Dancing through depression and coming out unscatched

Having certain units in psychology during my tertiary years as well as almost 15 more in my post grad studies as MA student of Guidance and Counseling, I have learned that depression is a kind of thing that kids,adolescents and adults alike may experiences.

What is depression?
As quoted by the American Psychiatric Association, depression is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think, and how you act cause depression causes feeling of sadness and/or loss of of interest in activities once enjoyed. It can lead to a variety of exhausting dilemmas. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease a person's ability to function at home and at work.

As a teacher and mother of three hyperactive kids, all the hustle-bustle is taking a toll over me. Yet through dancing it all, I came up with my own strategies and ways to keep myself smiling at the end of the day.

![IMG_20170519_162423.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmS81feZN7EsLp1VZ5ZGEBgEDayiJLusTTVvaMnY9xZwEM/IMG_20170519_162423.j
Here's how I do it :

1. A moment with God.
   No matter how tired,sleepy nor lazy you are to pry open your eyes, flex your muscles and do some stretching, never fail to utter even a simple and terse prayer. Thank the Lord almighty for letting you see a new dawn breaking. Prayers are so powerful. Starting the day with it will surely keep you going.
   

2. Smile...spread good vibes.
   Aside from the fact that smiling is the best non- surgical procedure of keeping those 14 muscles in our face taut thus giving us the youthful radiant glow, smiling give us the benefit of spreading positive vibrations to others as well as to ourselves. A simple gesture as this will surely pave a winning stress-free day.

3. Sing your heart out.
   Been burden with a heap of paperworks in school to the point of cramming and panicking to finish it all up before the evaluation. Got no inkling as to when and where to start. My head spinned as my stomach grumbled due to a skipped breakfast. Instinctively, I sat down plugged in my earphones, closed my eyes and listened to Aiana Juarez's version of I was Dying Inside. Amazingly enough, I found myself catching on with the tune. And everything just simply fall into places. I got up, head for the canteen and eventually started and finished the work light-heartedly. Music is the language of the soul afterall!
   

4. Be kind to your words.
   It is at times inevitable that we put our temper in check. This make us hurdle words that are not pleasant to the ears. Specially if what we are trying to drive at seems aimless. I will let you in with a secret. Stop being harsh. Say it nicely, slowly and hearthily. It is what being confidently beautiful with a heart means as what Miss U Pia Wurtzbach put it. Yelling and swearing will get you nowhere. It applies only when your house is on fire.

5. Ends with God.
   As they say, all that starts well, ends well. Definitely. At the end of the day, no matter how you call it a bad or good day, put everything under the Lord's guidance. Spare yourself a moment or two to reflect all the good things that happened throughout. Utter some prayer of gratefulness. Lastly, have a dreamless sound sleep and wake up to a new dawn keeping in mind the first step.

No definite tips nor ways is appropriate enough to keep you away from depression. It is all in the mind. Don't let its claw grip you. You have a choice to just dance with life's rhythm and keep going.

To @yanzel4lyf and sir @iwrite who never fail to push and motivate me to pour my heart out, this one is for you. Gracias! To God be all the glory!