Recognizing & Acknowledging Depression
In some form or another, many of us have experienced depression and, at times, it can be hard to recognize. Depression isn’t a one-size fits all affliction.
Symptoms may vary, from insomnia or oversleeping, low self-worth, body-altering eating habits, to harmful behaviors and thoughts.
When depression sneaks into your life you may feel as though the outer aspects of life (relationships, work, school, & creativity) should be put on hold or you may lose interest in them altogether. This often leads to a change of attitude, sadness, or feeling burdened.
Sometimes losing yourself has an upside by giving you the opportunity to rise above your past & your pain. Without self-care habits, you can easily be thrown off your game and create an imbalance within yourself, which can then ooze into your daily life.
If any of this sounds familiar you can also read our beginner’s guide to mental health for men, for a range of mental health and self care resources.
What is Self-Care?
Simply put, self-care is taking proper care of, well, your self.
Unlike being selfish or self-indulgent, self-care is all about taking initiative for your mental, emotional, and physical health & well-being. Applying mindful changes and intentions in your patterns of thought & behavior to prevent unwanted life outcomes is the goal.
Looking after yourself should be an ongoing practice and shouldn’t be considered a passive task. As with anything we genuinely intend to attend to, self care works best when we deliberately reserve and safeguard time in our schedules for it. And it takes discipline, for most of us have other priorities in our life that compete for time with self-care, often leaving us feeling guilty if we consider saying no to somebody else do to something for our selves.
But if we don’t take care of ourselves, over time we diminish the energy we have available to give to others. It’s of critical importance to all concerned that we invest time in regenerative activities. And let’s be honest – nobody is going to prioritise our own wellbeing higher than ourselves. So, next time you feel selfish or guilty for turning down a mate’s request because you feel like you need to do something for you, consider that taking care of yourself first is how you offer others a better version of you. When you feel good, you’re better to be around, you’ll be happier for your friends and family, sharper at work, and such positivity can be quite contagious.
We understand that self-care may be a new term and unspecific, but there’s a handy acronym that covers four key areas of activity that help us thrive as humans.
What does BACE stand for and where does it come from?
BACE is a simple acronym to help us remember four key pillars of a healthy & successful daily lifestyle. All you need to thrive is within these four magical letters:
- Body Care
- Achieve
- Connect
- Enjoy
The concept comes from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a form of psychological treatment that’s effective to challenge negative patterns of thought & behaviors to alter unwanted behavior.
BACE is designed to focus you on the basic human principles that help us feel fulfilled, happy, & successful in life.
How does BACE work?
Whether you already intentionally implement self-care or not it can be a challenge to accommodate so much in your day when unorganised or feeling overwhelmed.
BACE divides your daily activities into four categories to give you a clear view of what a successful day should look and feel like.
The principles of BACE are designed for anyone to take advantage of, however they see fit. As long as you’re covering each of the four bases (explained below) and following through with your intentions, you’re doing it right.
Studies have shown a strong connection between mental and physical health and BACE activity is how you can easily bridge them together. This organised ideology can relieve you from the pressure of having to tackle so much at once or too little while feeling productive in all areas of your life.
It’s also a great way to incorporate and accept healthy routines in your day-to-day.
Body
Your body (& mind) is your vehicle on the road to success. Keeping yourself healthy inside and out is essential to proper self-care. Our bodies can take so much wear & tear it’s easy to forget about upkeep. Becoming mindful of your bodily health will enhance your self-esteem, prevent illness & disease, and reduce unnecessary stress.
Body Activities
- Eat healthy foods
Incorporate new eating and food-shopping habits by mindfully including nutrient-dense foods into your diet. Try prepping meals in advance, before hunger strikes, to become wiser about what and how much you eat.
- Be active
We all know how easy it is to mentally plan to work out and how it’s just as easy to ignore those plans when they arise. Start with daily morning stretches straight out of bed to stay mentally connected with your body. Then eventually, advance into more strengthening physical activities by setting an alarm with a note as a reminder; almost like a tap on your shoulder.
