The sunshine is a welcome sight after 8 days of rain and thunderstorms. A soft light enters my window at dawn and I am typically awakened by my sweet old dog Petey. It is 6:25 on the dot every morning that she greets me with a frisky wag and a demanding bark. Petey is a pugadoodle and is almost 20 years old. She touches my funny bone and helps me enter the morning with a smile and a sense of relief that she is still alive.

I am blessed of late to have had more days filled with gentle smiles and laughter than in past months. The medication that I take does not tickle my funny bone instead it helps to see the lighter side of life. It is with a keen eye that I observe my days and make choices that help me free of depression. I remember a few months ago when I was unable to experience pleasure.  An inability to experience pleasure is a key symptom of clinical depression. It not only robs me of happy times but contributes to a decline in an interest in living. When there is an absence of pleasure a cycle kicks in that can spiral down towards a pit of depression. When it is not possible to experience pleasure it is a direct connection to helplessness and hopelessness.

I encourage those of you who share this inability to experience pleasure to be gentle with yourself and understand that it may be part of the depression itself. It may be helpful to talk with your psychiatrist about your options. But equally important is to do something different than what you are doing. If you are sitting in your chair stand up and if you are passively watching television or playing computer games you may want to do another activity. Moving your body is especially important and takes minimal effort to change the pattern so you can experience small pleasures. I know this sounds oversimplified but sometimes it is all that you can do because of feeling frozen. It is the small things that can make a difference.

One of the things that have helped me is to smell different aromas. I find some aromas comforting and others stimulating. These are small efforts but may just be the trigger to awaken the senses that lead to pleasure. Lavender for example is a pleasant aroma. I can’t help but feel the corners of my mouth turn up a little bit when I am around Lavender plants, oils or other products.   Lemon and Lime seem to perk up my spirits and my eyes open up a little bit wider. Cinnamon is a comforting aroma that sparks fond memories and makes a subtle shift that leaves room for a moment of pleasure. When these memories and sensations are attended to on a regular basis it allows the experience of pleasure to slip in to my awareness. It is not a cure but is a miracle!