Don't Think about it and keep Yourself Busy

That line comes form the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and its how we get by.

Interesting discussion with the esteemed Paul Joseph Watson about depression:

Good points here.

We've been depressed. We've been depressed as a teenager. We think it was more than your typical teenage doldrums. We've been depressed as an adult. We mean, unemployed, out of work, can't get off the couch depressed.

Here's what we learned.

Keep yourself busy.

During a four month round of unemployment in '99 we hit upon this formula, and it revolved around routine and keeping busy.

Get up, take Mrs. Stroock to work. Come back, read a chapter of a history book (hey look at what that lead to). Work out. Read another chapter of a history book. Straighten up and clean. Watch Law & Order. Head to the store. Pick up Mrs. Stroock from work. Make dinner.

We found the key was to knock off a few quick easy tasks; dishes, paying the bills, build momentum and get going.

It was routine that got us through.

Beginning in 2001 we started making the life we wanted. We went back to school. We started writing. We got a gig substitute teaching. We made ourselves.

And we can't say we've been depressed since.