Your Days Don't Need to Stay Blue. Check Out The Unique Thing This Woman Does to Fight Depression and Anxiety.

It's been a very hard year for us, full of trials and challenges. Then, Grandpa Den (my father-in-law who we saved from cancer two years ago) passed away right after Thanksgiving. 

Enjoying a day at the movies with Grandpa Den

Those first few weeks were very tender, and depression hit my husband and I like a bus. It was hard to make Christmas very cheerful. I just didn't have the will to decorate or for the holiday traditions we usual enjoy. The kids put up the tree themselves. It was sparsely decorated and pitiful—just like us. We put on the best show we could, but our hearts weren't there. 

Then, an idea hit me. I should say, it bit me like an annoying little bug and wouldn't go away. It nagged at me until it was all I could think about. I thought it was a crazy idea, and it probably was, but I knew I had to try it. ​​

My parents (doesn't my mom look like Princess Diana?)

I had to do something, or I wouldn't survive this. Music has always been a wonderful part of my life. My mom used to always go around singing. We used to tease her about it, but I always wanted to be able to sing like her. As a kid, I practiced and sang when I was alone. I tried to sound just like Ariel from The Little Mermaid. I memorized song after song, hymns from church, and musicals like Les Misérables. 

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A few years ago, when I was depressed and laying down, my daughter put this on my head and declared, "You deserve a tiara!" (Click on the image above to read more about it)

Music always helps my depression. Give me a a good beat or something I can sing to, and the world suddenly changes. It doesn't usually make depression go away completely, but it helps my brain switch tracks and makes my mood better. The haze of depression fades a bit, and I start to see things in color again. Especially when I can sing! 

It helps me get moving when I'm sluggish, feel like cleaning when I want to sleep, etc. I sang to my babies (we had some really rough patches where I'd end up singing lullabies for hours on end!) I used to sing to the feral cats I tamed, into the wind when I walked to school... It was a daily thing, but somehow, I'd lost that. Music and singing motivate me like nothing else, but I usually forget all about it!

​So, I wondered...Could sharing my love of music, not only remind me to sing, but help others too? And, this is what I came up with. I practiced once via Skype with my sister. (Even that left me super panicked, even though she was great.) Finally, I went live on Facebook, completely terrified of being rejected, made fun of, and making a fool of myself. Without makeup etc. because I didn't want to put on a show. I wanted people to see things as they really were, so I came as I was. 

Singing Away Depression (The 1st Video)

The response was more than I'd hoped for. Everyone was so supportive, not one bad thing was said.

Comments of support and encouragement left on my Facebook video

Not one word of criticism. Not even about how I cried like a baby or could barely even talk for the first like five minutes, let alone sing on key!  

So, I guess I'll try to make this a regular series. Let's do this thing. Let's sing away depression!