- Hygiene Upkeep
Treat yourself to a nice haircut, visit the dentist, and wear clothes that make you feel good about yourself. Also, sleep hygiene is just as important. Your sleep habits are crucial for your mental and physical well-being and can affect your behavior during the day. Put yourself to sleep each night, don’t ‘pass out’ in front of the television.
- Acknowledge and release your emotions, doubts, and fears to become more in tune with your inner self. Repressed thoughts and feelings could be holding you back from making healthy or positive changes. There are many ways to go about this, learn about these 7 alternatives to talk therapy here.
Achieve
Building toward a sense of accomplishment is a great way to collect pleasant memories and feel fulfilled throughout life. The essence of life is all about being the creator of your own story. Set your own targets – big or small – and work towards them. The key is having a sense of direction so you can feel good about yourself as you inch forward each day.
It tends to be when we have no clear goals or purpose to work towards, or when we put things off or procrastinate that we feel bad and as if we’re languishing.
Achieve Activities
- Set clear goals at the start of each year.
Be as clear and specific as you can with them, and how you intend to work toward them. Literally listing out the steps you need to take to get to them will be a big help. Don’t overload yourself with too many goals. Focus is key to achievement. Then periodically review your progress towards your goals, for example at the end of each quarter. You might find a planner such as the Full Focus Planner to be an enormous help with this. - Use a weekly planner to break your big goals down into a manageable plan for each week. Of course, you’ll also be balancing everyday life demands that come up, and this is a great way to see it all in one place – the big and the small. Use your weekly planner to keep you on track for what’s important, and to give yourself the feeling of accomplishment from ticking off tasks as you go. But also dedicate a space for your “lightbulb ideas” (you’ll thank yourself later).
- Learn a new skill or spark your competitive side by enrolling in a competition of your hobby. It’s not really about winning or losing, more just involving yourself in something you’re passionate about that will give yourself a feeling of satisfaction when you’re done.
- Do your chores!
There’s nothing quite like that satisfying feeling of admiring your spotless home, or car, knowing you’ve organised that flooded junk drawer and fixed that thing that needed fixing for way too long. Household chores are rarely the first thing one thinks of to do when we need cheering up – but the dopamine boost we can get from a job well done is highly underrated.
Connect
Our relationships and social connections with other humans are important for emotional well-being, navigating stressors, and overcoming challenges.
Positive relationships with friends, family, co-workers, neighbours, intimate partners, and even pets should be greatly appreciated and maintained for a healthy, balanced life.
Connect Activities
- Reach out
It’s all too common to think of someone, or scroll by a photo of them via social media… and do absolutely nothing about it. A simple “Hi” to let someone you care about know that they’re on your mind is a great way to spread love. Life is too short to not spread as much love as you can.
- Spending quality time with loved ones can mean anything from a rare phone call to enjoying a meal together. Don’t take the time you have with them for granted, savour the moment, and create more memories.
- Volunteer
Not only will it feel good to help those in need, but you may also have the opportunity to connect with other like-minded individuals who have as big a heart as you do.
Enjoyment
Don’t take life so seriously! Life should feel good – it is a precious gift after all. Whatever enjoyment means to you, do more of it! Find more time for your hobbies, entertainment, sports, or simply use your imagination as you did as a child.
Consider enjoyment activities to be the dessert of day. Except this is a dessert that nobody can tell you to cut back on.
Enjoyment Activities
- Reminisce
Pulling out forgotten hobbies, movies, or games that remind you of happy times is a great way to spark joy in your life. Sharing them with people you love makes it even better!
- Laugh
Telling jokes, watching comedy, just getting together with people with whom you share happy and funny memories is a fantastic way to boost your mood.
- Experiment
Try new activities that excite you. Hiking to get a picturesque view will have you accomplishing all components of BACE. Learn to play a musical instrument, or take up woodwork. Painting, drawing, or coloring is a therapeutic activity that allows your mind to let go of the tethers of adult life and flow into a more playful, creative space.
