Food

My appetite is greatly affected by my state of mind. If I am really suffering, I lose my desire to eat completely. This is when I survive on bananas and coffee, a combo that is not ideal but just about keeps me going. When my mood has improved, but I am feeling weary, I reach for carbs and pile on the pounds. During my year of post-natal depression, I could eat four Chelsea buns in one go, and biscuits and cakes by the ton. Needless to say I became very tubby, which played havoc with my self esteem. Neither scenario is ideal, and when you are anxious or depressed, what you need is food that is dead easy to prepare, appetising to eat and offers you nourishment for brain and body. Here are my top tips:

Be prepared:

Go to the shops with a list of what you need. It is so easy to get to the supermarket, feel overwhelmed and come out with something useless or even nothing at all. Go to the shops when it is quiet, or shop online. I generally feel more perky in the evenings, so this is when I go food shopping. If you can't face a huge supermarket, go to a smaller Co-op or Tesco Local. If you really can't face it, this is the time to enlist a friend to help you, and ask them to do your shopping for you. Don't forget your purse/wallet, shopping trolley token and reusable bags - there is nothing more frustrating than getting there and not being able to complete the task because your foggy old brain has forgotten these items. Grr.

When I am having a good day, I try to batch cook as much as I can and freeze things, so I can have them on stand-by for when I am not feeling so great. Stews, sauces and cottage/shepherds pies are ideal for this, and I take great comfort in knowing my children are having home cooked food.

Some suggestions:

Pimped Up Pizza - buy a simple frozen or chilled margarita pizza (cheese and tomato), and add your own fresh toppings to make it more nutritious, along with a drizzle of olive oil. I like sliced pepper, onion, mushrooms and olives. It takes minutes to do, minutes to cook and is tasty (and cheap).

Jacket Potatoes - rub the skins with oil, prick the skin and smother with salt. Shove in the oven on a medium heat for an hour or so. Eat with cheese, coleslaw, beans, butter or tuna mayo.

Soup - tinned, fresh from the chiller cabinet or home-made. Ideally with decent bread. So easy to digest and so comforting. If you have a friend who has asked how they can help, ask them to make you some soup and you can have it in the fridge or in the freezer for when you need something quick and tasty. Chicken noodle soup is the best, but even good old cream of tomato from a tin can hit the spot.

Toast - old favourites like cheese on toast, eggs on toast (scrambled or poached), sardines on toast, peanut butter and jam on toast - ideal comfort food.

Sushi - slightly left field, but a good option if you really can't be bothered to cook but want something that you can buy from supermarkets and that is wholesome and tasty. 

Fruit - get the best quality and most delicious looking fruit you can afford. Lots of berries, bananas, apples, peaches and grapes that you can pick at when you are feeling the need for sustenance. Try to have it all washed, prepared and ready to eat (do this when you are feeling a little more lively, or ask someone to do it for you).

Smoothies - use up any fresh fruit that is no longer at its best, or have a stash of frozen berries you can blitz with a banana and some orange juice. Mix in yogurt for extra calcium and calories, and if you need some greens, shove in some baby spinach leaves and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Nuts - bags of unshelled and unsalted nuts are great snacks. I like Brazil nuts, cashew nuts and pistachio nuts, but any nuts are better than crisps or sweets.

Porridge oats - made in a microwave or on the hob, with loads of milk and sugar (or golden syrup), this is a perfect slow release energy food. I always have oats in my cupboards for porridge, making granola or flapjacks - all dead easy to do, and so filling and nutritious. 

Drinks - it is essential to stay hydrated. If you like herbal teas, make sure you always have your favourite tea bags on stand by. If you like cordials and squashes, have these on hand too, to encourage you to keep drinking. Don't get sugar free squashes with artificial sweeteners, go for the sort that are made with sugar and are 'high juice' so you get a little energy boost. I am a coffee drinker, and I do believe caffeine can really help give you a lift if you are feeling sluggish, but don't over-do it, particularly after 3pm as it can affect your sleep. Avoid alcohol at all costs - even a glass of wine can set you back (alcohol is a depressant and can interfere with anti-depressant medication) so it is just not worth it, even for the temporary relaxation it offers.

