When the psychologist says “do things you enjoy doing”, he is not wrong. It just takes a huge effort to take the first step. When I feel depressed I don’t feel like moving a thing, lifting a pen, tidying up the kitchen, let alone work on my hobbies, on what could make me excited. But, if I find the minimum motivation to take the first step, then I am really proud of myself. Taking Fluoxetin in the past few months has helped me feel more balanced and serene, so I take this opportunity to feel motivated enough to make a big step into something I really like to do. I have been postponing it for about two years, and now I have finally taken small steps toward it, and I did it. It’s like taking a weight off of my shoulders: finally being able to work on the podcast I have been meaning to do for a long time.

My goodness, how difficult was this first step: I was looking at the whole picture and the endeavor seemed to be just too big to master. I would need to know how to record, how to edit the sound, how to find music, how to mix everything, how to find guests to invite to the show, how to choose the right hosting platform, etc. So, while the podcast has been in my head for such a long time, and all its perceived obstacles, I have taken one simple step: I looked for a freelance to help me with sound editing; on upwork I found a few freelancers. This has unblocked the mega block I had about podcasting: finding someone to share the task with me has been the solution to unblocking the blockage. It’s been 3 weeks and I have been interviewing people non stop, after my work hours, and working on my intro and outro before work, in the morning. It’s satisfying, I get to speak with people, I get to learn new things, and I get to improve my interviewing skills.

Making the podcast has helped me immensely to get back on my feet, feel confidence, and counterbalance the frustrating moments at work. With a podcast I manage to put my eggs in different baskets, this is very important for my overall well being. So, next to the big “work” basket, now I have a “podcast” basket. Another basket is weekend sports: I am skiing quite a lot in Switzerland these days, despite the pandemic restrictions, and I am seeing new friends. This is something I look forward to.

Dinners are also events I am enjoying. Making food for people, new friends, people I met on the whatsapp groups of like minded expats who are looking for new friends and activities to do. The social media help in this. Not easy to make friends in Switzerland, and I find that Lausanne has more Swiss people than expats (harder to mingle with Swiss than with expats); but I am meeting new people by signing up for walks, ski weekends on the mountains, and swimming sessions in the glacial cold lake. New acquaintances help the daily life.

With Fluoxetin, more motivation, new activities, I feel that I am getting stronger. I have things to look forward to. And spring is coming: longer days, lighter days; this helps me immensely. There is hope. Just taking one step after the other. It’s so true: try to do something you know you enjoy. It’s difficult for us, depression prone people, but it’s not impossible; that’s it, it’s possible, and it will change your life for the better.