down is key because you are going to need this reminder sometimes daily. When I decided I wanted to be healthier, which included working out on a regular basis, I wrote down everything I could think about why I was doing this. I wrote down things like having more energy, ability to concentrate and focus better, less anxiety and depression, feel more confident, walk up stairs without being out of breath, joints won't ache constantly and diabetes prevention (runs in the family and I was headed down that path too). Of course I wanted to lose weight but I didn't write that down as my why or my goal because I needed to really dig down deep and figure out what was truly important to me. Sit with your goal for a bit and really think why you are wanting to achieve this goal. Keep it in a notebook with you or a list on your phone and on the days where you feel like quitting or giving up, look back at your list and remember why you are working so hard to accomplish this goal!

Put yourself first! I would be willing to bet many of you reading this may do fine or even great at taking care of other people or performing your job duties because these are things we have convinced ourselves we have to do. If you are like me at all, you're really good at doing what you have to do. You may be able to excel in certain parts of your life and then fail when it comes to taking care of yourself mentally and physically. Why do we do this? Why do we give others so much of ourselves only to feel empty at the end of the day? Those are questions to be answered another day in another post. For this purpose, start putting yourself and your goals first because it is not selfish and you will also be amazed at how doing this will positively impact all areas of your life simultaneously.

A personal goal for me is to go somewhere new every year...this love for travel is one way I put myself first!
~Azores, Portugal 2015

Be prepared for setbacks and obstacles. Similar to developing a plan to help with your anxiety and being overwhelmed, you need to develop a plan for when you experience setbacks or obstacles along the way. You know you are going to have days where your depression outweighs your ability to gather up your energy and attack your day, so be ready for it. Go easy on yourself on those days and try not to beat yourself up for not being able to accomplish what you want to on that particular day. By obsessing over it and trying to convince yourself to "suck it up" and "just do it" you are only going to push yourself further into the rabbit hole, trust me I have spent days/weeks/months in that hole. This will be one of those times where referring back to your "why" and all those reasons you've written down will be critical. Because the next thing to remember when you've encountered a setback or obstacle is this does not mean you are starting over, it also doesn't mean you have the permission to give up. Sometimes we give ourselves an out right from the beginning, do not do this! Instead focus on your reasons why you want to keep going. 

Talk to someone! It is important to get to a place where you can talk about your depression and what you are feeling or experiencing. This doesn't mean you have to broadcast it to everyone, but find someone you can talk to whether it's a friend, spouse, partner, family member, a counselor or a combination of those. Wait...isn't this the same advice you just gave me above for dealing with anxiety? Sure is! I truly believe being able to talk about what you are experiencing is key to taking some of the power away from your depression. Otherwise we keep it inside like a dirty little secret and let it have too much control. So let it out however you can!!