What are your tips for fast and nourishing food when you are feeling glum?

A Wise and Comforting Poem by Rumi

The Guest House

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture.

Still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be cleaning you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought,  the shame, the malice.
Meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

Rumi

I read this poem in Ruby Wax's fascinating and very helpful book 'Sane New World: Taming the Mind'. It's a fascinating look "under the bonnet" to see how the brain works, with some practical advice and techniques mostly based on mindfulness meditation, as well as Ruby's own experience of depression. I am now going to seek out a mindfulness workshop - the evidence seems clear that this is a great way to tackle unhelpful thinking habits. I shall report back!

A picture by my daughter - it looks spookily like how my brain feels sometimes.

Bed

Adverts for mattresses remind us that we spend a third of our lives in bed. If you have depression, my guess is that during the rough times the amount of time we spend in bed increases a lot. My bed is like a raft on a stormy sea, it is my refuge and my haven, and because of this, I try to make my bed as comfortable as possible. If you have depression, I recommend you do the same. I truly believe that our environment has an impact on our well-being, and that a messy, stuffy and dirty bedroom will not lift spirits.

Tracy Emin's art installation 'Bed'

Mattress

Get the best mattress you can afford, and the type that to you feels most supportive yet yielding, that hugs the curves of your body and doesn't give you back ache. Check if the shop where you buy your mattress will take away your old one - this saves you a job. If you can't afford a new mattress, invest in a feather or memory foam mattress topper, which will add comfort and warmth.

Bed linen

This should be 100% cotton, so it is breathable and not hot and sticky. I like pure white sheets and duvet covers, there is something about its crispness that I find comforting. John Lewis, Argos and Ikea have good ranges of pure cotton bed linen. Get a lovely fluffy duvet or if you like the weight and heft of blankets, make sure you have enough to layer up. If you only invest in one thing, get a really good pillow.

Warmth

I absolutely love my electric blanket. I have a double bed and I can warm up one side of the bed, but keep the other side cool should I overheat. If I am spending the day in bed but I don't want to heat the whole house, I can make my bed a cosy sanctuary, and it definitely helps to relax tense muscles and warm cold feet. If you can't afford an electric blanket, a hot water bottle or one of those microwaveable heat packs is a useful alternative. No one wants to be cold in bed.

Entertainment

Bring your radio, or if you have a smartphone, get the BBC iplayer app and you can listen to the gentle sounds of Radio 4, Radio 3 or the World Service, or download podcasts. Choose history or nature documentaries - favourite Radio 4 programmes of mine are 'Something Understood' and of course, 'All in the Mind'. If you can cope with reading, choose books that are old favourites. If you want to watch TV, choose programmes that aren't going to make you feel anxious or that are too hard to follow. When I felt particularly bad, I could only face wildlife and gardening programmes. Avoid the news.

Attire

'Lounge wear' is ideal - so if you need to answer the door or have a visitor, it isn't too mortifying. Soft, flowing cotton jersey trousers, baggy layered tops, sweatshirts, hoodies - stuff that doesn't make you look too much like you've rolled out of bed. You can get lots of cotton, soft and comfortable pyjamas that don't look too pyjama-ey from Primark. Or if you are feeling lavish and want to shop online, Hush has some beautiful things that will wash really well and last for ages.

Clean

Sometimes this isn't possible because you feel too awful, but a shower and clean PJs can be a real pick-me-up. If you can't manage this, brush your hair and brush your teeth at least once a day. If you are feeling really low, and friends ask what they can do to help, ask them to change the sheets on your bed, have a quick tidy up, vacuum and air your bedroom. A little bunch of flowers will make the room more cheerful. While they do this, you have a warm deep bath with clean PJs on standby, and when you get in to bed, you will feel so much better.

Nourishment

Have some snacks by your bed and a jug of fresh water. Keep hydrated. If you venture down to the kitchen to make some tea or coffee, don't just make one mug, fill a Thermos. Good 'non-crumby' snacks to have on hand are almonds, dried fruit, flapjack and bananas. Keep your medications handy, so you don't need to get out of bed to take them on time.

Image courtesy of Nina Holst.