Shortiik

i struggle with mental illness, and it can make my practice a lot harder than it would be otherwise, and i’m sure theres other witches out there dealing with the same thing. it can make people feel inadequate in their craft, like they’re not doing enough to really be a witch, which only adds fuel to the fire. i thought i’d share a small list of witchy things i do to combat my depression in hopes of helping others out there that struggle with the same problems.

✨ open your curtains and windows, if you can. this one is basically on every “how to fight depression” list out there, but it’s effective enough that it’s worth mentioning. letting the sunlight and fresh breeze into your room/home can help carry away some of the old, musty energy surrounding everything.

⭐️ wash your bedsheets. if you can’t find the energy to wash all your sheets, at least toss your pillow case in with your regular laundry, or run it under cold tap water and let it air dry for a while. i’ve found that after depressive episodes, my bed kinda clings onto that energy and can make the episode last longer.

✨ if keeping a physical grimoire/book of shadows is out of the question, there’s nothing wrong with keeping your notes in google drive, or even the notes app on your phone. for the longest time, my “grimoire” was just a pinterest board (and frankly, it still is).

⭐️ drinking water and water alone is hard. until you have the strength to drink actual water, you can add a magical twist to your soda/gatorade/what have you by charging it in the sunlight or moonlight, leaving a particular crystal on the cap, drawing sigils on the cap, etc.

✨ if you’re feeling up to drinking actual water, you can make it more tolerable by adding a squeeze of lemon. lemon water is a good way to “cleanse” yourself a bit and give you just a bit more energy to survive the rest of the day. give it the good ol’ counter-clockwise stir and you’re good to go.

⭐️ this grilled cheese spell by @sun-kissed-witch​. trust me. could even work with other low-effort food, like a plain sandwich, ramen, or canned soup. 

✨ certain cheap, easy-access quartz crystals (i.e. clear quartz, rose quartz, amethyst, citrine, etc.) can work well as easy anti-depression charms. i keep several amethyst crystals on my nightstand to help me sleep. here are some of the correspondences i have for each of them, if you’re interested: - clear quartz; all-purpose, cleansing, “getting a clear head”. - rose quartz; self-love, self-esteem, healing, managing stress. - amethyst;  neutralizing negative energy, calming, managing stress, protection. - citrine; energy and mood-lifting.

⭐️ get some sun. you need vitamin D, and the warmth of the sun is good on skin that’s been indoors for a while. if you can’t go outside, get yourself some orange slices or orange juice. oranges represent warmth and the sun in my craft, plus its got that vitamin D you need. also, it tastes really good and it isn’t water.

✨ bathrooms are a great place to escape things for a while and just relax. for the longest time, my bathroom has been a safe space. take a long hot bath or a long hot shower. wash yourself, or just your hair, or just your face, if you can manage. letting the water wash away some of the numbness or negative feelings can be super helpful in dark times. even just sitting on the bathroom floor and listening to the shower running for a little while is nice.

⭐️ burn a candle/light some incense and just let the fire/smoke cleanse your space for you, or get your hands on a salt lamp. you can also cleanse spaces with chimes or music - hanging wind chimes outside your window or playing certain music can cleanse a space without taking away from whatever energy you have. i recommend piano music for cleansing, or just something calm with no lyrics/vocals.

✨ if tea is your thing, certain teas work nicely. my go-to teas is this orange and spice blend from Bigelow, lemon and ginger tea, and lavender-chamomile tea. but if you’re wanting to blend your own tea, make sure you know which herbs to use and which herbs NOT to use, as some herbs can cause problems when combined with medication. if you take meds, do a little research/ask your doctor if there are any herbs that should be avoided. 

⭐️ get help. if things get really bad and everything is crashing down, reach out to someone. a family member, a friend, a therapist, a teacher, a coworker, somebody who is able to step in and help you unravel all the thoughts in your head and get your feet back on solid ground. you don’t have to fight this fight alone.