A healthy guide to endure rendezvous with despair.

Ah yes, the infamous feelings of anxiety, melancholy and stress that never announce their visit or ask for permission to keep me company. I actually met them a few years ago and they didn't seem that dangerous at the time, little did I know that over the years my new comrades would show their true colors (the original creators of shades of grey) and leave me wondering how did I ever let them into my life.

I have learned that I can't fully escape these emotions and the only way to persist is not by neglecting them, but truly letting myself feel the uneasiness. Surrendering is scary as hell, however reaching to the bottom of my despair means that from there I can only go up. Nonetheless there are still additional ways to soothe the torment of depression to make myself feel better.

So without further ado, I managed to create a list of tips for myself to help me get through those icky feelings whenever they decide to pay me a visit.

1. Go for a walk

If it rains, even better, just go. Fresh air is contagious once you have stepped outside. Listen to your favorite bands, pay attention to your surroundings or call a trusted friend, the key is that your outside and moving. I don't care if your acne is putting on a Broadway show or your bed is seducing you, you don't want to fall into cave mode and regret it after, trust me.

2. Drink water

Keep yourself hydrated, I beg of you! Before you go to that jar of cookies, have a glass of water with a few slices of lemon. 70% of your body consists of water, let's keep it that way, because even if you haven't cried you probably haven't drunk enough, so no excuses! During these times, taking care of yourself should be your number one priority. Oh and if after that you still want that cookie, go for it, just remember that the first may be beneficial, the rest of them are insidious.

3. Dance

There's nothing quite like the feeling when you put your favorite music on and let loose. Express yourself. Listen to some sad tunes, let the emotions out through your body and don't be afraid to really do some bizarre moves, no one will know. Keeping your anguish bottled up inside will otherwise make you a ticking time bomb.

4. Take a bath/shower

I know you would prefer a massage, but let's be realistic, if you'd get one every time you felt under the weather your body would be a boiled noodle (bonus tip: imagine yourself as a boiled noodle). Having a shower or ideally a bath is really the next best thing. Relax by putting on some classy Frank Sinatra, use some cozy vanilla scented body scrub and let the water heal you.

5. Get lost on Pinterest

Look at those amazing landscapes, starry night skies, vintage outfits, elegant dresses, motivating quotes, bullet journal ideas, calligraphy fonts, aesthetic castles, book extracts, movie posters, raging thunderstorms, funny cats, delicious cupcakes, realistic drawings, black and white photography, facts about planets and so much more. This is your safe haven. Escape for a while.

Just remember that you are not alone in this and it's absolutely fine to not be okay. Life consists of up and downs and everything you experience makes you stronger. You crying on the floor is your way of showing your courage, you ignoring messages is your way of taking time for yourself and you overthinking is your way of wanting what's best for you.

I hope this helps anyone who has blind dates with the blues and needs advice on how to get through them.