Have you ever noticed that change can cause dips into depression?

I sure have! In fact, even the anticipation of change can stir up sadness over leaving the old to pursue the new. And even though you are thoroughly convinced the new home or new job or new location is best, you might find yourself wrestling with the blues.

Change that leads to depression could also happen from something as simple as finally getting that precious vacation you’ve dreamed about for months. You have a wonderful time but then return home and feel forlorn.

I always take a depression dip when the school year ends and summer vacation stretches out before me. As crazy as it might sound, the break from work spins me out a bit. Even though this has happened every summer for the past 16 years, every year it still catches me by surprise. I find that I’ve got to learn how to relax all over again as well as go through withdrawals from not being around wonderful colleagues.

So when I find myself in the change-induced blues, I try to remember to do a few things:

A Move:

• Grieve the old—change requires you to leave the comfortable to pursue the new (and often scary). Sometimes you just have to grieve before you leave. If the new means leaving people you love, plan visits to help ease the pain of loss.
• Put down new roots—I’ve had to move many a time in my life and had to build new relationships in each new place. This is kind of like dating all over again—exciting but uncomfortable and necessary for long-term contentment.

Too Much Time on your Hands

• Take a few days to unwind—often burnout causes depression and depression doesn’t hit until the activity stops. If you don’t feel like doing anything, don’t! Sometimes you’ve just got to ride out those icky feelings.
• Reconnect with your Creator—He’s got lots of ideas for meaningful things you could do with your time off. It takes setting aside time to listen to the subtle ideas that come to mind.
• Phone a friend—I recently called my bff, Barbie, and found out she was going through the same thing, which made me feel better about myself. It helped to process together and come up with solutions. Human contact is crucial for overcoming the blues.

The Ending of a Project

• Go on an “Artist’s Date”—Author Julia Cameron came up with this concept. You can read about it in her book, The Artist’s Way. The idea is simple: Creativity begets creativity, so fill your eye gate with things that inspire and refresh you.
• Start a new project—We humans find satisfaction in creating, so whether you decorate a flowerbed or plan your next painting, creativity conquers the blues.

One indicator that you need change is the desire to clean out clutter or reduce an over-crowded life. Yet, the blues can occur from not knowing where or how to start! You feel like you don’t have time to do what you love, yet you feel stuck in what you’re doing. Or, your home is packed so full of stuff, there isn’t room to start something new.

Thank you Create with Joy for the words of wisdom in your post and for featuring, Chicken Soup for the Soul: the joy of less. This book is packed full of ideas for reducing an overcrowded life~ I’m definitely looking forward to the read!

So, if you’ve got a few tips to pass on from times change has caused depression dips, feel free to leave a comment!

*A special thanks to my daughter, Andrea Luna, for the artwork and Sarah Schneider Photography for the amazing photo of our CIA Team.