…Watch Netflix, read books, eat cookies (fill in the blank). Okay, don’t binge eat cookies. Even if they’re from Ruby Snap or Smart Cookie; that will make you sick. Whereas binge reading never makes you sick. Anyway, my point is that sometimes you just have to enjoy yourself (and I’m not just saying this because I am currently watching episode after episode of Parks and Recreation—Netflix makes it sooo easy) because having depression or anxiety is like dragging a weight behind you. It’s heavy and exhausting, a 24-hour a day, seven-day a week thing. So it’s okay to not always be “on.”

Not that I’d encourage you to go overboard or do anything unhealthy. Binge watching Netflix regularly can turn into an ugly habit. And, as a person with OCD, I can attest to how easy it is to turn something unhealthy into a habit (and how hard it is to break those habits). Binge sparingly.

Once in a while, allow yourself to take a break from your restrictions, even if it’s just taking a break from your worries and your anxieties.

Choose Joy.

—A