Turning small wins into recovery

– By Alex Rowan

– To help me through my depression, I made simple “to do” check lists for each day. They were to keep me on track and also small successes I could feel good about. 

Keep in mind, during my manic episode, I thought I was getting a lot done, but I wasn’t. I was actually destroying my life. 

Small daily wins became a slow road to recovery. For some people these lists may be more than they can do, and that’s ok. It seemed to me that the more small things I could get done, the better I feel. Writing them down in a list, helps me.

It creates structure, reduces overwhelming feelings, and creates a sense of accomplishment. And it’s ok if I couldn’t compete everything on the list.

Here are some actual daily checklists I kept, for example:

• Walk dogs
• Grocery shopping
• check mail
• Donate items to thrift shop
• Fill trash bin and clean garage
• Watch TV with roommate
• Eat left overs
• Laundry, sweep dirt
• Check emails

• Love everyone around me
• Walk dogs
• Dishes
• Meet handyman – Fix toilet
• Make hard boiled eggs
• Lunch
• Complete disability claim
• Laundry
• Clean basement

• Psychiatrist appointment
• Call a friend
• Walk dogs
• Take trash out
• Pay bills
• Go to store with roommate
• Go for a walk

• Walk dogs 
• Finish book
• FaceTime with friend
• Go to gym
• Tend to garden in back yard
• 30 min walk in sun
• Bath time
• Xanax

• Walk dogs
• Do dishes
• Launder couch blankets
• Make bed
• Dog snacks outside
• Check UPS PO Box
• Order superglue to fix bathroom tile
• Take basement trash to dumpster
• Check emails
• Attend group therapy
• Attend AA meeting 
• Treadmill at gym
• Bath time for dogs
• Call from attorney 
• Feed dogs

Wow, that last one was a big day for me, especially at the time. Keep in mind, sometimes these activities were not all planned in advance, but if not, I would note them as I went along through my day.

Now that I look back, having dogs to take care of really helped me. They depended on me. No matter how bad I felt about myself, I needed to be there for them.

Here are some suggestions for creating your own list. 

• Basic self-care (eat, shower, sleep, medication)
• Chores/errands (laundry, trash, groceries
• Social connection (call a friend, watch TV with roommate
• Well-being (walk dogs, garden, gym)

Make it easy and pick things that meet your energy level for the day.