I recently had one of those days where nothing seemed to go smoothly – a string of mishaps that kept piling on. It stirred up the memory of a particularly hectic day that I wrote about back at the end of 2022 (funny how certain moments stay crystal clear over the years). As it came rushing back, I decided I should revisit what I took away from the experience.
It’s in these exact moments of overwhelm that we have to consciously choose to stop the depression spiral before it takes root.
I remember thinking the day had barely started when:
- The dog threw up on my new area rug.
- While trying to clean it up, I upended a tray of drinking glasses, which crashed against the tile floor, sending shards and jagged pieces scattering everywhere.
- My partner and I spent an exhausting amount of time searching for his “lost” mobile phone, only to eventually discover that I had absentmindedly slipped it into my robe pocket earlier, mistaking it for mine.
We all have days like that – you can probably think of a handful of similar moments where everything seems to go sideways all at once. How we move through them makes all the difference in how we carry those memories in the years to come.
What Happens When You Don’t Discharge the Stress
These aren’t life-or-death situations. They’re inconveniences, little aggravations that pile up. But if we don’t discharge that accumulating frustration, it can pull us into a vortex of heaviness and discouragement. Frustration builds, motivation sinks, and soon the energy around us starts to feel heavier. And then, sometimes, it’s not just minor things that go wrong. It can be bigger disruptions: losing a job, heartbreak, failing a critical exam, or having a painful argument.
Most of us don’t even realize how much we’re carrying until the overwhelm becomes impossible to ignore. And then, sometimes, it’s not just minor things that go wrong. It can be bigger disruptions: losing a job, heartbreak, failing a critical exam, or having a painful argument.
You know the old saying, “It was the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
I believe many of us continue forward with a figurative “broken back” until we simply can’t anymore – which can slide into true unhappiness, or what we call depression. Clinical depression symptoms show up as persistent hopelessness, poor concentration, lack of energy, trouble sleeping, and sometimes even darker tendencies.
I’ve sat with this question a lot myself: Is depression a disease or something deeper? What I keep coming back to is that it’s rarely just one thing. It’s the accumulation of everything we didn’t let ourselves feel along the way.
Of course, we don’t arrive here overnight. It’s usually a long sequence of discouragements, disappointments, and despair that gradually lead us into that darker state.
But here’s the good news: you do have the power to interrupt that downward spiral.
How to Stop the Depression Spiral
One of the best tools I know is meditation. It’s a way to reset and clear the mind of that pent-up stress energy. Now, I know some of you may have tried meditation because everyone talks about it (and yes, here I am adding to the chorus), but found it difficult to sit still and go inward.
I completely understand that feeling. I struggled too. That’s why, in my Emotional Liberation method, you don’t have to sit still. With active and expressive breath and movement patterns, you engage with whatever emotion is pounding at the door of your mind. For example, you can try this: “What Emotion Are You Feeling and Why?”
Practices like this help release the negative buildup from all those small and large stressors that accumulate. You can also incorporate cannabis plant medicine to deepen your practice – just be mindful not to overdo it. The goal is to amplify your awareness, not to numb it. I’ve shared more about what that looks like in practice, how cannabis supports emotional liberation when it’s used as a tool for presence, not escape.
A Reset You Can Reach For
Having a reliable reset plan is essential for navigating the everyday ups and downs that life throws our way – whether it’s minor frustrations or moments that truly test us. The more we practice, the more resilient we become.
The American Psychological Association has found the same thing: that small, consistent habits are what actually build lasting resilience.
And you don’t need a perfect routine to begin. Sometimes it starts with just learning to destress and give yourself a reset when the day gets heavy. Even a few minutes can stop the depression spiral from quietly taking hold.
Do you relate to what I’m sharing? Drop into the comments and let me know about your own experience.
With Love,
Becca
P.S. My upcoming Emotional Liberation course is designed for exactly this kind of “life piling on” energy – the moments and memories that weigh us down if we don’t clear them. If you’re ready to embrace these real-life tools to reset before the spiral takes hold again, click here to join the interest list and I’ll keep you posted as soon as enrollment opens.
